Google Drive™ Recovery: How To Recover Deleted Files

Accidental and intentional file deletion is extremely common among corporate employees. Some Google Workspace™ users delete files, but later realize they deleted the wrong ones. This article provides comprehensive guidance for Admins on how to recover Google Drive deleted files.

As a data loss protection company, we recover data for companies and individuals all the time.

We’ll discuss our experience in Google Drive™ recovery and provide step-by-step resources to assist you in recovering your data.

Fast Decision Tree: My Drive vs Shared Drive, Trash vs removed, End user vs Admin

When a user reports missing Drive content, the fastest way to avoid wasted time is to route the incident correctly up front. Before taking action, answer these three questions. They determine what recovery path is available.

1. Where was the file? (My Drive or Shared Drive).
2. Where is it now? (Trash or removed from Trash).
3. Who are you? (End user or Admin).

1. Where was the file stored?

1.1. My Drive (user-owned files)

Files in My Drive are owned by a specific user account. That ownership affects recovery and especially offboarding scenarios. If the owner account is deleted and you didn’t transfer ownership, your recovery options may become limited or time-bound.

1.2. Shared Drive (team-owned files)

Files in Shared Drives are designed for team continuity. They’re “owned” by the Shared Drive folder, not a single user. 

Recovery, however, depends heavily on Shared Drive roles and governance (e.g., Manager/Content Manager permissions, content deletion rules, and whether content was removed from Trash).If you’re unsure where the file lived, skip ahead to Admin-only recovery workflows → Where to check logs/history and use Drive log events or audit reporting to identify location and deletion action.

2. Where is the file now?

2.1. The file is in Trash (best case)

If a file is in Trash, it can typically be restored quickly. Google’s user help documentation notes that files remain in Trash for 30 days and are then deleted

2.2. The file was removed from Trash (harder case)

If the file was emptied from Trash, you are now working against administrative recovery limits and/or architectural constraints. In Google Workspace, admins can restore deleted Google Drive files within a limited timeframe (see Admin Console restore section).

3. Who are you?

3.1. End user

End users can restore items from Trash in many cases. They can also sometimes recover older versions (version history) if the file was overwritten rather than deleted.

3.2. Admin / Super Admin

Admins can:

• Restore Drive data (within Google’s admin recovery window).
• Investigate deletion events through logs/audit history.
• Use reporting APIs to identify file IDs at scale (bulk incidents).
• Coordinate the Shared Drive role-based restoration.

Quick outcomes table (bookmark this)

Can you recover deleted Google Drive™ files?

Google Drive™ file restoration depends on how the file was deleted. There are two key types of deletion: soft and hard. The former is when a deleted file ends up in a Recycle Bin. A user can easily recover it from there.

The “hard-delete” means the file is not in a Trash folder and thus is deleted permanently. In this case, Admin can change the situation depending on certain conditions. 

For practical tips and Google Drive recovery guidance, check out our Google Drive tips (including recovery) guide: 10 Google Drive™ Hacks to Make Your Life Easier.

The table below represents different types of deletion problems and ways to solve them.

Let’s look at all these methods for recovering data in Google Drive™, how they work, and how you can restore deleted data in Google Workspace™. To avoid losing your data permanently, learn how to backup Google Drive™.

Do you need to restore Google Workspace™ files? Learn about Google Workspace™ Recovery.

Want to undo Google Calendar™ Delete? Check out Google Calendar™ Recovery.

Google Drive™ Recovery From the Trash Folder with “Undo” Operation

In this section, we’ll talk about the best-case scenario of data loss when users can use the “Undo” operation. It can be used only in case of soft delete, i.e., the file or folder is still in the Trash folder. After deleting a file or a folder, a message will appear in a little box on Google Drive™, letting you know what you did and offering to undo it. If you choose to undo by clicking on the Undo button, your file will go back to where it was before you deleted it from Google Drive™ ‘s Trash.

End-user restore: My Drive (Trash restore)

Let’s cover the standard workflow for recovering deleted Google Drive files stored in My Drive.

How My Drive deletion works

When a user deletes a file from My Drive, the file typically moves to Trash rather than being destroyed immediately. Files usually remain in Trash for 30 days, then they’re deleted forever.

