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Restoring Previous Versions from OneDrive and SharePoint

SharePoint and OneDrive have a file versioning system, keeping up to 500 versions. Each time you save a document, it gets a new version created. There are several ways to access the version history:

From Explorer

  1. Navigate to the OneDrive folder where the file is stored.
  2. Right click on the file.
  3. Click on Version History.
  4. From there, you can delete, open or recover the version you selected.

From the SharePoint or OneDrive website

  1. Navigate to the folder or library where the file resides.
  2. Click on the ellipsis next to the file name
  3. Click on on Version history.

Did you know? You can also restore and compare file versions from inside Word, PowerPoint or Excel. To do that, go to the Review tab, then click on Compare. You will be presented with options to compare to the last major, minor and specific versions, as well as an option to combine files. Together with the Tracking Changes feature, this is a powerful tool for productivity.

Recovering Deleted Files

SharePoint and OneDrive have a recycle bin that keeps deleted files for up to 30 days.

To recover Teams/SharePoint files:

  1. Open the library in SharePoint (via the browser or the Open in SharePoint button in Teams)
  2. Click on Recycle Bin. This will allow you to review all files that have been deleted in the last 30 days and restore them. The version history for those files is kept.
  3. To restore, select the files you need, then click on Restore. Restored files will immediately sync back to the folder.