Here are some tips to help you find missing files in Google Drive. Select the situation that matches yours the best.
If you deleted something recently using Google Drive or the Google Drive desktop app, you might be able to restore the file yourself.
Restore from your Trash
- On a computer, go to drive.google.com/drive/trash.
- Right-click the file you'd like to recover.
- Click Restore.
Try these steps
Check the activity panel
- On a computer, go to drive.google.com.
- On the left, click My Drive.
- At the top right, click Info
. - Scroll down and look for your file.
Try an advanced search
- On a computer, go to drive.google.com.
- At the top, go to the search bar and click the Down arrow
. - 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. Then they delete the folder. Your file isn't deleted, but isn't in a folder. Only you can delete the files you own.
- You share a folder with someone who removes your file from the folder. The file isn't deleted, but it's no longer in a folder.
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."