Let’s say you couldn’t click on the undo button before it disappeared or you want to recover a file that you deleted a while ago. Here are three easy steps to recover deleted Google Drive files from the Trash folder.

How to restore deleted Google Drive files from Trash (end user steps)

1. Go to your Google Drive™ and click on Trash in the left menu panel.
2. Find the file you’ve lost and right-click on it.
3. In the context menu that appeared, click Restore. Confirm the file returns to its original folder location.

This workflow is the fastest path for the “Google Drive trash (restore)” intent because it’s immediate and doesn’t require admin intervention.

Google provides this “Undo Delete” feature across all platforms—Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac—to help you restore deleted items.

Tip: Check your Trash for other files that you may have accidentally deleted.

Note that this functionality can help you recover recently deleted files only. You have 30 days to restore files this way. After this period, the files will be purged from Trash and will be lost forever unless you have a third-party backup solution.

Note that there’s another instance of non-recoverability. If the user has performed the Empty Trash function, they cannot recover files that were previously in the trash. This applies even if the files were recently deleted from Google Drive.

Common edge cases (and how admins should troubleshoot)

Edge case 1: “I restored it, but I can’t find it.”

What’s happening:

• Drive restores files to their original location, which may be buried in nested folders or Shared Drive paths.
• Users often remember the file name, not the folder path.

Admin troubleshooting steps:

• Have the user search Drive by exact filename.
• If duplicates exist, filter by file type (e.g., Docs/Sheets/Slides/PDF).
• Ask for approximate deletion time; confirm restore time.
• If still not found, use Drive audit logs to locate the file ID and last known parent folder (see Admin-only recovery workflows).

Edge case 2: “It was shared with me, and it disappeared.”

This scenario is common and often misdiagnosed as deletion when it’s actually permission loss.

Three likely causes:

1. The owner changed the sharing settings or removed the user.
2. The file was moved or reorganized into a different folder/Shared Drive with restricted access.
3. The owner deleted the file; it may be in the owner’s Trash.

Admin response:

• Treat it as a combined access + deletion investigation.
• Check Drive log events to determine whether the event was “permission change,” “move,” “trash,” or “delete” action.
• If the owner deleted it, ask the owner to restore it from Trash (if still within the 30-day window).

Edge case 3: “We need the old version, not just the file.”

Sometimes users didn’t delete the file—they overwrote it. This is especially common for shared Docs/Sheets, where edits are continuous and destructive mistakes aren’t obvious until later.

For admin-focused guidance:

• Confirm whether the incident is a deletion or an overwrite.
• If overwritten, the appropriate path is version history/file versioning rather than Trash restore.

Edge case 4: “User emptied Trash.”

Once Trash is emptied, end users cannot restore using the normal UI flow. You’re now in admin territory (and time matters).

Escalate immediately to:

• Admin Console restore (My Drive).
• Audit logs to confirm the scope/time of deletion.

Shared Drive restore workflows

Shared Drives make enterprise recovery more complex. Admins need to account for architecture, roles, and the operational reality that business teams—not IT—often manage Shared Drives.

For a more conceptual overview, see our Google Drive vs. Shared Drive guide. 

How Shared Drive restore differs from My Drive

Ownership model

• My Drive: owned by a user account
• Shared Drive: owned by the organization/team

This matters because offboarding a user can break My Drive ownership flows while Shared Drive content should remain accessible to the organization. However, it’s only possible if roles and governance are both set correctly.

This is why Shared Drives are recommended for team-critical content. But it does not mean recovery is automatic. Recovery still depends on:

• Whether the content is still in Trash.
• Who has the role permissions to restore it
• Whether the content was removed from Trash or purged.

Shared Drive roles/permissions implications: Who can restore deleted files from a Shared Drive?

In practice, Shared Drive restoration requires roles with sufficient authority. The exact UI role names and capabilities can vary based on your org settings, but the operational principle stays the same:

• Managers / Content Managers can typically restore content from the Shared Drive Trash.
• Contributors often cannot.
• If too many users have elevated roles, deletion risk increases.
• If too few users have elevated roles, recovery can become operationally blocked.
• If the drive has very strict roles, restoration may be blocked unless a Manager acts.

Admin best practice:

• Ensure every Shared Drive has at least two accountable managers (i.e., to avoid a single point of failure).
• Ensure managers are trained on the difference between “trash” and “delete forever.”

