Google Drive Files Missing or Not Visible? Here’s How to Find Them

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

Work your way through the list of fixes and suggestions below, and you should be able to track down missing files in Google Drive.

Check Google Drive’s Trash

Google Drive moves files that you delete into a specifically designated area called the Trash. You then have 30 days to restore them should you want. So before you move on, it’s well worth looking inside it for the missing files since you could’ve very well deleted them by accident.

To view the Trash, simply selectTrashon the Google Drive sidebar. Don’t forget to choose theTrashed dateoption to the top-right of the web app to sort deleted items from oldest to newest and vice versa.

You can then right-click the file you want to recover and selectRestoreto put it back in its original location. To restore multiple items at once, hold down theCtrlorCmdkeys while selecting them. Then, right-click and selectRestore.

Search for the Missing Files

Try performing a search for the missing file or files. If you can remember the file name, simply type it out into theSearch in Drivefield to the top of the Google Drive web app. You can also type whatever you remember of the name, and Google Drive shall still filter matching entries accordingly.

Additionally, you can use advanced filtering tools to fine-tune your searches. Simply select theSearch optionsicon to the right of theSearch in Drivefield. You can then start filtering items using criteria such asType,Owner,Location, and so on.

Check for Orphaned Files

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

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

is:unorganized owner:me

If you see the file, right-click and select theMove tooption to move it to a directory in Google Drive or to the root of My Drive.

Check Activity Panel

Try checking the Activity pane in Google Drive to check if you can find the file that way. To do that, pickMy Driveon the Google Drive sidebar, select theInfoicon to the top-right of the Google Drive web app, and switch to theActivitytab.

You should then see a long list of activities related to Google Drive, such as when you opened, renamed, edited, moved, or deleted files. You should also see activity by any of your collaborators.

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

Contact the Owner

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

You can always confirm if a specific file or folder was shared with you (and the owner’s details) by searching through your past email for Google Drive invites to collaborate.

Clear the Google Drive Cache

Sometimes, the Google Drive web app can simply bug out and stop displaying files and folders inside it correctly. That usually happens due to obsolete site data. You can delete the cache related to Google Drive and check if that helps.

To do that, select the padlock-shapedView site informationicon on the address bar and selectSite Settings. Follow by selectingClear data. Then, reload Google Drive and check if the missing files show up. If they don’t, you might want todelete the entire browser cachebefore trying again.

Use Chrome or Update It

Google Drive works the best in Google’s own flagship browser—Chrome. So if you use a different browser, try switching to Chrome instead.

If you already use Chrome, it’s best to apply any pending updates. Open theChromemenu and selectHelp>About Google Chrometo force-initiate an update.

Open Google Drive in Incognito Mode

Google Drive might not display correctly due to conflicts with browser extensions. If you use Chrome, you can quickly confirm that by using Incognito mode since it runs without add-ons by default.

Toopen an Incognito window, open theChromemenu and select theNew incognito window. Follow by 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. You can do that by selecting theExtensionsicon to the top-right of the window, followed byManage extension. Then, re-activate them one by one until you come across the extension causing issues.

Malicious extensions can also result in all sorts of issues. If you use Chrome on the PC, you can use the browser’s integrated malware scanner to remove them. To get to it, open theChromemenu and selectSettings>Advanced>Reset and clean up>Clean up computer>Find.

Check Backup and Sync Preferences

If you have no problem viewing your files in the Google Drive web app but find them missing while syncing them to your PC locally via theGoogle Drive Backup and Sync client, you must check your sync preferences and ensure that everything’s set up correctly.

To do that, right-click theBackup and Syncicon on the system tray and selectSettings>Preferences. Then, switch to theGoogle Drivetab to make sure you’ve selected the files and folders you want to sync correctly. You can also choose theSync everything in My Driveoption to avoid missing out on anything.

Submit a File Recovery Request

The pointers above should help you find missing Google Drive files quickly. If none of the suggestions above helped, you probably deleted a file permanently and missed the time window to retrieve it from the Trash. Your best course of action should then be to fill in andsubmit a file recovery request to Google Support.

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn’t hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube.Read Dilum’s Full Bio

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