Search by name
Free-text search across item titles and file names, plus filters for original location, list ID and item type.
Recycle Master
The SharePoint recycle bin, searchable at last
SharePoint gives you a list you can scroll and almost nothing to search it with. Recycle Master reads the whole bin for a site collection, first stage and second stage, and lets you filter it by name, location, who deleted it and when - then restore what you find.
Microsoft's interface and parts of ShareMaster label this the Recycling Bin. Same thing.
What is the SharePoint recycle bin?
It is where deleted SharePoint content goes before it is destroyed, and there are two of them. Items land in the first-stage (site) recycle bin when a user deletes them, and move to the second-stage (site collection) bin when someone empties the first. Retention is 93 days in total, counted from the original deletion and shared across both stages. Only site collection administrators can open the second stage, which is why users so often report a file as gone when it is still there.
And how do you search it?
SharePoint gives you no search box in the recycle bin. Natively you sort the columns and
scroll, or press Ctrl+F to search only the rows the browser has already loaded, or write
PnP PowerShell against Get-PnPRecycleBinItem. To filter it properly - by name,
original location, item type, who deleted it, or a date range, across both stages at once -
you need a tool that reads the whole bin and filters it locally. That is what Recycle Master
does.
How the SharePoint recycle bin actually works
There are two bins, and the difference between them is where most recovery problems start.
- First stage, the site recycle bin. Where an item lands when a user deletes it. Users can generally see and restore what they deleted; site owners see the site's deletions.
- Second stage, the site collection recycle bin. Where items go when somebody empties the first stage. Only site collection administrators can reach it, which is why an end user reports a file as "gone forever" while it is sitting perfectly recoverable one level up.
Retention is 93 days in total, not 186. The clock starts when the item is
first deleted and keeps running through both stages. Emptying the first-stage bin does not
reset it or extend it: the item simply spends the remainder of its 93 days in the second-stage
bin, then it is purged. A file deleted 80 days ago has 13 days left no matter which bin it is
sitting in. Microsoft documents this on
restoring items from the recycle bin.
Who can see and restore what
Most "I can't find my deleted file" tickets are a visibility problem rather than a data problem. The item exists; the person looking for it cannot see that stage.
| Role | First-stage bin | Second-stage bin | Can permanently delete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global administrator | View and restore, all sites | View and restore, all sites | Yes |
| SharePoint administrator | View and restore, all sites | View and restore, all sites | Yes |
| Site collection administrator | View and restore, own site collection | View and restore, own site collection | Yes, own site collection |
| Site owner (Full Control, not SCA) | View and restore | No access | First stage only |
| Member (Contribute or Edit) | View and restore items visible to them | No access | First stage only, own deletions in most configurations |
| Visitor (Read) | No access | No access | No |
Deleted files still cost you storage
Items in either bin continue to count against the site collection's storage quota for the whole retention period. A tenant that looks full is often carrying months of deletions, and version history makes it worse: deleting a file with fifty versions puts all fifty versions in the bin, not one copy.
SharePoint will also flush the first-stage bin early if it grows past a share of the site collection quota, which is why items sometimes vanish before the 93 days are up. If you are chasing storage rather than a lost file, see reducing SharePoint storage and version trimming.
Watch it work
Two minutes: searching a site collection's bin by name, narrowing by who deleted it and when, then restoring the matches.
Why Recycle Master
What the SharePoint recycle bin will not let you do
Who and when
Filter by who deleted it and who authored it, and narrow to a deleted-before or deleted-after date. Sort on any column.
Restore in bulk
Restore the selection or everything matching your filter, with three conflict modes for when a file or folder already exists.
Tenant-wide cleanup
Empty the recycle bins on many site collections in one run. Needs the SharePoint Administrator role.
How it works
4 steps to restore deleted SharePoint files
1. Connect
Sign in to SharePoint from the app. Your files and list data travel between your machine and SharePoint, not through us.
2. Load the bin
ShareMaster reads the recycle bin's metadata for the site collection, first stage or second stage, and holds it locally so filtering is instant. File contents are never downloaded.
3. Search
Run precise queries by title, location, list ID, deleted by, author, type, or date.
4. Restore
Choose a single item or perform a bulk restore in one click.
FAQ
SharePoint recycle bin questions
Also covered: how to search the SharePoint recycle bin, bulk restoring items step by step, the three ways to search the bin compared, what to do when the bin has already been emptied, how the bin differs from Microsoft 365 Backup, and the full retention reference.
How do I search the SharePoint recycle bin?
SharePoint's own recycle bin has no real search - you scroll it. ShareMaster reads the whole bin for a site collection and lets you filter it by title, original location, list ID, item type, author, deleted by, and a deleted-before / deleted-after date range, then sort the results and page through them.
Can I search the second-stage recycle bin?
Yes. You choose first-stage or second-stage when you load the bin, and both are searched with the same filters. The second-stage bin is where items go once a user empties the first stage, and it is the one that is hardest to work with natively.
Can I restore multiple items at once?
Yes. You can restore the items you have selected, or everything matching your current filter. Three conflict modes decide what happens when a file or folder already exists at the original location: skip the folder and rename the file, rename both, or skip both. Restoring needs a Recycle Master licence - on the free trial you can search the bin and see exactly what is recoverable, but not restore it.
How is this different from the recycle bin in SharePoint?
The native bin lists items with minimal filtering and no bulk restore by criteria. ShareMaster adds filtering across seven fields, sorting, first- and second-stage access, bulk restore with conflict handling, and bulk emptying across many site collections at once.
Does it work with lists, document libraries, and folders?
Yes. Deleted list items, files and folders all appear, and you can filter by original location to narrow to one list, library or folder.
How long does SharePoint keep deleted items?
93 days in total, counted from when the item was first deleted. That single 93-day window covers both stages: if someone empties the first-stage bin, the item spends whatever is left of its 93 days in the second-stage bin and is then purged. The second stage does not add a further 93 days. SharePoint can also flush the first-stage bin early if it grows past a share of the site collection's storage quota, so items occasionally disappear sooner.
Why can my users not see a file they deleted?
Almost always because it has moved to the second-stage bin, which only site collection administrators can open. The file is usually still there and still recoverable. The other common causes are that a different user deleted it so it sits in their view of the bin, or that the 93 days have elapsed.
Who can restore from the second-stage recycle bin?
Site collection administrators for their own site collection, and SharePoint or Global administrators across all sites. Site owners with Full Control who are not site collection administrators cannot reach the second stage at all, which surprises most people.
Do deleted files still use my storage quota?
Yes. Items in both bins count against the site collection's storage quota for the whole retention period. Deleting a file with fifty versions puts all fifty in the bin, so version history makes the effect considerably larger than people expect.
Can I clear recycle bins across the whole tenant?
Yes. Recycle Master can empty the bins on many site collections in one run, first stage and optionally second stage. It needs the SharePoint Administrator role; where access to a site is denied it temporarily adds you as a site collection administrator for that site and removes the grant afterwards. This is permanent deletion, so run a report first.
Try Recycle Master free
14-day trial, no credit card required. Search your bin and see what is recoverable; restoring items needs a Recycle Master licence.