How to restore deleted files from the Shared Drive Trash

If the file is still in Trash, restoration is straightforward:

1. Confirm that the restored item appears in the Shared Drive and that expected members retain access.
2. Navigate to the Shared Drive.
3. Open the Trash view associated with that Shared Drive context.
4. Locate the file/folder.
5. Restore it.

Admin-only recovery workflows

This section covers what admins can restore, what they can’t, what the time constraints are, and how to locate data before attempting recovery.

What admins can and can’t expect from Admin Console restore

Admins often assume a restore is a perfect rewind. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. In practice:

• Restores are time-limited.
• Restoration may not always reassemble complex folder relationships exactly as the user remembers.
• If the item is outside the recovery window, Admin Console restore won’t help

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files Through the Admin Console?

This is for admins who wish to learn how to recover lost files in Google Drive. It also applies to cases when you need to restore a deleted folder. 

If a file is removed from a user’s Trash (or Trash is emptied), Workspace admins can attempt restoration through the Admin console within a limited window.

You need to recover hard-deleted files (removed from Trash either manually or due to them staying there for 30 days). Admins can recover from:

• Google Workspace Admin Console
• A third-party backup solution
• Google Vault (in case you have a DLP policy)

When to use this workflow

Use Admin Console restore when:

• The user deleted a file from My Drive.
• The file is no longer in the user’s Trash (emptied or time passed).
• The deletion happened within the admin restore window (25 days).

Let’s first learn how to use this workflow to recover deleted Google Docs using Admin Console. You need to use your Google Workspace admin account to perform this type of restoration.

1. Go to the Google Admin Console, find Directory in the left menu, and select Users.

2. In the list of users, find the one whose files you need to recover.
3. Hover the mouse over their name; on the right, you’ll see the More button; click it.
4. The context menu will appear, choose the option Restore data.

5. In the opened window, indicate the date range within the last 25 days and press Restore.

Note that this recovery is only possible within 25 days since the hard delete of the files, i.e., since they were removed from the Trash folder. After 25 days, there is no way you can restore them unless you have a backup.

Where to check logs/history to locate deleted files

Before you restore, you often need to answer:

• What exactly was deleted?
• Who did it?
• When did it happen?
• Was it isolated or mass action?

Option 1: Drive log events in Admin console (investigation + audit trail)

Google’s Admin Help documentation confirms that admins can search and act on Drive log events, which include content created in Docs/Sheets/Slides and content uploaded to Drive.

Use Drive log events to:

• Confirm whether the file was moved to Trash or deleted.
• Identify the actor (user/service).
• Narrow your restore date range for Admin Console restores.
• Determine whether the incident requires a bulk response.

Option 2: Reports API (programmatic audit/reporting for scale)

For larger incidents or automation, use the Admin SDK Reports API to drive audit activity events:

• “Drive Audit Activity Events” documentation lists the events/parameters and indicates you can retrieve events by calling Activities.list() with applicationName=drive.
• Google also provides a guide for “Drive activity report,” which covers audit reporting for Drive actions.

This is crucial for bulk restoration because you need stable identifiers (file IDs) and a defensible timeline.

How to Recover Google Drive™ Files From a Deleted Account?

Sometimes we can rush into deleting the account of a former employee and cleaning Google Drive™. In other cases, the user can accidentally delete their account with all data on it. This section of the post describes the Google Drive™ recovery for a deleted Account.

To restore Google Drive™ files from a deleted account, you need to use your Admin account.

1. First, restore the deleted Gmail™ account for the user.
2. Make another user an owner of the Google Drive™ files/folders.

• In the Google Admin Console, open the Menu and click on Apps
• In the unfolded menu, select Google Workspace™ and then Drive and Docs
• Scroll down and find Transfer Ownership. Upon clicking it, you will be redirected to the page.

• You will see two fields (From User and To User). Type in the email addresses of the respective users and click Transfer Files.
• Delete the restored account once Google has transferred the data.

Note that only Super Administrators can recover a deleted Google account within 20 days after the deletion. After 20 days, all data associated with this account will be erased from the data centers and will be impossible to restore.

How to Recover Deleted Google Drive™ Files with Google’s File Recovery Robot?

