Microsoft OneDrive is a file hosting service that allows users to store, share, and sync files. It is widely used by Windows, Mac, and mobile phone users, but it also comes with plenty of problems. Recently, many people have found their files missing from OneDrive.
Missing OneDrive files – All folders and subfolders are intact, but empty.
My cherished trail cam archive folder has several sub-folders that organize my video captures. Every file in every folder is gone. All of the folders are intact, but every file within them is gone. I have read and tried everything but cannot locate the missing files - hundreds of them. Help! I have 4 years of my best captures at stake. - James Rohen (FläktGroup)answers.microsoft
How to Recover Missing Files from OneDrive
Method 1: Find Files from OneDrive Recycle Bin
Probably, your missing files are deleted by mistake from OneDrive. The deleted files will be stored in the OneDrive Recycle Bin. So firstly, go to check the Recycle Bin.
Step 1: Go to the OneDrive website and sign in with your account.
Step 2: Click on the Recycle Bin tab on the left sidebar.
Step 3: You can scroll down the file list to find your wanted files. Once you find them, add check marks in front of them, and click on the Restore button at the top of this page.
If you do not find desired files, please try other methods.
Method 2: Change OneDrive Account
If you have multiple accounts in OneDrive, you should check which account you used to back up files. Maybe you have uploaded files to other accounts; thus, you can’t find them in the current one. Switch accounts to check.
Step 1: Click on the profile icon in the top right corner.
Step 2: Click on Sign in with a different account to log into another account.
Method 3: Check Files in the OneDrive Sync List
Another possible reason for files missing from OneDrive is the sync problems, such as sync pending. If your files are stuck in the syncing process, you can’t find them in OneDrive folders as well. Here are some ways for you to resolve this problem.
Way 1: Check Storage Space
Step 1: Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray.
Step 2: Select Settings from the menu.
Step 3: You can find the detailed information about Storage in the left corner.
If the storage space is going to run out, you need to clear some files or update your account.
Way 2: Pause and Resume Syncing
Step 1: Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray.
Step 2: Select Pause Syncing from the menu and choose the 2 hours.
Step 3: Click on the gear icon and choose Resume syncing to restart the process.
You can read this passage to access more methods for resolving this problem: 9 Methods to Help You Fix OneDrive Sync Issues on Windows 10.
Method 4: Check the Personal Vault
Personal Vault is a special folder in OneDrive that is created to protect your important and private files with a second step of identification verification. If you can’t find files from other folders, go to check the Personal Vault.
You need to sign into your account on the OneDrive official site and click on the Personal Vault folder to verify your identification.
Method 5: Add OneDrive Folder in the Indexed Locations
The term indexing describes the process of searching files and other information on your computer. It helps you to obtain search results quickly and accurately. If the OneDrive folders are removed from the Indexed Locations, you are unable to find files from it. Thus, you might find the OneDrive files disappeared.
Step 1: Press Win + S and type Indexing Options into the search box.
Step 2: Hit Enter to open the Indexing Options window.
Step 3: Click on the Modify button to open the Indexed Locations window.
Step 4: Navigate to Users > UserName.
Step 5: You can look through the list to find and select OneDrive, then click OK to add it to Indexed locations.
Method 6: Recover Files with MiniTool Power Data Recovery
If you still can’t find the demanded files by using the methods mentioned above, the last method is to ask for help from professional data recovery software, such as MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is designed to restore files, even permanently deleted ones. It is able to retrieve photos, videos, audio, documents, and other types of files from numerous data storage devices, such as memory cards, SD cards, external and internal hard drives, etc.
MiniTool provides you with several editions to meet your requirements. For the disparities and functions of each edition, you can see from this page. To recover files from OneDrive, we suggest you download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery free first. This free edition scans the chosen partition/disk deeply and restores no more than 1GB of files.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step-by-Step Guide to Find Lost Files in OneDrive
Step 1: Provided you have downloaded and installed MiniTool Power Data Recovery, launch the software to enter the main interface. You can find two tabs here:
- Logical Drives: This section lists all partitions, including connected devices, of this computer. You can select one partition and click on the Scan button to start the scan process.
- Devices: This section shows you all the connected devices on this computer. You can also choose to scan an entire disk.
