The SharePoint Online Recycling Bin is the primary safety net for deleted content. Understanding its retention rules, storage behaviour, and access model prevents surprises when a user asks for a file back or when a storage report shows more quota consumption than expected. This reference covers both stages of the bin, what types of content it captures, what bypasses it, and how it interacts with site storage quotas.
The Two-Stage Model
SharePoint Online uses a two-stage Recycling Bin. Items flow from the first stage to the second stage based on user action, not automatically. The total retention window spans both stages combined.
| Attribute | First-stage bin | Second-stage bin |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | End-user Recycling Bin | Site Collection Recycling Bin |
| Who can see it | All site members and owners | Site collection administrators only |
| How items arrive | Any delete action by a user or application | User empties the first-stage bin, or items are deleted by site-level automated processes |
| Who can restore items | Any site member with Contribute permission or higher | Site collection administrators only |
| Who can permanently delete | Site owners and site collection administrators | Site collection administrators only |
| Counts against storage quota | Yes | Yes |
| URL to access | /sites/<site>/_layouts/15/RecycleBin.aspx |
/sites/<site>/_layouts/15/AdminRecycleBin.aspx |
The 93-Day Retention Window
SharePoint Online retains deleted items for a total of 93 days from the date of the original deletion. This window is fixed and cannot be extended through SharePoint settings.
Key points about the 93-day clock:
- The clock starts at the moment of deletion and runs continuously. Moving an item from the first stage to the second stage does not reset or extend the window.
- Items in the second stage for 93 days since their original deletion are permanently purged automatically, regardless of whether a site collection admin has viewed them.
- Restoring an item from either stage brings it back to its original location and resets it to a normal active file. Its version history is fully restored.
- If the original location (folder, library, or site) no longer exists at restore time, SharePoint places the restored item in the first-stage Recycling Bin rather than failing silently.
What Goes into the Recycling Bin
The following content types are captured by the Recycling Bin when deleted:
| Content type | Captured by Recycling Bin? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Files in document libraries | Yes | Includes all version history. Versions are restored with the file. |
| Folders | Yes | The folder and all its contents are captured as a single entry in the bin. Restoring the folder restores its contents. |
| List items | Yes | All column values and item version history are preserved in the bin entry. |
| Site pages (modern pages) | Yes | Deleted pages from the Site Pages library go to the bin. Restoring them restores the page content and metadata. |
| Document libraries (the library itself) | Yes | When a library is deleted (not just its contents), the library, its settings, and all its files go to the bin as a unit. |
| Lists (the list itself) | Yes | Deleting a list sends the list and all its items to the bin. |
| Specific version of a file (individual version delete) | No | When a user deletes a specific version from a file's version history (not the file itself), that version is permanently removed immediately and does not go to the Recycling Bin. |
What Bypasses the Recycling Bin
Not all deletion operations in SharePoint send content to the bin. The following operations result in permanent, immediate deletion:
- Deleting a specific file version: using the version history panel to remove a numbered version deletes it permanently without a bin step.
- Version trim operations: when SharePoint applies a version limit and automatically purges older versions (for example, when a library limit is reached and the oldest version is dropped to make room), the dropped versions are not sent to the bin.
- Tenant-level site collection deletion by a global admin: when a global or SharePoint administrator deletes a site collection from the SharePoint admin center, the site and its content go to a separate admin-level deleted sites list rather than the site's own Recycling Bin. This is held for an additional period (refer to current Microsoft documentation for the duration). Restoring it requires admin action in the SharePoint admin center.
- Microsoft 365 retention policy deletions: when a Purge action in a Microsoft Purview retention policy deletes content, that content bypasses the Recycling Bin entirely and is permanently removed.
- Items deleted via the Recycling Bin itself: permanently deleting an item from the first-stage or second-stage bin removes it immediately with no further safety net.
Storage Quota Impact
Items in both stages of the Recycling Bin count against the site collection's storage quota. This is a frequent source of confusion: a site that appears to have had content removed may still show high quota usage because the Recycling Bin has not been cleared.
| Scenario | Impact on storage quota |
|---|---|
| Files deleted but Recycling Bin not emptied | Storage quota usage does not change. Items still count against the site's allocation. |
| Files deleted and first-stage bin emptied | Items move to the second-stage bin. Still count against quota. |
| Second-stage bin emptied by a site collection admin | Items permanently removed. Storage is reclaimed immediately. |
| Items auto-purged after 93 days | Storage is reclaimed automatically when the 93-day window expires. |
| Individual version deleted from version history panel | Storage is reclaimed immediately (these bypass the bin). |
Access Permissions Summary
| Action | Site Visitor | Site Member | Site Owner | Site Collection Admin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View and restore own deleted files (first stage) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| View and restore any file in first stage | No | Partial (own files) | Yes | Yes |
| Permanently delete from first stage | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| View second-stage bin | No | No | No | Yes |
| Restore from second stage | No | No | No | Yes |
| Empty second-stage bin | No | No | No | Yes |