If you can’t find files in Google Drive, you can use these tips to try to recover them. If you think that someone accessed your Google Drive without your permission, we recommend taking steps to make your account more secure.
You deleted something and want it back
Restore from your Trash
- Open your Google Drive App.
- Tap the file you'd like to recover.
- Tap Restore.
You can't find something & you don't think you deleted it
Try these steps
Check the activity panel
- Open your Google Drive App.
- On the left, tap My Drive.
- At the top right, tap Info
.
- Scroll down and look for your file.
.Try an advanced search
- Open your Google Drive App.
- In the search bar, tap the icon to the far right.
- Use the advanced search options to find your file, like "type:spreadsheets."
If the steps above didn't help, consider these special cases:
If you created the file
If you created a file in Drive and can't find it, it may be orphaned. An orphaned file might have lost all of its parent folders. The file still exists but is harder to find.
How files lose their folder
- You create a file in someone else's folder and they delete that folder. The file isn't deleted. It's automatically moved to your My Drive.
Important: Only you can delete the files you own. - You share a folder with someone and they remove your file from the folder. The file isn't deleted, it's automatically moved to your My Drive.
Find your orphaned files
- In the Drive search field, enter: is:unorganized owner:me
- When you find the file, move it to a folder in My Drive so it’s easier to find next time.
If someone else created the file
When someone creates a file, they can delete, rename, and restore it. Contact the person who created the file and ask them to restore it or share it with you again.
If it was in a folder someone else created
If someone deleted that folder, you won't see that folder in your Drive anymore.
Find files you created that are in deleted folders
Find all files that are in deleted folders
To make that file easier to find in the future, drag it into a folder in "My Drive."
More on how to find files
Did you try advanced search?
To refine your search in Drive, use a search phrase with one of these options:
| Search for | Example |
|---|---|
| Exact phrase |
"Use quotes around an exact phrase" |
| One or another |
tacos OR nachos |
|
Exclude a word |
Water but not lakes: water -lakes |
|
File owner |
Files Dad owns: owner:dad@gmail.com |
| They shared files |
Files Mom shared with you: from:mom@gmail.com |
| You shared files |
Files you shared with Mom: to:mom@gmail.com |
| Starred items |
is:starred |
| Deleted items |
is:trashed |
| File type |
Spreadsheet file type: type:spreadsheet |
|
Time frame |
Before or after January 18, 2015. before:2015-01-18 after:2015-01-18 |
| Title |
title:"The title goes here" |
| App |
Files opened in Google Drive: |
Which files can be recovered?
We can help you recover recently deleted files for a limited time if you use Google Drive with a consumer account (and not an account through your work, school, or other group) AND one of these is true:
- You created the file.
- You uploaded the file to Google Drive.
- You accepted ownership of the file from someone.
If you use an account through your work, school, or other group, contact your administrator for help.
If your Google Account was deleted, you might not be able to recover your files.
If you think that someone accessed your Google Drive without your permission, we recommend taking steps to make your account more secure.
You can use search chips before you enter a term in the “search bar” to narrow down the list of files in Drive. To use search chips:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Drive app.
- At the top, tap Search Drive.
- Tap to select a search chip, you can select:
- File Type
- Folders
- Last Modified Date: Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days.
- After you tap on the chip, you can further narrow your results: type in the search bar.
- Tap Search.
These chips appear below the search bar. They will search all files, folders, and subfolders. To remove a search chip, on the right of the chip, tap .
If you need to recover mails from Gmail
Learn how to recover emails from Gmail.
Contact us
To contact us, sign in to your Google Account.