Step 2: In order to find all the lost and deleted files, please wait patiently until the full scan is completed. On the result page, you can look through the file list by expanding different folder paths. Or you can change to the Type category list to find files according to their different types. Here are some other practical functions:
- Filter: to filter out unnecessary files by setting file size, file category, file type, and file modified date.
- Search: to list files that match the full or partial name you typed in the search box.
- Preview: to verify the chosen file is correct. You can preview files, photos, videos, and audio files. But the previewed videos and audio shouldn’t be larger than 2GB in size.
Step 3: Select all the files you need and click on the Save button. In the prompt window, you need to choose a proper path to save these files.
When the data recovery process is finished, you can go to the chosen destination to check the restored files.
How to Protect Files from Being Lost or Missing
Although there are methods to retrieve files safely, how to prevent files from being lost should be the primary concern. Storing files to OneDrive is still a feasible way but you need to take more actions to guarantee data security.
Way 1: Manually Back Up Files to OneDrive
Sometimes, automatic backup may be interrupted or suspended suddenly which causes a failed backup. In this case, you can back up files manually.
Step 1: Right-click on the cloud icon in the system tray and choose Settings from the context menu.
Step 2: Under the Sync and backup tab, click on the Manage backup option on the right pane.
Step 3: You need to choose a folder that requires back up, then click on Save changes.
The sync process will start automatically. When the process is over, you can check all the files in the OneDrive folder.
Way 2: Ensure the Sync Program Works Properly in OneDrive
As mentioned earlier, files missing from OneDrive might be caused by the sync program not working properly. If you are stuck by this problem, here are several methods for you to check whether the synchronization process works properly in OneDrive.
#1: Check Local Group Policy Editor
You can modify the settings of the corresponding policies in Local Group Policy Editor. But please note that the Local Group Policy Editor is not available in the Windows Home version. If you are using this Windows version, please skip to the next method.
Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run window.
Step 2: Type gpedit.msc into the box and hit Enter to open Local Group Policy Editor.
Step 3: Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive.
Step 4: Double-click on the Prevent OneDrive files from syncing over metered connection option on the right pane.
Step 5: Choose Not Configured or Disabled in the prompt window.
Step 6: Click Apply > OK to save the change.
You should restart your computer to fully apply the change. After that, you can check whether the sync problem is solved.
#2: Reset OneDrive
If OneDrive is incapable of syncing files after changing the policy, you can reset OneDrive to have a try.
Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run window.
Step 2: Copy and paste the following command into the text box and click on the OK option to reset OneDrive.
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
Step 3: After resetting, you can open OneDrive to restart syncing files. You can copy and paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe into the Run box and hit Enter to open OneDrive.
Way 3: Use Professional Data Backup Software
The other solution is to make more backups. You can choose a reliable and professional data backup tool to help you manage files. Among considerable data backup software, I heartily recommend MiniTool ShadowMaker.
This free data backup software allows you to back up files, folders, partitions, and disks. You can use it to perform three different backup types: differential backup, incremental backup, and scheduled backup. Besides, you can restore a system to different hard drives. It contains many other practical functions. You can experience them by downloading and installing the software. The trial edition can be used for free within 30 days.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker properly.
Step 2: Launch the software and choose Backup from the left sidebar.
Step 3: Click on the SOURCE section to choose what to back up, Folders and Files or Disks and Partitions. Then, you can select the content and click on the OK button.
Step 4: After returning to the Backup interface, select DESTINATION to choose where to store the files, and click OK.
Step 5: Click on the Back Up Now button to start the backup process. You can click on the down-arrow icon to choose Back Up Later, then you can go to the Manage tab to control this backup choice.
MiniTool ShadowMaker is a comprehensive data backup software. After the free period is over, you can visit this page to obtain a premium edition if needed.
Final Words
This is all about how to recover missing files from OneDrive. You can try these methods one by one, while considering the efficiency and accuracy of data recovery, I highly suggest you use MiniTool Power Data Recovery. This software can not only find lost files in OneDrive but also make external hard drive recovery, SD card recovery, etc.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
If you have any problems with MiniTool software, please feel free to contact us via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Andrea graduated in English and has a keen interest in the IT industry and questions that arise when computers are used. She is passionate about new things and challenging things and has a wide range of interests like playing guitar, gaming, and crafting.