Trash Google Drive: Recover Deleted Files and Optimize Storage

If you're like me, you've probably accidentally deleted a file or two from Google Drive, only to realize later that you need it back. Fortunately, Google Drive has a "Trash" feature that allows you to recover deleted files for up to 30 days.

The "Trash" feature is a lifesaver, but it can also be a clutter magnet, especially if you're not careful about what you delete. According to Google, the "Trash" folder can grow up to 10% of the total storage space used by your Google Drive account.

To avoid running out of storage space, it's essential to regularly clean out your "Trash" folder and delete any files that you no longer need. You can do this by going to the "Trash" folder, selecting the files you want to delete, and clicking the "Delete forever" button.

You can delete files from Google Drive to free up space, but be aware that deleting doesn't always mean deleted.

To move a file to the trash, you can use the files.update method and set the trashed field to True.

Delete files and folders from the Google Drive website or mobile app, it doesn't matter what type of file it is, document, video, spreadsheet, or image.

To permanently delete items from the trash, you need to manually delete them.

You can delete items from the trash on PC, Android, or iPhone/iPad by selecting them and right-clicking, then clicking Delete Forever.

Deleting files from Google Drive doesn't always free up space right away, because deleted items are collected in the trash folder.

You must manually empty the trash folder to free up space instantly, or items will be permanently deleted automatically after 30 days.

To permanently delete files, select Trash from the Drive menu, then select Empty trash > Delete forever.

Deleting files from Google Drive doesn't immediately free up space, as they're stored in the Trash folder instead. You can manually empty the Trash folder to free up space instantly.

To clean up your Google Drive, start by checking where your storage is being used. Open Google One Storage and glance at the storage details list to identify areas where you should focus.

Google Drive has a feature that lets you list all the biggest files stored on your account, sorted by size. You can do this by visiting your Google Drive Storage page and selecting Storage from the left-side menu.

You can also use Google's Storage Manager to get cleanup suggestions and delete forgotten files. This page provides a list of options for deleting items, including Gmail spam messages and deleted items.

Here are some file and folder limits to keep in mind:

If you're running low on space, consider transferring files to a different online file storage service. You can download files from Google Drive and then delete them, but be sure to wait until they're fully backed up elsewhere before trashing them for good.

Managing your Google Drive space can be a challenge, but it's essential to keep your account organized and clutter-free. You might notice that deleting files doesn't immediately free up space because Google Drive collects them in the Trash folder.

To free up space instantly, you must manually empty the Trash folder, which can be done by selecting and deleting all items in the folder. Google Drive will permanently delete them after 30 days if you don't take action.

Looking at your storage details list is a great way to identify where to focus your cleaning efforts. Google One Storage provides a list of where your data is being used, including Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.

To see what's using up the most space in your Google Drive, visit your Google Drive Storage page by selecting Storage from the left-side menu. All files using your Drive storage are listed here, sorted by size.

Here's a quick way to identify potential space gains:

By using Google's Storage Manager, you can get handy details about Google Drive usage and even get cleanup suggestions to make it easier to delete things you might have forgotten about.

File and folder limits are a reality on Drive, and it's essential to understand them to manage your space effectively.

After reaching the item limit, the only way to create more space is to permanently delete items or use a different account.

Moving files to the trash isn't enough to free up space, so be sure to delete them permanently.

For example, if you've reached the limit, you won't be able to create new files or folders until you make some space.

Permanently deleting items is the most effective way to free up space, but it's a good idea to use a different account if you're consistently running out of space.

You can determine a trashed file's properties by using the files.get method and including specific fields in the fields parameter, such as trashed, explicitlyTrashed, trashedTime, and trashingUser.

To recover a file from the trash, use the files.update method and set the trashed field to False, and also set the supportsAllDrives query parameter to True if it's a shared drive file.

You can delete both files and folders from Google Drive, and it's accessible through the Google Drive website and mobile app.

Here are the capabilities you can check for a file:

You can also use the Storage Manager to clean up your Google Drive, which provides cleanup suggestions and makes it easy to delete forgotten items, such as wiping all your Gmail spam messages and deleted items.

You can retrieve additional file properties when a file is trashed, which can be useful for various purposes.

The files.get method allows you to include specific fields in the fields parameter, such as trashed and explicitlyTrashed, to determine whether a file was trashed or not.

The trashedTime field shows the time the item was trashed in RFC 3339 date-time format, while the trashingUser field displays the user who trashed the file if it was explicitly trashed.

Here are the fields you can include in the fields parameter to retrieve additional file properties when a file is trashed:

Permissions play a crucial role in file management, determining what actions can be taken on files and folders.

The owner of a file or folder has the most permissions, including the ability to move files and folders into the trash. They can also recover files and folders from the trash and permanently delete them.

The organizer of a file or folder also has significant permissions, including the ability to move files and folders into the trash, recover them from the trash, and empty the trash.

To empty the trash, you need to be the owner or the organizer of the file or folder.

Here's a breakdown of the permissions for each role:

File management is a crucial aspect of working with files online. You can check the capabilities of a file to see what actions you can perform on it.

To check the capabilities of a file, you need to call the files.get method with the fileId and the fields parameter set to the capabilities field. This will return a collection of boolean capabilities fields.

The capabilities field contains several fields that indicate whether an action can be performed on a file. The canTrash field indicates whether the current user can move the file to trash. The canUntrash field indicates whether the current user can restore the file from trash.

You can also check if the current user can delete the file, which is indicated by the canDelete field. If the item is a folder, you can also check if the current user can remove children from the folder, which is indicated by the canRemoveChildren field.

Here are the capabilities fields you can check:

If the item is a folder, you can also check if the current user can trash children, which is indicated by the canTrashChildren field. Similarly, you can check if the current user can delete children, which is indicated by the canDeleteChildren field.