For a legal document, the correct version is the one that meets the matter owner’s documented requirement, not necessarily the newest entry in history. Preserve the current material and identify the required approved content before replacing anything.
This guide concerns technical recovery. Decisions about legal retention, evidence handling and authorized changes belong to the organization’s responsible legal or records owner.
Identify the approved revision
Record the document URL, matter identifier, relevant approval and the specific wording or attachment required. Include the time zone when comparing dates. A deadline or folder-modified date is not sufficient proof of a document’s approved contents.
For example, a contract body and its schedule may have separate approvals. Ask whether both need historical retrieval or whether a new working draft is required. Do not silently combine versions and present the result as the original approved document.
Preserve before restoring
Keep current material and candidate copies in an approved location outside the planned recovery scope. Record the source of each copy and who can access it. Do not remove retention controls, empty deleted items or delete originals while deciding which version is needed.
Review applicable retention policies and labels with the compliance owner when they affect the operation. Their presence does not eliminate the need to validate content or authorize changes.
Recover the selected document
- Open the file’s owning OneDrive or SharePoint location.
- Inspect available version history and compare the candidate’s actual text, schedules and attachments.
- Obtain the required approval before making the candidate current.
- Reopen the shared document and have the matter owner check the expected content and access.
If the document is absent rather than outdated, investigate deleted-item recovery. Do not describe all files removed by a OneDrive rollback as permanently deleted: post-point creations can be recovered from the recycle bin while available.
Avoid an accidental wider rollback
Opening Restore OneDrive from a case folder does not limit the operation to that folder. Do not rely on undocumented legal-folder exclusions. Where a broad incident requires wider recovery, ask the administrator to review its complete impact and independently preserve unaffected material first.
“Always keep on this device” is not an offline archive of every historical revision. Retain the approved source copies through the organization’s records process. Close with a version-by-version recovery record and explicit unresolved items, rather than a blanket claim that the folder is now legally correct.