How to Easily Manage SharePoint Recycle Bin and Recover Files

Using SharePoint for daily business tasks is incredibly efficient, but sometimes mistakes happen. You may unknowingly delete an important document, such as a purchase order or inventory list. Or, you may accidentally delete multiple versions of documents, list items, or even entire folders. Thankfully, SharePoint offers a Recycle Bin, similar to the one on your computer, to help prevent accidental data loss.

This post will explain everything you need to know about the SharePoint Recycle Bin, how to recover files, and what to do when files are permanently deleted.

If you're unsure where to find the Recycle Bin in SharePoint, it's easily accessible through the Quick Launch bar on the left side of your screen. If it’s not visible, you can find it by navigating to Settings and clicking on Site Content. There, you’ll see the Recycle Bin icon located at the top-right corner of the page.

If you’ve accidentally deleted a document or list item, it’s likely in the Recycle Bin. Restoring these items is a simple process:

1. Go to the Recycle Bin: Click the Recycle Bin icon to view the deleted items.
2. Select the Files to Restore: Find the file or folder you want to recover, click on it, and then click Restore Selection to restore it to its original location.

If you’re unable to find a deleted file in the first Recycle Bin, it might have been moved to the Site Collection Recycle Bin. This second-level Recycle Bin is only accessible by the Site Collection Administrator.

To access it:

1. Log into your SharePoint site.
2.  Click Settings > Site Settings.
3. Find and click on Recycle Bin.
4. You’ll see the Deleted from End User Recycle Bin link. Click it to view the files deleted by users.
5. From here, you can click Restore to recover the item.

The second-level Recycle Bin ensures that files can be recovered even after the initial user-level Recycle Bin is emptied.

Deleted files in SharePoint remain in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. After 30 days, they are automatically moved to the second-level Recycle Bin, where they will remain for another 30 days before being permanently deleted. Site collection administrators can manually delete files earlier if necessary.

There are some scenarios where restoring a deleted file might not be possible. For instance, if you deleted the parent file of the deleted items (e.g., a list or folder), you may not be able to restore individual documents.

In this case, you need to restore the parent file first before restoring the individual items. However, there is an exception: If you restore a deleted library, all its contents will be restored automatically.

It’s important to note that SharePoint won’t restore deleted folders exactly as they were. If you restore a deleted folder, SharePoint will create a new folder and restore only the documents from it. Other deleted contents in the folder may not be restored.

Recovering deleted files from SharePoint is simple:

1. Go to the Recycle Bin and view all deleted files.
2. Check the boxes next to the files you want to recover.
3. Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.
4. The files will be restored to their respective folders, lists, and libraries.

If you’re an administrator and need to permanently delete a file from the SharePoint Recycle Bin, here’s what you need to do:

1. Visit the Site Collection Recycle Bin in Site Collection Administration.
2. To view the End User Recycle Bin, click the End User Recycle Bin items link.
3. To view the Site Collection Recycle Bin, click Deleted from End User Recycle Bin.
4. Select the file you want to permanently delete.
5. Click Delete Selection.

This will permanently remove the file from SharePoint. Keep in mind that once files are deleted here, they cannot be recovered.

Understanding how to use the SharePoint Recycle Bin effectively is essential to preventing the loss of important files and documents. Familiarizing yourself with the process of restoring files, using the two-level Recycle Bin system, and knowing when files will be permanently deleted can save you time and stress when accidents happen.

To make the most of SharePoint, it’s also important to explore third-party tools to enhance productivity. SnapOn Software offers a range of SharePoint web parts, including Calendar plus, Org chart, List view plus, and Forms, all of which help improve the efficiency of SharePoint operations. Visit SnapOn Software's website to explore these tools and get a free trial.