Do you have trouble locating a file or set of files in Google Drive? Adventitious deletions, revoked permissions, and a myriad of other reasons can prevent you from finding them.

Piece of work your way through the list of fixes and suggestions beneath, and yous should be able to rail downward missing files in Google Drive.

Bank check Google Drive's Trash

Google Drive moves files that you delete into a specifically designated expanse chosen the Trash. You then have 30 days to restore them should you desire. So before you motility on, it'south well worth looking inside it for the missing files since you lot could've very well deleted them by accident.

To view the Trash, simply select Trash on the Google Drive sidebar. Don't forget to choose the Trashed engagement option to the acme-right of the web app to sort deleted items from oldest to newest and vice versa.

You can then right-click the file you desire to recover and select Restore to put it dorsum in its original location. To restore multiple items at once, agree downwards the Ctrl or Cmd keys while selecting them. And then, correct-click and select Restore.

Search for the Missing Files

Endeavour performing a search for the missing file or files. If you can recall the file proper noun, merely type information technology out into the Search in Drive field to the top of the Google Bulldoze web app. You lot tin too type whatever you recall of the name, and Google Drive shall still filter matching entries accordingly.

Additionally, you can utilize avant-garde filtering tools to fine-tune your searches. Simply select the Search options icon to the right of the Search in Bulldoze field. You tin and so starting time filtering items using criteria such equally Type, Possessor, Location, and so on.

Check for Orphaned Files

If you create a file within a shared binder that belongs to someone else, and if the owner concluded up deleting the folder, the file should still be present just invisible since it has no location.

Still, typing the following search parameter into the Search in Drive field should help bring it up:

is:unorganized possessor:me

If y'all see the file, correct-click and select the Move to option to motion information technology to a directory in Google Drive or to the root of My Drive.

Cheque Activity Panel

Endeavor checking the Activity pane in Google Bulldoze to check if you lot tin find the file that fashion. To do that, selection My Drive on the Google Drive sidebar, select the Info icon to the top-right of the Google Drive web app, and switch to the Activity tab.

You should and then come across a long list of activities related to Google Drive, such every bit when you opened, renamed, edited, moved, or deleted files. You should too see activity past any of your collaborators.

If you desire to check the activity of a specific folder, merely select it, and the Activity pane should update accordingly.

Contact the Owner

If a missing file belongs to someone else, they might have revoked your permissions or deleted it. If and so, you lot've got no recourse but to contact the owner for help.

You can ever ostend if a specific file or binder was shared with you (and the owner's details) by searching through your past email for Google Drive invites to collaborate.

Articulate the Google Drive Cache

Sometimes, the Google Bulldoze web app tin simply issues out and stop displaying files and folders inside it correctly. That usually happens due to obsolete site data. Y'all can delete the enshroud related to Google Drive and check if that helps.

To do that, select the padlock-shaped View site data icon on the address bar and select Site Settings. Follow by selecting Clear data. Then, reload Google Bulldoze and check if the missing files bear witness up. If they don't, you might want to delete the unabridged browser cache before trying again.

Utilize Chrome or Update It

Google Drive works the best in Google'southward ain flagship browser—Chrome. Then if you utilize a different browser, endeavor switching to Chrome instead.

If yous already utilise Chrome, it'south best to use any pending updates. Open the Chrome card and select Help > About Google Chrome to force-initiate an update.

Open up Google Drive in Incognito Mode

Google Drive might not display correctly due to conflicts with browser extensions. If you use Chrome, you can chop-chop ostend that by using Incognito way since information technology runs without add-ons by default.

To open an Incognito window, open the Chrome menu and select the New incognito window. Follow past loading Google Drive (you must sign in with your Google Drive credentials).

If Google Drive displays everything correctly, open a regular Chrome window and disable all extensions. Yous can do that by selecting the Extensions icon to the tiptop-right of the window, followed by Manage extension. Then, re-activate them one past one until you come across the extension causing bug.

Malicious extensions can likewise consequence in all sorts of issues. If you lot utilize Chrome on the PC, you can use the browser's integrated malware scanner to remove them. To become to it, open the Chrome menu and select Settings > Avant-garde > Reset and clean up > Clean upwards computer > Observe.

Check Backup and Sync Preferences

If you have no problem viewing your files in the Google Drive web app only discover them missing while syncing them to your PC locally via the Google Bulldoze Fill-in and Sync customer, you must check your sync preferences and ensure that everything'due south set upward correctly.

To practise that, correct-click the Backup and Sync icon on the organisation tray and select Settings > Preferences. Then, switch to the Google Drive tab to brand certain you've selected the files and folders you want to sync correctly. You lot can also cull the Sync everything in My Drive option to avert missing out on anything.

Submit a File Recovery Request

The pointers above should aid yous notice missing Google Drive files quickly. If none of the suggestions above helped, you probably deleted a file permanently and missed the time window to recollect it from the Trash. Your best course of action should and then be to make full in and submit a file recovery request to Google Support.