Lost Months Of Files Due To Google Drive Bug? Here's How You Can Recover Them

If you were affected by the recent Google Drive bug that deleted several months of user data, then there might be a solution for you.

What Happened: Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google has fixed the Drive bug with a new update. Users whose Google Drive files have been deleted, however, have two possible solutions to recover their files.

In November, hundreds of users reported an issue with Google Drive that deleted their files. The company finally acknowledged the problem in late November, but several months of user data had been wiped by then.

Thankfully, now that the bug has been fixed, Google has also posted two possible solutions that users can try to recover their files.

Note that these solutions are not foolproof, so there is a risk of some users being unable to recover their files.

See Also: Google Confirms Drive Issue That Deleted Months Of User Data: It Still Doesn’t Know Why, But Recommends You To Create A Copy

How To Recover Missing Google Drive Files

Before you go ahead, make sure to update to the latest version of Google Drive for Windows or macOS.

Once updated, follow these steps:

• Open the Google Drive for desktop app.
• Click the Drive for the Desktop icon in the menu bar or system tray.
• Press and hold the Shift key and click Settings.
• Click Recover from backups.

If it is successful, you will see a message that says "recovery has started" followed by "recovery is complete."

Otherwise, you could stumble upon a "no backups found" message or "not enough disk space" message.

In the second case, you will just have to free up enough space to complete the recovery process.

However, those who get the "no backups found" message will have to submit feedback to Google for further steps.

Alternate Method: Using Command Line

This method is a little complex, but it is worth exploring if your data is valuable and the first method did not work.

First, quit the Drive for Desktop app on your Windows or macOS computer.

Now, follow these steps:

Windows Users: Open the command prompt and run the following:

“C:\Program Files\Google\Drive File Stream\launch.bat” –recover_from_account_backups

macOS Users: Open Terminal and run the following:

“/Applications/Google Drive.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Drive” –recover_from_account_backups

Once it is complete, your Google Drive files will be stored in a file called "Google Drive Recovery" on your desktop.

Photo by rafapress on Shutterstock

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