Google adds option to recover missing Drive files in desktop app

Google has added an option to its Google Drive desktop app that allows users to retrieve missing files. Last month it was announced that some users had suddenly lost months of files.

Starting with version 85.0.13.0 of the Drive desktop app, a ‘Recover from backups’ option has been added in the settings, let Google know. If users click on that, the recovery procedure should start automatically. Afterwards, a folder called Google Drive Recovery will be created containing the unsynchronized files. The company asks users for whom this doesn’t work to leave feedback in the desktop app with the hashtag #DFD84.

In addition to the built-in recovery function, it is also possible to use a command line command to recover the files. According to Google, this method is intended for users who have a backup of the desktop app account folder “in a different location or if they want to restore files to a specific location.” Finally, Google explains that users who have unlinked their Drive account from the desktop app or deleted their cache data may be able to regain access to the relevant app data via Windows Backup or Time Machine on macOS.

Some users reported on Google’s help forum in recent weeks that they had lost months of Drive files. For example, someone wrote that all files uploaded since May this year were suddenly gone. According to Google, this concerns “a small group of users of versions 84.0.0.0 through 84.0.4.0 of the Drive desktop app” who lost access to local files that have not yet been synced with Google Drive due to a bug.