---
title: "Restore content from the recycle bin"
slug: "restore-content-from-the-recycle-bin"
tags: ["Site Administrator", "How-to", "Totara Learn"]
updated: 2026-08-13T16:01:25Z
published: 2026-08-13T16:01:25Z
canonical: "totara.help/restore-content-from-the-recycle-bin"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Restore content from the recycle bin

If you have deleted course content or courses and categories, you can restore then from the [recycle bin](/totara-20/docs/what-is-the-recycle-bin) (if you have [previously enabled it](/totara-20/docs/enable-the-recycle-bin)).

## Restore courses and categories (admin only)

The course interface is accessed via *Courses > Manage courses and categories* within the quick-access menu. Once you are in this location, after having deleted a course or category, you can find the **Recycle bin** link in the **Administration** area. To restore the deleted item follow the steps below:

1. Click on the **Recycle bin** link.
2. Find the item you wish to restore.
3. From the same row as the item, in the **Restore** column, click the restore icon.

The item will now be restored to the location it was originally deleted from.

## Restore course content (editing roles)

To restore an item deleted from a course, within the configured window, follow the steps below:

1. From **Course a****dministration** select the **Recycle bin** link.
2. Find the item you wish to restore.
3. From the same row as the item, in the **Restore** column, click the restore icon.

The item will now be restored to the location on the course it was originally deleted from.

The recycle bin is only able to recover items when the whole activity has been deleted. Deleted items within an activity, such as individual forum posts or assignment submissions, will not be able to be recovered using the recycle bin. When an item is able to be recycled a deletion confirmation will notify you that the item will be able to be recoverable for a limited time from the recycle bin.

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

© Copyright 2025 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved. Some content originally obtained via [GPLv3 license](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#GPL) and continues to be available under GPLv3. All other content is the sole copyright of Totara Learning Solutions.