For users who have permanently deleted files from their Google Drive™, Google offers a File Recovery Robot that can help recover files within 25 days of deletion. 

This is a self-service tool that you can use without needing to contact an administrator. To know how to use the File Recovery Robot, check this link.

How can I recover deleted files that have been shared with me?

There are three main reasons why you cannot access the files that have been shared with you previously.

1. First, the file-sharing options have been changed by the owner. In this case, you can ask them to share again.
2. Second, the owner has deleted the Google Drive™ file. In this case, you can ask the owner to restore the file using one of the methods listed in this article.
3. Third, the owner has deleted their Google account. To retrieve the file, they will have to first recover their deleted account.

Keep in mind that the time and other limitations mentioned in this article apply here too. For example, if the owner has deleted “trash”, the recovery will be impossible. Another limitation is the will of the file owner to recover the deleted file.

You can bypass many of these limitations if the file owner is your coworker and your company uses third-party backups like SpinOne. In this case, you can request your Google Admin to recover the file from the backup or archive to your account.

How to Use Google Drive™ Activity Panel to Monitor File Changes?

A proactive way to keep track of your files in Google Drive™ is by monitoring the Activity panel. 

To access the Activity panel:

• Open your Google Drive™.
• Click on the “i” icon in the top-right corner.
• Select the “Activity” tab. 

This panel shows you a stream of all activities related to your files, including who has edited, commented on, or deleted them. By regularly checking the Activity panel, you can quickly spot any unintended deletions or changes to your files.

How to Restore from Google One Device Backup (for Android Users)?

First, you need to make sure you are running the device backup. To back up your Android device using Google One, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google One app on your phone or go to one.google.com. 
2. Tap on Storage, then select Device Backup. If you haven’t set up backups before, tap Set up data backup and choose what to back up, such as apps, call history, contacts, SMS, and device settings. 
3. Enable Google Photos backup if you want to save photos and videos. 

Finally, tap Back up now to start the process. Google One will automatically back up your device periodically, ensuring your data is protected in case of loss or damage.

If your files were stored on an Android device and backed up with Google One:

1. Go to Google One (one.google.com) and log in.

2. Click on Storage > Device Backup.

3. If a backup exists, restore your device to recover files.

Keep in mind that Google One backups don’t store individual Drive files but can help you restore app data, settings, and media.

How to Export Google Drive™ Files using Google Takeout?

Google Takeout allows users to export and download a copy of their data from various Google services, such as Gmail™, Google Drive™, and Google Photos. It enables users to migrate data or archive their digital content. Here’s how:

Step 1: Go to Google Takeout. 

Step 2: Choose which Google services you want to include in the export (e.g., Gmail™, Drive, Photos) 

Step 3. Select the file format, archive size, and delivery method (download link via email, add to Drive, etc.)

Step 4: Click on “Create export” to prepare your files.

Step 5: Once Google notifies you that your files are ready, download the .zip or .tgz file to your computer.

Step 6: Extract the files using a file extraction tool (e.g., WinRAR, 7-Zip). 

NOTE: Google Takeout itself is not a recovery tool but rather a service that allows you to export and download a copy of your data from various Google services. Thus, when restoring files via Google Takeout, users may encounter several common technical issues:

• First, data exported may not be importable without the proper software or conversion tools.
• Second, large Google Takeout archives are challenging to download, extract, or store.
• Third, in some cases, metadata may not be preserved when files are exported.
• Finally, it’s a time consuming restoration process.

How to Prevent Unrecoverable Data Losses in Google Workspace™?

All the above-described methods can’t restore data in 100% of cases. To prevent situations in which employees permanently delete files, we suggest that businesses get backup and data recovery software. 

These tools can help you prevent data loss in case of human error, a man-in-the-middle attack, or even ransomware. Such solutions also help you recover files deleted from the Trash folder.

If a file is deleted permanently and there is no backup or data protection system, it cannot be recovered.

As we’ve mentioned before, deleted files have their due date, which is from 20 to 30 days, depending on the type of deletion. 

Unless these files are covered with a retention policy (which is rarely the case), they will be permanently deleted after this period. There is no way to recover old files afterward.

Accidentally deleted documents are permanently deleted because employees and IT admins overlook the 30-day rule. This happens sometimes because some of the important files don’t require regular revisions or access, so users might not know that the file is missing immediately. 

