Draft a client-ready instruction block for self-service file recovery — recycle bin for deletions,
version history for overwrites — scoped to where the file actually lived (personal OneDrive vs a
shared SharePoint library), because the path differs and users rarely know which they're in. Draft
only: show it to me first, send nothing.
1. Verify the storage stack and scenario FIRST. Confirm from the ticket and the client's
documentation that this client is on OneDrive/SharePoint; a client on a file server or another
platform gets a different answer — do not send this guide, that's a backup-restore request.
Then pin down: deleted vs overwritten, roughly when, and personal OneDrive vs a shared
"Documents/Teams" location. If the location is unclear, open the draft with the one
distinguishing question ("Was this in your own OneDrive, or in a shared team folder?") and
include only the branch you can support.
2. Deleted-file branch, to end-user rules, one action per step with what-you'll-see cues:
- Go in through the browser, not the desktop folder: "sign in to office.com the same way you do
for webmail, then open OneDrive."
- The recycle-bin cue for the chosen branch (OneDrive's left menu vs the SharePoint site's
recycle bin), sort by delete date, tick the file, Restore — cue: "the file goes back to
exactly where it was, not to your desktop."
- The honest time bound: deleted items are recoverable for a limited window — about 93 days on
Microsoft's current default, phrased version-cautiously as "roughly three months." If the
deletion is older, the draft says to reply instead, because recovery moves to the admin side.
3. Overwritten-file branch: right-click the file (in the browser, or in File Explorer with
OneDrive) → Version history → cue ("a list of dates and times — each is a snapshot") → open the
date they want → Restore. Reassure them that restoring an old version doesn't destroy the
current one; it becomes another version.
4. Off-ramps in both branches: "If the file isn't in the recycle bin, or version history is empty
or greyed out, stop and reply with the file name and roughly when it was lost — we have deeper
recovery options on our side." Never mention or describe the admin-side second-stage recycle bin
or a backup restore in the user draft.
5. Assemble per the Email Baseline Standard.
Guardrails: never promise recoverability ("it'll definitely be there") — commit to the steps, not
the outcome. If the ticket hints at mass deletion or a ransomware pattern (many files, strange
extensions), do NOT send self-service steps — flag it to the tech immediately; user-driven restores
can destroy forensic state. Retention is tenant-configurable, so keep time-window numbers
approximate. No admin steps in the user block. Localizable. Docs tools exist only when enabled.
Magic Library