SharePoint Online Restore Files from Drop Off Library

Question

Our retention policy in SharePoint misfired and moved 1000's of files from different libraries into the drop of library.

Is there any way to restore these files back to their original libraries.

We have no clue where to start, any hint or guidance will be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Even if there was a golden ticket to give you a seemingly instant restore of the documents, I wouldn't jump right into that. Instead,

Consult Microsoft's support.

Depending on your subscription, you likely are able to get the best available support from them. Also, as we are in the context of SharePoint Online, due to the progression of continuous improvement by Microsoft, I'd rely on a word signed by them in the last hand.

The following is a reference for a guidance of addressing the issue with MS, available in an article of an even worse situation. (How to recover missing, deleted or corrupted items in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business):

When you open a request, provide as much additional information as possible to describe your issue. For more information, see Contact Office 365 for business support. Include the following information in your request:

• The full URL for the affected site collection or library. For example: https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/<SiteCollectionName>/Shared%20Documents

• The names of several of the affected items.

• For files, include the file name extension.

• The date and time when you think the item was last in an uncorrupted state.

Refer to the Contact Office 365 for business support - Admin Help article when contacting Microsoft.