Let’s also not forget about the ransomware threat that encrypts your files and makes it impossible to restore them without paying a ransom or having a backup. 

The average ransom payment in 2025 has jumped to $1 million, and the average cost of a ransomware attack is estimated to be $5.5-$6 million. And paying the price doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your files back, so backup is your only solution. 

Remember, it’s better to back up than frantically look for ways to recover lost files.

Bulk restoration via API (technical deep dive for admins)

Bulk restoration is designed for enterprise-scale incidents where point-and-click recovery simply doesn’t work. When deletions affect hundreds or thousands of files—often across multiple users or Shared Drives—admins need a repeatable, auditable, and programmatic recovery approach rather than manual UI actions.

When you should use bulk restoration

Bulk restoration is typically needed when:

• A compromised account trashed or deleted hundreds/thousands of files.
• A misconfigured automation removed content from Shared Drives.
• Offboarding scripts or admin actions caused mass deletion.
• You must restore to meet RTO/RPO or business continuity requirements.

If the event looks like ransomware (e.g., mass modifications, encryption, and corruption), pair bulk restoration with your ransomware playbook. See our Google Drive ransomware recovery for more information.

Step 1: Identify affected file IDs at scale (audit/reporting strategy)

To bulk restore, you need file IDs (or a reliably generated set of targets). There are two common approaches:

Approach A: Admin console investigation + export (fastest for many teams)

1. Use Admin console log search/investigation to filter Drive events around time range, user(s), and event types like trash/delete/empty trash.
2. Export results (depending on edition/privileges) to produce a working list.

This is the quickest human-in-the-loop path when the priority is “restore business operations now.”

The limitation is that UI exports can be slower during massive incidents and may be edition-dependent.

Approach B:  Admin SDK Reports API (Drive audit activity) — better for exporting events at scale

Google Drive documents audit activity events and parameters retrievable via the Reports API (Activities.list with applicationName=drive).

You can programmatically pull deletion/trash activity across many users, filter for event types, and extract identifiers/metadata needed for restoration targeting.

Practical “bulk recovery prep” workflow

1. Define the incident window (start/end timestamps).
2. Pull relevant Drive audit events for that window:
   • Deletion/trash actions, permission changes, and moves (if your org sees move events commonly during attacks).
3. Export results into a working table/spreadsheet:
   • Event timestamp, actor identity, target file ID, event type, and drive context indicator (My Drive vs. Shared Drive) if available.
4. Deduplicate file IDs.
5. Validate a small sample of file IDs:
   • Confirm they match what users report missing. Confirm the “trashed” state if applicable.
6. Choose recovery method:
   • UI restore for small lists, API restore/untrash for large lists, and backup restore if outside native capabilities.

Step 2: List trashed items (and include Shared Drives)

Once you have a target scope, you often need to confirm whether content is still “trashed” (i.e., recoverable via untrash) or already deleted/purged (i.e., requires admin restore window or backup).

The Drive API supports querying files, including trashed state. During bulk incidents, you may query by ownership/corpus, shared drive scope, and time windows (via audit events rather than file metadata alone).Google’s Drive API guidance for deletion/restoration calls out that when untrashing Shared Drive files, you must set supportsAllDrives=true (and generally enable Shared Drive support in your queries).

Step 3: Untrash/restore at scale (Drive API and admin tooling)

Google’s official Drive API guide explains how to recover a file from Trash:

• Use the files.update method.
• Set the boolean trashed field to false.
• If the file is in a Shared Drive, set supportsAllDrives=true.

Conceptual API request (Drive API v3)

PATCH https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{fileId}?supportsAllDrives=true

Content-Type: application/json

{ “trashed”: false }

Permissions and role constraints (why bulk untrash fails sometimes)

Bulk untrash can fail even when you have the right file IDs if:

• The calling identity doesn’t have sufficient permissions on the file.
• The file is in a Shared Drive, and the caller lacks the required organizer-level permissions.
• The file is no longer in Trash (already permanently deleted).

The authenticated user must own the file or be at least a fileOrganizer on the parent for Shared Drive files.

Operational best practices for bulk recovery

1. Restore in batches, not all at once

Start with small batches to validate: correct scope, correct IDs, correct roles, and no unintended permission reactivation.

