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How to Recover Missing OneDrive Files After Selecting Always Keep on This Device
Question details
The user needs to find and recover files that disappeared from their local Documents folder after enabling 'Always keep on this device' on a full OneDrive account.
- Product
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to manage local and cloud storage using the 'Always keep on this device' feature when OneDrive cloud storage is full.
- Observed behavior
- Files appear to disappear from the local Documents folder instead of downloading or syncing properly.
Ensure you have your Microsoft account login credentials handy and a stable internet connection to access the OneDrive website.
Recover Missing Files from the OneDrive Online Recycle Bin
The most reliable way to find and restore missing synced files is to check your OneDrive account via a web browser.
Selecting 'Always keep on this device' downloads a local copy but does not free up your cloud storage. If your OneDrive storage is full, syncing errors might cause files to temporarily disappear from your local folders. Additionally, if files were accidentally deleted in an attempt to free space, they can easily be recovered online.
Open a web browser, go to onedrive.com, and log in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Review the 'My files' section to see if your documents are still safely stored in the cloud but just failing to sync locally.
If the files are missing from the main directory, click on 'Recycle bin' located in the left-hand navigation pane.
Select the checkboxes next to the files you want to recover and click the 'Restore' button at the top of the page.
Search the Local OneDrive Directory
Sometimes files are moved or temporarily hidden in the local sync directory rather than permanently deleted.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'Always keep on this device' and 'Free up space'?
'Always keep on this device' downloads a permanent local copy for offline access but does not delete it from your cloud storage. 'Free up space' deletes the local copy to save your device's hard drive space, but the file remains safely in your OneDrive cloud storage.
Why did my files disappear when my OneDrive storage became full?
When your OneDrive storage reaches its limit, the syncing process pauses or encounters critical errors. This can cause local files in synced folders like Documents or Desktop to temporarily disappear, fail to update, or display sync errors until cloud storage space is freed up.
How long do deleted files stay in the OneDrive online recycle bin?
For personal Microsoft accounts, deleted files are kept in the online recycle bin for 30 days before they are permanently deleted. If the recycle bin becomes full, the oldest items will be automatically deleted after 3 days.
