About ten days ago, a lot of users on the internet started reporting about deleted files on their Google Drive, and while at the time, we did think it was an isolated issue, more and more users started coming forward. Shortly after that, even Google confirmed the issue and talked about how they are looking into fixing it.
Google finally has a way to recover lost files on Google Drive
When Google announced that it was investigating the issue, the company did mention that you should not make any changes to Google Drive because things could get worse. However, the company has finally fixed the issue, and now we know how to retrieve your lost Drive files. Google has updated its support document, and the document also has instructions that will let you recover your lost Google Drive files. Google has also mentioned that you should update to the latest version of Drive for desktops on both Windows and Mac.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to recover your old Google Drive files:
- Start by updating Drive for desktop with version 85.0.13.0 or higher.
- Now click the Drive for desktop icon from the system tray.
- Press and hold the Shift key and click settings.
- Now click on "Recover from backups.
Following the aforementioned steps should trigger the recovery process, and you will even see a notification saying that the process has started. In case there are no backups, you should get a message saying that there are no backups found. Google has also mentioned that if the above-mentioned methods don't work on Google Drive, you can always use a command line tool. If you are looking for instructions, you can check them out here.
Losing files, especially when you do not have them backed up is a very scary thing, to be honest. I really hope that the fix Google has given for Google Drive actually works for everyone without any issues, or there could be a lot of angry users with no access to the files they are looking for.
News Source: Google Support
About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.
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