If you rely on cloud storage, you’ve probably asked yourself “how to recover Google Drive” at some point or the other.
More than 2 billion people use Google Drive every month, and for many, it’s their single point of storage. Files are created, shared, and organized on Drive, without redundant copies. This leaves users exposed to accidental data loss, which makes it difficult to recover Google Drive files and folders.
In this article, we’ll take you through the step-by-step process of recovering Google Drive both before and after 30 days of deletion.
We’ll also discuss how to prevent similar situations in the future using a Google Workspace backup service.
How to Recover Google Drive Within 30 Days of Deletion?
The good news is that deleted files are retained in Trash for 30 days after deletion. If you notice it on time, you can recover the data with a few simple steps:
- Sign into your Google account from a PC and go to drive.google.com.
- On the left panel, click “Trash.” Here, you’ll find the files deleted within the last 30 days.
- Filter deleted files by type, date of deletion, or the Google app where it originated.
- Once you’ve found the file, right-click to restore.
On a mobile device, “Trash” is available under the menu on the top-right of the Google Drive app. Open “Trash” to find and recover the Google Drive file you need.
How to Recover Google Drive After 30 Days of Deletion?
Once 30 days have passed after deletion, the Google Drive file is considered "permanently deleted.” It’s removed from “Trash,” which means you won’t be able to recover it using the above steps. However, there are still ways you can get back your lost files.
Method 1: Using Google Drive’s special robot
Google has launched a special robot that scans your account for files that were recently removed from “Trash.”
Here’s how to use it to recover Google Drive files:
- Open Google Support from a PC and go to the Recover a deleted file in Google Drive page.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your Google Workspace account.
- Click on the “Request file recovery” button.
- This will sign you out of all Google accounts open on your computer.
- Sign in again to verify your identity, using the account details from where you lost data.
- Google will send a confirmation email after receiving your request.
At this stage, the robot will look for:
- Files that were removed from “Trash” in the last 25 days, and
- Files of which you are the owner
If the robot finds such files, it will restore them to Google Drive and notify you via email. Even if it doesn’t find such files, it will send an email to let you know.
Method 2: Ask your admin to Recover Google Drive
If you need to recover Google Drive from your work email ID, then the easiest way is to contact your administrator. That’s because the admin account adds another layer between accidental file deletion and permanent deletion.
When a file is deleted, it’s relegated to the Trash for 30 days. After that, it’ll be deleted from Trash but still accessible to your administrator for 25 more days.
If you are an admin looking to recover Google Drive files, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Google Admin console using administrator account credentials.
- Go to Menu > Directory > Users.
- Locate the user who needs their Google Drive data restored.
- Next to the user entry, you’ll see “More options.” Click here and then choose “Restore data.”
- You can restore all files deleted between a specific period within the last 25 days. Select the period.
- Choose “Drive” under “Application.” This ensures you only recover Google Drive data.
- Select “Restore.”
Method 3: Look for orphaned files in your Google Drive
Sometimes, a Google Workspace file isn’t in its designated folder, but it isn’t deleted either. Their orphaned files can be difficult to find and may lead you to lose your work
Orphaned files are Google Drive files without a parent folder, typically caused when files owned by you are in a shared folder which is now deleted.
Before you relinquish a file as permanently deleted, it’s worth searching your Google Drive to check if they are simply orphaned. Here are the steps:
- Go to your Google Drive search bar.
- Search for “is:unorganized owner:me.”
- Right-click on the lost file.
- Click on “Add to My Drive.”
This is an easy way to recover Google Drive files that aren’t deleted but simply lost from the folder view. Note that it doesn’t matter when you lost the file; orphaned files can always be recovered using the method we explained.
How to Recover Google Drive using Google Workspace Backup?
This is the easiest way to recover Google Drive after a data loss event, whether accidental or due to a cyberattack.
Your Drive files are not backed up by default; if just one copy exists on Google Cloud, then you’re left unprotected and exposed.
That is the main reason why Google backup is necessary. If you have a third-party backup service installed, you can simply follow these steps to get your files back:
- Go to the backup platform’s menu bar.
- Navigate to your Google Workspace backup > Drive.
- Click on the file, folder, or user account, you want to restore.
- Choose an earlier date when the file was still intact. The backup will be restored to this point in time.
- Choose any additional settings, such as the restore location.
- Click Ok to complete the process.
While the steps may vary slightly, most top Google backup platforms follow a similar process for restoring files. You’ll have no trouble as long as you try to recover the deleted files within the set retention policy. Luckily, platforms like Backup Space allow you to retain files indefinitely.
Use Google Drive Worry-Free with Reliable Backup
Data loss from Google Drive is incredibly common, and when it happens, the files may be difficult or impossible to recover. Here is an example of a situation where the regular methods of Google Drive recovery didn’t work:
To prevent this, invest in a reliable backup for your Google Workspace account, such as Backup Space.
The platform offers up to 24X daily backup, a 50 GB free-forever plan, and anti-ransomware protection, along with protection for Drive, Calendar, Contacts, Gmail, Chat, Site, and Directory.
To sum up, Drive files deleted within 30 days can be recovered from Trash. If deleted between 30 and 55 days, recovery is possible via Google’s file recovery robot or the admin console for business accounts. Ideally, you should have a Workspace backup as a contingency plan in these situations.
Sign up for Backup Space today.
