Guide: Recover Permanently Deleted Pictures from OneDrive

First, all of my photos were successfully stored on the cloud. Then recently my computer needed to refresh and erase them. The photos were still on my cloud afterwards, so I never put them back on my computer. Today, after uploading some new pictures, I noticed some of my folders were empty. PLEASE HELP?! What do I do?

Can Permanently Deleted OneDrive Pictures Be Recovered

Yes, permanently deleted OneDrive pictures may be recoverable in some situations, but recovery is not guaranteed.

When you delete pictures from OneDrive, the files usually go through several stages:

1. Deleted files are moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin

If the pictures are still in the Recycle Bin, they can usually be restored easily.

2. Files are permanently removed from OneDrive

After emptying the Recycle Bin or exceeding the retention period, the files may no longer be available through OneDrive’s built-in recovery options.

3. A local synchronized copy may still exist

If OneDrive was syncing pictures to your computer, the deleted files may still exist on the local drive until they are overwritten. In this case, data recovery software may be able to scan the local drive and recover the deleted pictures.

The chance of recovery mainly depends on these factors:

How to Recover Permanently Deleted OneDrive Pictures

Method 1. Restore OneDrive Pictures from Backups

If your OneDrive files were backed up by a third-party cloud backup service before deletion, you may be able to restore them from the backup. Refer to your service provider’s documentation for detailed recovery instructions.

Method 2. Restore OneDrive Files Using Data Recovery Software

If you cannot find your deleted pictures in OneDrive Recycle Bin, Windows Recycle Bin, or available backups, you can try using recovery software to scan your local drive for recoverable files.

When OneDrive is installed on your computer, a local copy of your synced files is usually stored in the OneDrive folder. After deletion, the file data may remain on the drive until it is overwritten by new data.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery can scan the local drive where your OneDrive folder is stored and find deleted pictures and other types of data. It supports free file preview and offers up to 1 GB of free data recovery.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

However, the data recovery tool only works if:

• The deleted pictures were stored in the local OneDrive folder.
• The deleted data has not been overwritten.
• The storage drive is still working properly.

To improve the chance of successful recovery, stop using the affected drive immediately and start recovery immediately.

Step 1: Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free and install it on your local drive. Then, run the software immediately to see its main interface. You need to choose the partition where the OneDrive folder is located and click Scan.

Optionally, you can choose Select Folder from the Recover From Specific Locations section and navigate to the OneDrive folder via the C:\Users\username\OneDrive path. Choose the target folder and click Select Folder to start scanning.

Here we scan the OneDrive folder as an example.

Step 2: On the result page, you can browse the file list to find what you want. In order to quickly pinpoint your wanted files, you can use Filter, Type, and Search features. If you just want to restore one specific file, the Search feature works best. Input the file name into the search box and hit Enter to locate the file.

Step 3: Double-click on the found file to preview it. Documents, pictures, videos, audio, and other files are supported for previewing before saving. Once confirmed the file is the one you need, tick it and click on the Save button to choose a new destination for it.

Do not save the file to its original file directly, as data overwritten might happen, leading to data recovery failure.

In the end, the software will complete the recovery automatically and provide you a pop-up window at the end of recovery, so that you will know when to shut down the software safely.

Brief Sum-up

If you accidentally deleted pictures or other important files from OneDrive, check the Windows Recycle Bin and OneDrive Recycle Bin first. If the files cannot be restored from these locations, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery to scan your local drive and recover deleted files.

If you encounter any issues while using MiniTool products, please contact our support team at [email protected] for further assistance.

Recover Deleted OneDrive Pictures FAQ