Deleted File Recovery

How to Recover Missing Microsoft Teams Meeting Recordings

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover a shared Microsoft Teams meeting recording that is no longer accessible via its link and is missing from the standard recycle bin.

Product: Microsoft Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to view or recover a previously shared Microsoft Teams meeting recording that has disappeared.
Observed behavior: The recording link returns an error, and the file cannot be found in the recycle bin. Neither the organizer nor the internal or external participants can access the recording.

Before you start

Determine whether the missing recording was from a standard (non-channel) meeting or a channel meeting, as this dictates whether the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.

Solution 1Recommended

Check OneDrive and SharePoint Recycle Bins

Use this solution to recover recordings that were recently deleted but are still within the standard retention period (30 days for OneDrive, 93 days for SharePoint).

Microsoft Teams meeting recordings are not stored inside Teams itself. Standard meeting recordings are automatically saved to the meeting organizer's OneDrive, while channel meeting recordings are saved to the associated channel's SharePoint site. Deleted items are temporarily held in their respective recycle bins before permanent deletion.

Navigate to the storage location

For a standard non-channel meeting, have the organizer log into their OneDrive. For a channel meeting, navigate to the Files tab of the Teams channel and open the connected SharePoint site.

Open the Recycle bin

In both OneDrive and SharePoint, look at the left-hand navigation pane and click on 'Recycle bin'.

Locate the missing recording

Search for the meeting recording file within the recycle bin list.

Restore the file

Select the checkbox next to the recording file and click the 'Restore' button at the top of the page to return it to its original location.

Retention Period Limits: Items in the OneDrive recycle bin are typically retained for 30 days, while SharePoint retains them for 93 days. If the file is not there, it may have exceeded this period.

Solution 2

Contact Microsoft 365 Administrator for Backend Support

If the recycle bin retention period has expired (over 93 days) or the recycle bin was manually emptied, you must escalate the issue to your M365 administrator.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Microsoft Teams channel meeting recordings stored?

Channel meeting recordings are automatically saved to the SharePoint site connected to that specific Teams channel. They can usually be found in the 'Recordings' folder within the channel's document library.

Can external participants recover a deleted Teams recording?

No. External participants do not have the necessary permissions to access the organizer's OneDrive or the host organization's SharePoint recycle bin. The meeting organizer or an internal IT administrator must handle the file recovery.

What happens after a Teams recording is deleted from the SharePoint recycle bin?

When a file is deleted from the primary SharePoint recycle bin, it is moved to a second-stage (site collection) recycle bin. If it is deleted from there, or if the 93-day retention period has completely passed, only Microsoft Support can attempt to recover the file via backend logs.

Why did my Teams meeting recording link suddenly stop working?

The link will return an error if the recording was accidentally deleted, moved to a different folder, had its sharing permissions modified, or if an automated expiration policy removed the file after a set number of days.

Migration & Recovery