Have you accidentally deleted spreadsheets, photos, or project documents in Google Drive and don't know how to get them back? Don't worry. This guide will walk you through how to recover deleted files from Google Drive step by step!

Part 1: Where Do Deleted Google Drive Files Go

Before working out how to recover deleted files from Google Drive, let's first figure out where deleted files go in Google Drive. When you delete files in Google Drive, they won't get erased permanently right away. In the first stage, the deleted files are sent to Trash and remain there available for 30 days. You can recover deleted files from Google Drive anytime within this retention period.

If you manually empty the Trash folder, or the files are kept in the Trash folder for over 30 days, they will be permanently deleted. However, for Google Workspace accounts, administrators have an extra 25‑day window for admin restoration.

However, once files are auto‑deleted after sitting in Trash for over 30 days, no user or administrator can recover permanently deleted Google Drive files, because the data is removed from Google servers.

Part 2: Recover Deleted Files from Google Drive Trash

Deleted files will first go to the Trash and will be retained there for 30 days. Therefore, if your files are deleted within 30 days, and you haven't deleted them manually, you can check the Trash folder. Note that after 30 days, they are automatically and permanently erased. Manually emptying the Trash will also result in immediate permanent deletion.

Step 1. Open the Google Drive web page.

Step 2. Click Trash from the left‑hand sidebar.

Step 3. Locate your target file or folder.

Step 4. Right‑click and choose Restore. The files will return to the original folders.

Part 3: Restore Overwritten Google Drive Files via File Version History

If your file is not deleted but its content has been accidentally overwritten, you can use the File Version History to get your previous content back.

Step 1. Open the target file inside Google Drive.

Step 2. Click File in the top menu, click Version history > See version history.

Step 3. Browse all saved previous versions on the right panel.

Step 4. Select the version you need and hit Restore this version to recover deleted Google Docs.

Part 4: Recover Permanently Deleted Google Drive Files [Admin Console]

If you are on a Google Workspace or Education plan and have manually emptied your Trash (which means your Google files are permanently deleted), administrators can recover a deleted Google Drive file within a 25‑day window. However, this does not work for personal accounts.

Step 1. Sign in to your Google Workspace Admin account.

Step 2. Go to Directory - Users, and find the target account.

Step 3. Click More options next to the target user, then select Restore data.

Step 4. Choose Drive as the application, set the correct date range, and start restoration.

Part 5: Contact Google Support to Recover Deleted Google Drive Files

If you have manually emptied Trash, you can try contacting Google Support and then submit a file recovery request. Google specialists may help check whether your files are still recoverable. However, recovery is not guaranteed.

Step 1. Sign in with your Google account and open the Google Drive Help page.

Step 2. Follow the available support options to submit a file recovery request for Drive file recovery.

Step 3. Wait for feedback from Google specialists

Part 6: Recover Deleted Google Files from Local Storage

If you have the habit of editing files locally before uploading to Google Drive or keep a local backup of your Google Drive files on your computer, you can use data recovery software, such as Apeaksoft Data Recovery, to recover permanently deleted Google Drive files. But note that this approach only works for files that were once saved locally.

Step 1. Download and install Apeaksoft Data Recovery from the button above.

Step 2. Choose a location or disk where your local Google Drive files are stored. Click Start Scan.

Step 3. Preview the scanned files and use the file type filters or search box to quickly find the files you need.

Step 4. Check the files and click Recover All.

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