How to Recover Deleted Files in Google Drive (2026 Guide)
Deleted files in Google Drive aren’t gone immediately, they sit in Trash for 30 days before being purged. After that, the path to recovery depends on whether you’re on a personal account or Google Workspace, and how long it’s been since the file disappeared. Here’s how to get a file back at every stage.
1. Restore a File From Trash (Within 30 Days)
Anything you delete from Drive lands in Trash and stays there for 30 days. During that window, recovery is one click.
- Open drive.google.com.
- Click Trash in the left sidebar.
- Find the file or folder. You can sort by Name, Original location, or Date deleted (sorting by deletion date is the fastest way to spot recent losses).
- Right-click the item and select Restore.
- The file returns to its original location, usually My Drive, or the shared drive it lived in.
If you restored a file that lived inside a folder you also deleted, Google rebuilds the folder structure as needed.
Restore multiple files at once
- In Trash, hold Shift and click to select a range, or Cmd/Ctrl and click for individual items.
- Right-click any selected item and choose Restore.
What “Delete forever” does
Inside Trash, the Delete forever option permanently removes the file before the 30-day window ends. Once you click it, normal users cannot recover the file, it’s gone for good. Be deliberate when emptying Trash.
Note: The 30-day window is a hard cap. After 30 days in Trash, files are deleted forever automatically and disappear from the Trash view.
2. Restore From Drive for Desktop and Mobile
Drive for desktop
Drive for desktop streams files from the cloud, so when you delete a file in your local Google Drive folder, it goes to the cloud Trash, not your computer’s recycle bin.
- Open drive.google.com in a browser.
- Click Trash.
- Right-click the file and select Restore.
The restored file syncs back into your local Google Drive folder within a minute or two.
Mobile app (Android and iOS)
- Open the Google Drive app.
- Tap the hamburger menu (three lines, top-left).
- Tap Trash.
- Tap the three-dot menu next to the file.
- Tap Restore.
3. Recovering Shared Files
Shared files have a wrinkle: the owner of the file controls whether it’s truly deleted or just removed from your view.
- If you own the file: Deleting it sends it to your Trash. Other people lose access immediately, and the file is permanently gone after 30 days unless you restore it.
- If you don’t own the file: Deleting it only removes it from your Shared with me view. The file still exists in the owner’s Drive, ask them to re-share it, or search for the original link.
- Files in shared drives: Deleted items go to the shared drive’s own Trash (not your personal Trash). Only Manager or Content manager roles can restore from a shared drive’s Trash, and the same 30-day window applies.
To recover a shared drive file:
- Open the shared drive in the left sidebar.
- Click Trash at the top of the file list (it’s a tab inside each shared drive, separate from the main Trash).
- Right-click the file and select Restore.
4. Workspace Admin Recovery (Up to 25 Days Past Permanent Deletion)
If you’re a Google Workspace administrator, you have a second recovery window for files that have already been emptied from Trash. Admins can restore Drive data for any user in their organization for up to 25 days after permanent deletion.
- Sign in to admin.google.com.
- Go to Directory > Users.
- Hover over the affected user and click More options > Restore data (the icon looks like a curved arrow).
- In the Restore data dialog, pick a date range within the last 25 days.
- Set the application to Drive.
- Click Restore.
Files restored this way return to the user’s My Drive in their original folder structure (or as close as possible). Files that were in a shared drive are restored to the shared drive.
Beyond 25 days
After the 25-day post-deletion window expires, the Admin console cannot bring files back. Your only option is to contact Google support:
- In the Admin console, click the Help icon (question mark, top right).
- Click Contact support > File a case.
- Describe the situation: user email, file name(s), approximate deletion date, and why recovery is needed.
- Submit the case.
Google support may be able to retrieve files for a limited additional period, but it’s not guaranteed and the timeline isn’t published. Treat 25 days as a hard ceiling for self-service recovery, and a practical ceiling overall.
Tip: Set up Google Vault (included with most Workspace Business and Enterprise plans) if your organization needs longer retention. Vault keeps copies of Drive content according to retention policies you define, which can save data even after the 25-day window closes.
Drive vs Google Photos
Google Drive and Google Photos used to share storage and some recovery behavior, but they’re separate services with separate trash bins.
- Photos in Google Photos go to the Photos Trash for 60 days (not 30) before permanent deletion.
- Photos backed up via Drive (legacy “Photos in Drive” folder) follow Drive’s 30-day rule.
- Restoring a deleted photo in Google Photos doesn’t put it back into Drive, even if you originally uploaded through Drive.
If you can’t find a deleted image, check both drive.google.com/drive/trash and photos.google.com/trash.
Quick Reference
| Scenario | Where to recover | Time window |
|---|---|---|
| You deleted a file you own | Drive Trash | 30 days |
| You deleted a file in a shared drive | Shared drive Trash (need Manager role) | 30 days |
| Someone else deleted a file you owned | Drive Trash | 30 days |
| File was emptied from Trash | Workspace Admin console > Restore data | 25 days after permanent deletion |
| File deleted more than 25 days ago | Google Workspace support case | Best effort, no guarantee |
| Personal Google account, past Trash | No recovery option | N/A |
Which Method Should You Use?
- Recently deleted (last 30 days)? Restore it yourself from Trash. Works for personal and Workspace accounts equally.
- Workspace user, file is past Trash? Ask your admin to restore from the Admin console: they have 25 days from the permanent deletion date.
- Workspace admin, file is past 25 days? Open a support case in the Admin console. Be ready to share user email, approximate deletion date, and file name.
- Personal Google account, file is past Trash? There’s no built-in recovery. Check if you had Drive for desktop syncing, your local backup software (Time Machine, Windows File History) may have a copy.
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More on Google Drive: How to organize Google Drive · How to share a folder in Google Drive · How to upload a folder to Google Drive · How to add Google Calendar to Outlook
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