Directory recovery is the restoration of deleted or altered identity objects in a directory service, such as user accounts, groups, or configuration data. Depending on the platform, recovery may use a short-term deleted-object feature, a backup, or another restoration process. These methods differ in which objects they cover, how long recovery remains possible, and whether related changes can also be reversed.
In cyber security, recovery limits matter because lost or modified directory objects can disrupt access or undermine identity controls. Attackers may also tamper with identity data, so organizations should protect backups and recovery privileges, define what can be restored, and test the process. Native undelete features are not necessarily full backups or a complete rollback of directory changes.