Recovering a deleted user or files
How to recover a deleted Google Workspace user account or restore files deleted from Google Drive — time limits and step-by-step instructions.
Mistakes happen. If you accidentally delete a user account or lose important files, Google Workspace gives you a window to recover them — but you need to act quickly.
Quick summary
Deleted user accounts can be recovered within 20 days. Deleted Drive files go to Trash and stay there for 30 days. After these windows, the data is permanently gone. Act fast. Admins recover user accounts from the Admin console; users restore files from Drive Trash.
Recovering a deleted user account
If you deleted a user account and need to restore it:
Go to admin.google.com and sign in with your admin account.
Click Users in the left sidebar.
Look for the Recently deleted filter. In the Users list, look for a filter option called "Recently deleted users" or click the filter icon and select it.
Find the user you want to restore.
Click Recover. Follow the on-screen prompts to restore the account and its data.
20-day window — don't wait
You have exactly 20 days from deletion to recover a user account. After 20 days, the account and all its data (Gmail, Drive, Calendar) are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered by anyone — including Google.
What gets recovered
When you recover a deleted user account, you get back:
- Gmail messages and settings
- Google Drive files (that weren't individually deleted)
- Google Calendar events
- Contacts
Files that were already in Drive Trash before the account was deleted may not be recoverable.
Recovering deleted Drive files (for any user)
If you deleted the file yourself
Go to Google Drive at drive.google.com.
Click Trash in the left sidebar.
Find the file you want to restore. You can search within Trash.
Right-click the file and choose Restore. The file goes back to where it was originally.
Files stay in Trash for 30 days. After that, they're permanently deleted.
If a user deleted a file and it's been emptied from Trash
If the 30-day Trash window hasn't passed, admins may be able to restore individual files. Go to Admin console → Reports → Audit → Drive and look for deletion events. Then contact Google Workspace support — they may be able to help within a short window.
If a file was in a Shared Drive
Admins can restore recently deleted Shared Drive files. In the Admin console, go to Apps → Google Workspace → Drive and Docs → Manage shared drives. Click the drive, then look for recently deleted items.
Preventing accidental deletion
Always suspend before deleting
When someone leaves, suspend their account first — don't delete it right away. Suspension cuts off access immediately but keeps the data intact. Take a few days to make sure nothing is needed, then delete. See Removing a user safely for the full process.
Other precautions:
- Use Shared Drives for important team files — they don't disappear when a user leaves.
- Consider Google Vault (available on Business Plus and Enterprise) for long-term archiving of email and Drive content.
Common questions
Related guides
- Removing a user safely
- Transferring files when someone leaves
- Shared drives explained
- The Google Admin console, explained
Need a hand?
Learn more
Key security settings
The most important security settings to configure in your Google Workspace Admin console — protecting your organization's accounts, data, and email.
Transferring files when someone leaves
A complete guide to transferring Google Drive files, email, and calendar data from a departing team member — so nothing is lost when someone leaves.