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Files automatically deleted

Rosie Bellamy 0 Reputation points
2026-05-13T09:10:29.4033333+00:00

OneDrive keeps automatically deleting my files, sometimes minutes after I have restored them from recycling bin. The folders remain intact, but some or all of the files are deleted. This has happened to files created on the web since December, and files created on the desktop OneDrive this week. How can I stop my files being automatically deleted?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For education | Windows
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  1. Nam-D 3,865 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-13T11:14:00.93+00:00

    Hello @Rosie Bellamy,

    Regarding to your issue, could you please confirm these following details:

    1/ After restoring the files, could you please observe and compare the behavior between the OneDrive desktop client and OneDrive on the web?

    2/ Do only the restored files get deleted again, or do other files (that were not restored) also disappear?

    3/ Does this happen immediately after restoring, or only after the OneDrive desktop app finishes syncing? 

    In the meantime, make sure that both Windows and the OneDrive client are fully up to date, as outdated versions can cause unexpected sync behavior. After that, you can then try pausing OneDrive sync, restoring the files, and resuming sync afterward to observe whether the files are deleted again.

    Also, you can ask your IT administrator to check the OneDrive audit logs via Microsoft 365 Purview Admin Center to see what process or device is triggering the deletions. 

    For your further information about Audit log, kindly visit: Audit log activities | Microsoft Learn 

    I hope you find this information helpful. If anything is unclear, please don’t hesitate to reach

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