2. Maintain an incident log

Track: which file IDs were restored, who performed actions, timestamps, and which method was used (UI, Admin console restore, API, backup).

3. Coordinate with the business owners

As soon as data reappears:

• Users may edit restored files.
• Teams may re-share them.
• The content may get overwritten again.

If possible, restore to a controlled “recovery” folder in the Shared Drive context and then reintroduce content systematically (where your governance model allows).

4. Know when to escalate to backup

If files are outside native Windows, repeatedly failing due to permissions, or the incident includes ransomware-like modifications, stop burning time on native tooling and switch to your backup recovery plan.

SaaS Data Management Best Practices 

Proper data management practices ensure that data remains unaltered and complete from its initial creation through its storage and retrieval. Here are the 6 best data management practices to maintain data integrity and minimize data loss in SaaS: 

1. Implement regular backups to ensure your data is consistently protected. Use tools like SpinBackup to automate this process for Google Workspace™. 
2. Organize files efficiently by developing a logical and consistent folder hierarchy.
3. Implement access controls based on user roles to prevent unauthorized changes or deletions.
4. Use anomaly detection tools to identify and respond to unusual activities that might indicate data corruption or security issues. Conduct data integrity audits to ensure the accuracy and completeness of your data.
5. Provide regular training on data management best practices, including proper handling of data and security protocols.
6. Establish clear policies for how long different types of data should be kept and when it should be archived or deleted.
7. Ensure compliance with regulations and keep up-to-date with relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and ensure your data management practices comply with them.

By following these best practices, you can effectively manage your data, maintain its integrity, and minimize the risk of loss.

When native recovery fails

Native recovery is powerful, but bounded. In business incidents, those boundaries are exactly what create risk. Here are the reasons why native recovery usually fails:

1. The file aged out of Trash retention

Google’s end-user help documentation states that files remain in Trash for 30 days, then they’re deleted.

2. The file is outside the Admin Console restore window

Google’s admin documentation states you can only restore Drive data deleted within the last 25 days.

3. Shared Drive deletion removed content from Trash

Shared Drive recovery is role- and context-dependent. If content is removed from Trash and no longer exists as a recoverable object, native options may be insufficient.

4. Ransomware-like events (encryption/rename/mass edits)

In ransomware events, the “file” may still exist, but the content is unusable or mass-changed. You often need point-in-time recovery to restore pre-incident versions at scale. Check out our guide on Google Drive ransomware recovery when you are faced with ransomware-like events.

Prevention: How to Reduce the Chance of Unrecoverable Drive Data Loss

Recovery is what you do after something goes wrong. Prevention is what reduces the probability that recovery becomes expensive, slow, or incomplete.

1. Define internal recovery objectives (RTO/RPO) for Google Workspace

Admins should align stakeholders on:

• RTO (Recovery Time Objective): How quickly must data be restored to resume operations?
• RPO (Recovery Point Objective): How much data loss (time) is acceptable?

Example:

• Finance Shared Drive: RTO 4 hours, RPO 24 hours.
• General team drives: RTO 1 business day, RPO 72 hours.

Once you define these, you can evaluate whether native recovery windows and manual processes are sufficient.

2. Tighten Shared Drive roles and accountability

For each Shared Drive:

• Assign at least two accountable Managers.
• Document who approves the deletion of top-level folders.
• Restrict the “Manager” role to a small group.
• Review role assignments quarterly.

This reduces both accidental deletion and recovery bottlenecks.

3. Monitor deletion patterns using Drive logs

Drive log events enable admin investigation and provide a record of Drive activity. Recommended monitoring triggers include sudden spikes in deletes/trashed events, deletes from unusual IP ranges or geographies, permission changes immediately followed by deletes, and Shared Drive folder deletions.

4. Maintain a “bulk recovery ready” playbook

Even if you never automate restore, you should be able to:

• Export Drive audit activity.
• Extract file IDs.
• Validate scope and actors.
• Decide whether to restore by UI, Admin console, API, or backup.

Google’s Drive audit activity events documentation supports programmatic retrieval via Activities.list with applicationName=drive.

5. Train users on early reporting (not consumer helpdesk—incident hygiene)

Since time windows matter, teach users:

• If they delete something important, check “Trash” immediately.
• If a Shared Drive folder disappears, escalate to IT the same day.
• If they see mass renames or unexpected file changes, treat it as a security incident.

