If a recovered project folder contains the wrong documents, establish where the files belong and what operation returned them. Recovering deleted items, restoring one file version and rolling back OneDrive are not interchangeable ways to select a project state.
Verify storage ownership, not just the last editor
Open the original shared location and record its URL. Determine whether it belongs to a user’s OneDrive or a SharePoint library. A colleague editing a file in someone else’s OneDrive does not move that file into the colleague’s own recovery scope.
Do not ask every contributor to restore their own drive to the same day. Assign the recovery to the storage owner or administrator and collect contributor copies separately. Preserve useful current work outside the scope before further changes.
Check file identity after deletion and re-upload
Compare original paths, names, contents and available history. A document uploaded again under the same name may not be the same item you originally lost. Record each candidate’s source instead of assuming the first restored file is the correct one.
If the file is present but wrong, inspect its version history. If it is absent, investigate deleted items in the owning location. Ask an administrator to inspect additional recovery stages when necessary.
Keep new work safe during a wider recovery
Do not depend on an undocumented “Exclude files” control to protect the current project from a OneDrive-wide restore. Choose targeted file recovery where possible. If a broad operation is justified, preserve both the affected project’s useful work and unrelated current files independently.
Use a simple impact list: what must return, what must remain unchanged and what might be removed or reverted. Have the owner check that list before confirmation. A file added after the selected point needs its own preservation or recovery plan.
Assess deleted-item availability correctly
The SharePoint recycle-bin stages do not provide 30 days plus another 30 days. Microsoft documents a shared retention period from original deletion, with circumstances allowing earlier removal. Check promptly and avoid emptying either bin during investigation.
For a candidate that returns successfully, compare the required revision and check related documents. Do not assume that all shared links reset, that every move discarded history or that another user’s edits are excluded solely because of who made them. Test actual access and content. Record remaining uncertainties with the administrator before normal editing resumes.