Restore Items Google Drive: A Comprehensive Guide

Restoring items from Google Drive can be a lifesaver when you accidentally delete something important. You can restore items from Google Drive within 30 days of deletion.

If you're looking to restore a file or folder, you'll need to access the Trash folder in Google Drive. This is where deleted items are stored for a limited time.

To access the Trash folder, click on the "Trash" button in the left-hand menu of your Google Drive account. From there, you can browse through the deleted items and select the one you want to restore.

Restoring an item from the Trash folder is a straightforward process. Simply right-click on the item and select "Restore" to bring it back to its original location in your Google Drive account.

Finding and recovering files in Google Drive can be a challenge, but don't worry, I've got you covered. You can recover Google Drive files and folders to an older version using CubeBackup, a Google Workspace backup tool that has integrated version control capabilities.

If you're having trouble finding a missing file, start with the basics and check the Drive activity panel. For 'My Drives' users, this is a great place to find out more about their missing files and folders.

Did you say 'permanently' deleted? Don't worry, it's not gone forever. Google Workspace Admins can recover permanently deleted Drive files and folders within 25 days of deletion from the Trash using the admin console.

If you're dealing with a Shared Drive, file ownership is a crucial factor. Make sure you understand who owns the file and how it's structured. This will help you recover files more efficiently.

Sometimes, files can be orphaned, meaning they lose their parent folder and become harder to find. If you suspect this might be the case, check if the file is an orphaned Drive file.

If you've deleted a file and it's not in your Trash, it may still be recoverable from a backup. If you meet two requirements – your computer has the Google Drive desktop app installed and configured with the "Mirroring" setting, and your computer has manual or automatic backups – you may be able to recover your files from a backup.

If you fail to restore a deleted file within the 30-day window, or if you've emptied the Trash manually, the files will be permanently deleted from your Google Drive. However, you can contact Google Support and they may restore the deleted files for you.

Finally, if you're still having trouble finding a missing file, check your Google Drive Audit Log. This will provide you with information on users' Drive activity, which may offer some insight into what happened to your missing file or folder.

Here are the steps to restore Drive data:

After the restoration project is done, check the user's Drive folder for restored Drive data. The data is restored to the user's Drive folder in the same location as before it was deleted.

You can restore Google Docs files to an older version in Google Drive by following these steps.

First, open the file in Google Docs or Google Drive. Then, click the menu item File -> Version history -> See version history. On the right panel, click on the timestamp to view the previous version of the file. To restore the file to the version you're viewing, click on Restore this version.

Alternatively, you can right-click the file and select Manage versions. Next to the version you want to download, click the More actions icon and then click Download to save a copy to your computer. You can then right-click the same file and select Manage versions again, and click UPLOAD NEW VERSION to upload the version you just downloaded.

If you need to restore a Google Drive file that's not a Google Doc, you can do so by clicking Restore in the left panel and selecting the user or Shared drive. Then, select the file you'd like to restore, click the Versions button, and find the right version in the version list and click Restore.

Restoring a Google Drive folder to a previous version is also possible. Click Restore in the left panel and select the user or Shared drive, then select the folder you'd like to restore. You can move through different folder states using the timeline in the left panel, and once you find the correct folder state, check the box beside the folder and click Restore.

If you're using a Google Workspace backup tool like CubeBackup, you can recover Google Drive files and folders to any previous version with ease.

In some cases, you may be able to recover files from a backup if you meet two requirements: your computer has the Google Drive desktop app installed and configured with the "Mirroring" setting, and your computer has manual or automatic backups, like with the Windows Backup and Restore tool or the macOS Time Machine.

Google Drive's version history has some limitations you should be aware of. File revisions are only kept for up to 30 days, and no more than 100 file revisions are kept for any file.

There is no version history kept for folder structures in Google Drive or Shared drives, and a third-party tool like CubeBackup is required to keep a version history of a Google Drive folder.

Here's a comparison of reversion features between Google Drive and CubeBackup:

Google Drive's version history has some notable limitations that are worth being aware of. File revisions are only kept for up to 30 days.

This means you need to keep track of your changes manually if you want to go back to an older version after 30 days. No more than 100 file revisions are kept for any file, so it's essential to be mindful of your revisions.

If you're using Google Drive or Shared drives, you won't have a version history for folder structures. This can be a problem if you need to recover a folder to a previous state. Unfortunately, Google Drive itself doesn't offer a way to do this.

If you're looking to compare the reversion features of CubeBackup with other cloud storage services, let's take a closer look at how CubeBackup stacks up. Its unlimited revisions for all versions of files is a major advantage over competitors.

CubeBackup keeps all versions of files, including folder structure revisions, which is not the case with Google Drive. This means you can restore your files to any previous version without worrying about losing data.

One of the key benefits of using CubeBackup is that you can restore Google-native files to older versions without any limits, whereas Google Drive has a 30-day limit. This gives you more flexibility and peace of mind.

Non-native Google Docs files can also be restored to older versions with CubeBackup, without any manual download and upload process required. This is a significant time-saver and reduces the risk of human error.

In addition to file revisions, CubeBackup also allows you to recover deleted files or folders without any limits, whereas Google Drive has a 25-day limit for permanently deleted files. This means you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your data is safe.

Here's a quick comparison of CubeBackup's reversion features:

Mirroring files in Google Drive keeps both online and local copies of files, taking up more space on your device but allowing you to work entirely offline if needed.

If you mirror files, deleting a file online will remove it from your local storage and not put it in your local recycle bin. Conversely, deleting a file from your local storage will put it in your recycle bin and the Google Drive trash folder.

Restoring a file from your local recycle bin will return it to your Google Drive folder and still put it in Drive trash. If you recover it from Drive trash, it will be in your local folder and recycle bin.

Here's a summary of the differences between mirroring and streaming files:

Dealing with deleted files can be tricky, especially when you're mirroring files. If you delete a file online, it will be removed from your local storage, but if you delete it from your local storage, it will be put in your recycle bin and the Google Drive trash folder.