Restore a Previous Version of an Item/File from SharePoint Online or OneDrive
Data loss is never pleasant, whether you have accidentally deleted or overwritten files, or they have become inaccessible due to corruption, malware infection, or other issues. In many cases, restoring the original file (if it has been corrupted or overwritten) is not possible or even safe (if it is infected with malware).
Fortunately, you can restore your document to the state it was in before the file problem occurred by restoring a previous file version. However, depending on the circumstances, previous versions may or may not be available. Users may be able to retrieve a previous version from the Recycle Bin if this is the case.
The folders and files must already be in SharePoint Online or OneDrive repositories for these processes to work. Unless your Administrator changes the default settings, files created in SharePoint Online will be saved in the site repository automatically.
Restore a Previous File Version in SharePoint Online Backup
- In SharePoint Online, a version history is now enabled by default in libraries. Navigate to the desired SharePoint site and click Documents in the left-hand pane to see the version history of a file or files.
- Click the ellipses (three small dots) between the document title and date for the version date prior to the current version (the second item in the list).
- Select Version History from the drop-down menu that appears.
- Hover your mouse over the title of the previous file version under Modified.
- Right-click the down caret and select Restore. The original location of the SharePoint file will be restored.
Restore a Previous File Version in OneDrive
- In your system tray, which is located at the bottom right of your PC’s display, look for a cloud icon (blue incorporate installations). Select View Online from the drop-down menu when you click on the icon. OneDrive will startup. (You can also open OneDrive directly from the web version of any Office application by selecting OneDrive from the colored grid at the top left of your screen.)
- My Files should be selected by default in the left-hand pane. You can manually select it if it is not selected by default.
- Select the Documents folder from the drop-down menu. Right-click the document you want to restore in the group of documents that appears and select Version History.
- The current version of the document will be displayed when you open it.
- Click the date at the top of the left-hand pane, under Older Versions.
- To restore your data, select Restore from the menu that appears.
- It will revert to the previous version.
Don’t See a Cloud Icon? Not Using OneDrive for Storage? Read This!
If you don’t see a cloud icon in your system tray, right-click the up arrow and select Taskbar Settings. Scroll down to the Notification Area in the right-hand pane and click Select Which Icons Appear on the Taskbar. Scroll down until you see Microsoft OneDrive, then click the right-hand button to turn it on.
Because of OneDrive’s default storage limitation, some users have been hesitant to use it for file storage in the past (5 GB). Users of Microsoft 365, on the other hand, now have access to at least 1 TB of storage space, with OneDrive for Business offering up to 25 TB per user. Admins of a Microsoft 365 account can also provide additional storage to users.