Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Several Google Drive users have reported that some of their files have disappeared.
- These issues seem to affect people using the Google Drive for Desktop app.
- Google has apparently acknowledged this issue in a customer support message.
Cloud storage is incredibly convenient, and Google Drive is undoubtedly the top dog in this regard. Unfortunately, it looks like some Google Drive customers are reporting a major issue with the platform.
Several Google Drive customers reported on the company’s support forum (h/t: Android Police) that a host of their files disappeared without warning. The issue seems to affect customers using the Google Drive for Desktop computer app.
A South Korean user in particular claimed that their Google Drive account effectively reverted to May 2023. That is, files uploaded and/or created after May 2023 weren’t showing up in Drive. They claimed that Google Drive doesn’t show any activity history after May 2023, nor does it show any files in the trash. This user also clarified that they haven’t synced or shared their files and/or drive with anyone else.
The user added that they followed the recovery process outlined by customer support while also trying the backup and restore process, but to no avail.
What can you do about this?
Several other affected users chimed in on Google’s customer support forum. Some users noted that all files uploaded since May 2023 have disappeared, while others said this problem affected files uploaded over the last year or two.
A Google support message shared in the forum acknowledges the issue and asserts that Google is investigating the problem. In the meantime, customer support reportedly suggests that you don’t make changes to your root Google Drive folder.
Either way, the issue doesn’t seem to affect people who solely use the Google Drive website and/or smartphone apps. But it’s still pretty concerning, especially if you’ve got tons of work files or personal documents in the cloud.
We’ve asked Google to clarify the issue and will update the article if/when the company gets back to us.
