When a shared drive file disappears, a member has usually deleted it. However, users might sometimes need to restore deleted files on shared drives. Admin users can restore erased files on shared GD drives for 25 days after they’ve been deleted.
Can files disappear from Google Drive?
Shared Google Drive files also disappear for owners when they become orphaned files. That can happen when a non-owner of a shared file deletes it. Then the orphaned file disappears, but it still exists for the owner. File owners can recover missing orphaned files with Google Drive’s search tool. So, there are two alternative solutions for recovering shared Google Drive files that disappear. This is how you can recover deleted files on shared drives and shared orphaned files.
How do I recover a shared file in Google Drive?
1. Use the Google Admin console
Note: Only Google administrator users can restore deleted files for shared GD drives as outlined above. Users who can’t log in to the Admin Console will need to ask an administrator who can recover deleted files.
2. Restore orphaned Google Drive files
Users can also find and fix orphaned Google Drive files with the GAT+ G Suite add-on. That’s an audit tool for G Suite apps that only admin users can install from the GAT+ page. You can find orphaned files with that add-on by clicking Drive on the left of the GAT+ window and selecting Orphaned. That will display orphaned files. Then you can click the File Operators button to select a Fix orphans option.
The above solutions will often restore shared Google Drive files that have disappeared. If you know a shared GD drive file has been deleted, try restoring it with the first resolution. If you’re not sure what’s happened to a shared file, you might need to find an orphaned file as outlined for the second resolution.
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