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I have lost some files in a folder in Google Drive. I have no idea what the files were called or when they disappeared, but I do know where they were.

In Dropbox, it's possible to view all files that have been deleted from any given folder. On Google Drive, as far as I can tell, viewing the 'Bin' is the only way to find deleted files, but this doesn't tell you where the files came from.

Is there any way to recover files from a specific folder, given that I don't know what they were called or when they were deleted?

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  • Are you asking for the recovery of files in Google Drive that you had synced with a computer (using the official client) or do you want to do it with the web interface?
    – Andrea Lazzarotto
    May 27, 2016 at 10:38
  • Happy to use either, but I don't have access to the original computer they were synced to.
    – CaptainProg
    May 28, 2016 at 11:34
  • So you confirm you are looking for recovery of files you had synced locally on your PC? Then the problem turns to be a "normal" data recovery attempt, not related to Google Drive specifically. Were the files moved to the trash on your PC?
    – Andrea Lazzarotto
    May 28, 2016 at 14:30
  • No, as I don't have access to the original computer. So, unless there are tricks I can use in the computer client interface above and beyond the capabilities of the web interface, it's probably going to have to be a web-interface solution.
    – CaptainProg
    May 30, 2016 at 12:59

1 Answer 1

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Google Drive files deleted from the trash cannot be recovered by the user. However, the Google Drive official support website says:

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're using 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 the files are still in the trash, do the following:

  • Click on one of them
  • Click Details on the sidebar
  • Look at the original location displayed there
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  • Thanks Andrea, but my question was about how I find files from a specific folder, when I don't know the name of the files or when they were deleted. I don't know if my files are in the trash because I don't know what they were called. However, I do know where they were.
    – CaptainProg
    May 31, 2016 at 9:18
  • Eh, indeed. Go through the files in the trash and see if they were in the folder you are targeting. As stated before, you cannot find files if you permanently deleted them. Contact Google support in that case.
    – Andrea Lazzarotto
    May 31, 2016 at 9:38

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