Accidental file deletion is common, and when this happens, it's crucial to know how to recover deleted items in Office 365. This guide explores how to recover deleted Office 365 files using built-in tools and a third-party solution.
With its cloud-based architecture, Office 365 has become the go-to productivity suite for businesses worldwide, providing essential tools for emails, file storage, and collaboration. But what happens when users accidentally delete critical files, emails, or calendar items? With accidental deletions on the rise, the need for a quick and efficient recovery process has become increasingly important.
Normally, deleted items in Office 365 are temporarily stored in specific folders, depending on which app or service you’re using:
When you delete emails, calendar events, or contacts in Outlook (Office 365’s email service), they go to the Deleted Items folder. You can find this folder in the left sidebar of Outlook. Items stay here temporarily and can be easily restored to their original location.
If you empty your Deleted Items folder, all of its contents are relocated to the Deleted Item Retention area (DIRT). Items removed from the Deleted Items folder are relocated to the DIRT for 10 days. Weekends and weekdays are included. Users can access the DIRT via Outlook or Outlook on the web and recover email messages at any time within the 10 days.
For files deleted from OneDrive, they are initially moved to the Recycle Bin within OneDrive. Items in the Recycle Bin are stored temporarily and can be restored from there. If they’re removed from the Recycle Bin, they go to the Second-stage Recycle Bin for an additional retention period before permanent deletion.
After you know where deleted Office files go, let’s see how to retrieve them in Outlook and Microsoft Exchange.
If you are using an Outlook program on your PC, instead of accessing Office 365 Exchange straight from the online app.
Step 1. Log into your Office 365 account and open Outlook.
Step 2. Go to the "Deleted Items" folder in the left navigation pane. This folder temporarily stores items deleted by the user.
Step 3. Find the files you wish to recover, right-click it, and choose "Move" to restore it to a folder.
In addition to deleted messages and attachments, you can use the Deleted Items folder to recover contacts, events, and even tasks. The methods remain the same; the only difference is that instead of moving data to your inbox, you must select contacts, calendar, or tasks for suitable placement.
This method works well for recently deleted items, but once items are purged from the Deleted Items folder, they are moved to the Recoverable Items folder, covered in the next method.
Microsoft Exchange offers a secondary layer of recovery for items that have been removed from the Deleted Items folder. The Recoverable Items folder holds items for a set period before they are permanently deleted. By default, Microsoft Exchange purges the Deleted Items folder every 30 days.
Step 1. Open your Office 365 Outlook, go to the “Deleted Items” folder, then click on the “Recover items deleted from this folder” option at the top.
Step 2. In the new window that opens, you’ll see all files still available in the Recoverable Items folder.
Step 3. Select the items you want to recover, click "Restore Selected Items," and they will be returned to their original folder.
In all, Outlook and Microsoft Exchange can offer you 14- 30 days to recover deleted files, but after that, you can’t retrieve your files. We suggest you don’t use them as the backup solutions.
1. Items in the Deleted and Recoverable Items folders are only stored temporarily. Once the retention period (usually 30 days) is over, files are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
2. Most Microsoft Office 365 email accounts are limited to 50GB, including data in the recycle bin. Users with Enterprise E3 or E5 services are limited to 100GB.
3. Sometimes, items recovered from the Recoverable Items folder might be incomplete or corrupted, especially if they were partially synced or corrupted during deletion.
4. Office 365 doesn’t allow recovery for files that have been overwritten multiple times or accidentally saved over with different content.
When the Office 365 recovery methods are insufficient, third-party recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery can provide an effective alternative. AOMEI FastRecovery is a powerful tool designed for Office 365 users to recover permanently deleted files. With this tool, you can restore files beyond the typical retention period, retrieve overwritten data, and even recover files corrupted due to sync issues.
β¨ Advantages of AOMEI FastRecovery Over Office 365 Exchange Recovery:
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.
Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.
Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".
Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.
Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.
In addition to using recovery tools, implementing a robust backup and recovery solution is essential for Office 365 users. Here are some recommended strategies:
π Regular Cloud Backup: Schedule regular backups of your Office 365 files to a secure cloud storage platform. Many third-party cloud storage providers offer automatic backups with added security features.
π§ Use Office 365 Backup Tools: Microsoft offers several tools, including OneDrive for Business, which can be configured to back up important files automatically.
π Automated Data Archiving: To avoid losing access to files after the retention period, set up automated data archiving for older files or files that aren’t accessed frequently but still need to be retained.
Accidental deletion is common, but with Office 365’s built-in recovery tools and third-party solutions like AOMEI FastRecovery, restoring your files is more accessible than ever. While Office 365 provides basic recovery tools, they come with limitations, such as limited retention periods and partial recovery options. For long-term data protection and comprehensive recovery, third-party solutions like AOMEI FastRecovery offer flexibility and reliability that Office 365 alone cannot provide.