Restore a file or folder on a network drive (either restore an accidentally deleted file/folder or restore a previous version of a file/folder)

If you've accidentally modified or deleted a shared file or folder, don't panic. It's possible to restore a previous version.

These instructions will only work if you are using a Windows computers connected to the Normandale network, and if the file or folder is hosted on the network file server (network drives).  Make sure you inform other team members before restoring a shared file or folder.

If you normally use a Mac, you will have use a Windows computer to restore a shared file or folder. After restoring the file or folder, restart your Mac and reconnect to the Normandale network to view the restored items.

Faculty/Staff can follow these easy steps to personally restore a previous version of a file or folder on a network drive (deleted within the last 6 months):

1. Open the 'Start' menu, then select 'File Explorer'.
2. Navigate to the file or folder you want to restore. If you are restoring a deleted file or folder, find the parent folder of the item you want to restore.
3. Right click the file or folder and select 'Restore previous versions' to view the available versions.
4. Select a previous version and click 'Open'. This will open a read-only copy of the item, where you can check if this is the version you want to restore.
   • If you are trying to restore only part of a folder, select 'Open' to avoid restoring the whole folder. You can then just copy and paste the parts of the folder you need back onto the shared drive from the read-only version.
5. Close the read-only version.
6. Select the previous version you want and choose from two options:
   • 'Copy' will copy the previous version of the file or folder to a new location. We recommend this option because it will not overwrite the ;current version.
   • 'Restore' will overwrite any existing copies of the file or folder with the previous version. Only select this option if you are absolutely sure you do not require the current version of the file or folder.

Once you have restored a previous version of a file or folder, make sure you delete any versions that are no longer required.