At some point in our lives, we come across a situation where we mistakenly delete a file from Google Drive and wish to restore it. If you’re trying to find out how to recover files on Google Drive, then you’ve come to the right place.
Google Drive is the best way to store files and documents as a backup in the cloud as well as share them with anyone. Within a few seconds, you can share any file with your friends and family.
When you delete files and folders from Google Drive, they go to the Trash page and will be stored there for 30 days. Once a file passes the 30 days mark, it will be removed permanently from your account.
To restore deleted files or permanently removed files from Google Drive, there are two methods. Find out how by reading the sections below.
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Can you recover permanently deleted files and folders from Google Drive?
Yes, you can recover deleted files from Google Drive by restoring them from the Trash page. If a file or folder was removed permanently from Google Drive, then the only way to restore them is to contact Google.
By default, all files that are deleted move to the Trash folder and remain for up to 30 days unless you clear the Google Drive Trash.
Files and folders that are removed from Trash are deleted permanently and are no longer available in your Google Drive account.
How to recover deleted files from Google Drive?
If you deleted a file within the last 30 days, then chances are that it has been sent to the Trash page in Google Drive. You can easily restore deleted files and folders that are in Trash.
Here’s how to recover Google Drive deleted files.
1. Open Google Drive.
2. On the sidebar, find and click on Trash.
3. Here you will find all the files and folders that you’ve removed from Google Drive in the last 30 days. To recover a deleted Google Drive file, right-click on it and select the Restore option.
Note that deleted files are kept in Trash for up to 30 days before being deleted permanently.
If a file or folder that you’re attempting to restore is not in Trash, chances are that it was deleted permanently from your Google Drive account.
Read the next section to find out how to recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive.
How to restore permanently deleted files from Google Drive?
To recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive, you must contact Google and request them to restore the deleted files and folders.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to the File Recovery webpage on Google: https://support.google.com/drive/contact/file_recovery
2. Scroll down and click on the Contact Us button.
3. You may be prompted to sign into your Google account. Log into the account where the files used to be stored.
4. Fill in the File Recovery form.
5. Select the consent checkbox and click on the Submit button.
6. Wait for a few days for Google to investigate the case and restore your deleted files. They can only do it if you are the owner of the files or folders that you want to restore. Moreover, they can recover Google Drive files only.
