Soft delete
For a long time the Graph API supported only soft delete. The soft delete moves the items to the recycle bin instead of permanently deleting the item.
Let's say I have the file called Plan.xlsx with the id 01JI7S3EPJHM5UNWBWBFC2WJRT7K5AMPMB.
I can access the file
GET /me/drive/items/01JI7S3EPJHM5UNWBWBFC2WJRT7K5AMPMB
And move the file to the recycle bin
DELETE /me/drive/items/01JI7S3EPJHM5UNWBWBFC2WJRT7K5AMPMB
The call returns a 204 No Content response to indicate that the resource was moved to the recycle bin.
If I check the recycle bin, the file is here
Restore item
The Graph API supports restoring of the item only on OneDrive Personal (sending POST /me/drive/items/{item_id}/restore).
Access recycle bin
Unfortunately, you can't access the recycle bin with the Graph API, so there is no way to list items in the recycle bin.
Hard delete
Recently, the Graph API introduced a new feature - permanent file delete.
To permanently delete a driveItem, send the POST request
POST /me/drive/items/{drive_item_id}/permanentDelete
If you delete items using this method, they will be permanently removed and won't be sent to the recycle bin. Therefore, they cannot be restored afterward.
Conclusion
Great to see that the Graph API finally supports soft and hard delete of the drive items.
- Soft delete -
DELETE /me/drive/items/{drive_item_id} - Permanent delete -
POST /me/drive/items/{drive_item_id}/permanentDelete
