• Home

  • Productivity

  • App tips

App tips

2 min read

How to recover deleted files from Google Drive

By Jessica Lau · December 22, 2023
A hero image for Google Drive app tips with the Google Drive logo on a yellowish-brown background

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little too click-happy on the internet. Most of the time, it results in silly errors like having to go to a distant cousin's bachelorette party because I accidentally reacted to the text invite with a thumbs-up instead of a resounding "I'll pass, thanks." Other times, it results in panic. Like when I accidentally delete an important file in Google Drive

If you're reading this article, I suspect it's because you're in a similar panic mode. If you recently deleted something (or you deleted it less than 30 days ago), there's still time. Here's how to recover deleted files from Google Drive. 

Note: Files sent to the Google Drive trash are automatically deleted forever after 30 days. But you may still be able to restore them.

How to recover deleted files from Google Drive

Here's how to recover deleted files in Google Drive within the 30-day time window. 

  1. Go to your Google Drive.

  2. In the side menu, click Trash

    Trash folder in Google Drive.

  3. Select the file or files you want to recover. 

  4. Right-click your selection, and click Restore. Alternatively, you can click the Restore icon, which looks like a clock, above your list of deleted files. 

    How to recover deleted files from Google Drive.

Your restored file will appear in its original location. And because Google knows none of us can be expected to remember where we stored a file last week, let alone last month, they list this info under Original location

Recently deleted files in the Google Drive Trash folder. Every file listed also displays its original folder location.

If the original location no longer exists, search for it in My Drive

How to recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive 

If you deleted a Google Drive file for good (meaning you clicked Delete forever after moving it to Trash), you may still be able to recover it. But there are a few limitations:

  • You must be the owner of the file.

  • The file must have been deleted recently (Google doesn't specify what "recently" means in this case, though).

Complete this Google Drive form, and the support team will try to restore it for you. 

Automate Google Drive

If you don't have systems to keep your files organized, important documents get lost in the digital clutter. With Zapier, you can connect Google Drive with your other apps so you can streamline your digital file management without the extra legwork. For example, you can automatically do things like send email attachments to the right folder or notify teammates about a new file in the Drive. Learn more about how to automate Google Drive, or get started with one of these workflows. 

Save new Gmail attachments to Google Drive

Save new Gmail attachments to Google Drive
  • Gmail logo
  • Filter by Zapier logo
  • Google Drive logo
Gmail + Filter by Zapier + Google Drive

Get Slack notifications for new Google Drive files in a folder

Get Slack notifications for new Google Drive files in a folder
  • Google Drive logo
  • Slack logo
Google Drive + Slack

To get started with a Zap template—what we call our pre-made workflows—just click on the button. It only takes a few minutes to set up. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.

Related reading:

  • How to free up space in your Google account

  • How to convert image to text with Google Drive

  • How to copy folders in Google Drive

Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox

We’ll email you 1-3 times per week—and never share your information.

tags
mentioned apps

Related articles

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

Sign up
See how Zapier works
A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'