Accidentally deleting an important email, file, or document is one of the most common IT support requests we handle for businesses across Dubai and the UAE. Whether it's a contract that got deleted from SharePoint, an important client email trashed by mistake, or a colleague's entire OneDrive accidentally cleared before they left the company — data recovery is often an urgent, stressful situation. The good news is that Microsoft 365 has multiple recovery mechanisms built in, and in most cases, deleted files and emails can be fully restored — if you know where to look and act quickly.
This guide covers the key recovery options available in Microsoft 365, including how long deleted items are retained before permanent deletion and how to access each recovery method.
Step 1 — Check the Deleted Items folder: The first place to look for a deleted email is the Deleted Items (or Trash) folder in Outlook. Items remain here until you delete them from Deleted Items or Outlook automatically clears the folder. To restore: right-click the email → Move → Inbox (or your desired folder).
Step 2 — Check Recoverable Items: If the email has been deleted from the Deleted Items folder, it moves to a hidden "Recoverable Items" folder. To access it in Outlook Web Access: go to the Deleted Items folder, click "Recover items deleted from this folder" (the link at the top). Items here are retained for 14 days by default (or up to 30 days if configured by an admin). Select the email and click Restore.
Step 3 — Admin-level eDiscovery recovery: If the item has passed the standard retention period, Microsoft 365 admins can use the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal to perform an eDiscovery search and recover emails within the compliance retention period (up to 90 days by default, or longer if a retention policy has been set). This requires Global Administrator or Compliance Administrator access.
OneDrive Recycle Bin: Deleted files in OneDrive go to the OneDrive Recycle Bin, where they are retained for 93 days before permanent deletion. To restore: go to onedrive.com, click Recycle Bin in the left sidebar, select the file, and click Restore.
SharePoint Recycle Bin: Deleted files in SharePoint sites go to the site's Recycle Bin (accessible from the site settings), retained for 93 days. Site owners can restore files from here. After 93 days (or if deleted from the primary Recycle Bin), items move to a second-stage Recycle Bin accessible only to Site Collection Administrators.
Version History: Even if a file wasn't deleted but was overwritten with incorrect content, SharePoint and OneDrive maintain version history. Right-click the file → Version History to see and restore previous versions. This is particularly useful when staff accidentally overwrite a contract or spreadsheet with wrong data.
Microsoft 365 Admin Recovery: If a user account has been deleted (along with their OneDrive), Microsoft 365 administrators have a 30-day window to restore the deleted user's OneDrive from the admin centre before the data is permanently removed. This is a critical process for managing departing UAE staff. Al Aida IT Technology's IT AMC contracts include a structured offboarding procedure that backs up OneDrive data before account deletion to prevent data loss.
If your business has lost important files or emails in Microsoft 365 and needs urgent recovery assistance, our team at Al Aida IT Technology LLC provides expert managed IT support, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and IT Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs) across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the wider GCC region.
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