For a lighter “how-to” resource, our Google Drive tips (including recovery) page can support user-facing enablement.

Why third-party backup becomes necessary (and where Spin.ai fits)

In B2B environments, it’s critical to separate recovery features from a true backup strategy. Native Google Drive recovery is best understood as an undo mechanism with a strict time limit, which is useful for short-term mistakes, but insufficient for enterprise risk. 

Once retention windows close, permissions change, or incidents scale beyond a handful of files, native tools no longer provide reliable outcomes.

A real backup strategy is built for operational certainty, not hope. It delivers:

• Retention is independent of Trash timing, so recovery is possible weeks or months after deletion—not only within short native windows.
• Point-in-time restore, allowing admins to roll Drive and Shared Drive data back to a clean state before an incident occurred.
• Consistent Shared Drive recovery, without relying on role hygiene, user availability, or who noticed the problem first.
• Rapid bulk recovery, eliminating the uncertainty of manual ID-by-ID restores and the risk of missing critical files.

This is where Spin.ai fits into the Google Workspace recovery model. Spin.ai is designed to close the gaps native recovery leaves behind by maintaining independent, secure backups of Google Workspace data and enabling fast, controlled restoration at scale. Instead of racing against retention clocks or reconstructing damage manually, admins can restore confidently to a known-good point.

If an incident includes encryption, mass renames, or widespread corruption, treat it as a ransomware scenario and follow a ransomware-specific response path. See our Google Drive ransomware recovery for guidance on handling those events.

For a broader explanation of why SaaS backup is critical in Google Workspace, see our guide on why Google Drive backups matter.

How Spin.ai helps recover and protect Google Drive and Shared Drive data

Spin.ai reduces the probability that recovery depends on short retention windows and gives admins a reliable “restore to known-good state” option during incidents.

What Spin.ai is positioned to solve (admin use cases)

• Accidental deletion discovered late.
• Mass deletion across multiple users or Shared Drives.
• Rapid recovery during incident response (minimizing downtime).
• Ransomware recovery and response.
• Compliance and audit support (restores, evidence, governance).

Spin.ai’s Google Workspace platform offers visibility, control, and recovery in Google Workspace environments. Spin.ai’s ransomware protection focuses on rapid, automated response and downtime reduction.

You can also reference Spin.ai’s broader overview of Google Workspace backup and recovery methods for how this fits into a complete data protection program.

Get started with the following Spin.ai solutions today to accelerate your Google Drive recovery workflow:

→ Spin.ai Google Workspace platform.

→ Spin.ai ransomware protection platform.

→ Google Drive backup and recovery solution.

→ Shared Drive backup and recovery solution.

SpinBackup for Google Workspace™ – the best tool for recovering deleted Google Drive™ files (How to get Started with SpinBackup for Google Workspace™)

SpinBackup is a backup tool for Google Workspace™ (Gmail™, Drive, Shared Drive™, Calendar, Contacts, and Sites). It has all the necessary features to prevent data loss in cases like accidental deletions, zero-day attacks, and ransomware. including:

• Automated daily backup
• Secure storage in GCP, Azure, AWS, or BYOS
• Encryption in transit, at rest, and in use
• Granular recovery (point in time, single record)
• File versioning
• Local downloads to comply with the 3-2-1 rule

Using SpinBackup for data backup and recovery is as easy as using a well-designed, automated tool. Here’s how to get started.

1. Visit the SpinBackup platform page. SpinBackup offers a great possibility to get a hands-on demonstration of the platform’s capabilities and guide you through the setup process with expert assistance. To get a live demonstration of SpinBackup, request a DEMO now!
2. Set up and configure your SpinBackup account to integrate SpinBackup with your Google Workspace™ and select which services (Gmail™, Drive, etc.) to back up. Set your backup schedule.
3. Run your first backup and keep an eye on the backup status via the intuitive dashboard.
4. Recover your data by choosing specific files, emails, or folders to restore and clicking “Restore” to recover them directly to Google Workspace™.
5. Set up automatic backups to ensure continuous data protection.

You can also start a free trial to explore SpinBackup’s features and Request Pricing tailored to your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

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