Google has confirmed an issue with Drive that may have caused some users to lose files.
The issue reportedly affects some users using the Drive for desktop apps on macOS or Windows.
Google is investigating the issue and has recommended that users not click “Disconnect account” within Drive for desktop or delete or move the app data folder.
What Is The Issue With Google Drive?
The Google Drive issue is causing files to be reverted to an earlier version or deleted altogether.
It is still unclear how many users are affected by the issue, but Google has said that it is investigating & working on the fixes.
How Can I Protect My Files?
There are a few things that you can do to protect your files from being lost:
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Use Google Takeout to create a backup of your files
Google Takeout allows you to create a backup of your Google data, including your Drive files. To create a backup of your Drive files, follow these steps:
Go to takeout.google.com.
Select Drive from the list of services.
Choose the files you want to back up.
Click “Next step.”
Choose “Create archive” and then click “Create archive.”
Google will then create a zip file of your selected files. You can download the zip file & store it in a safe place.
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Back-Up Your Files To A Local Hard Drive
You can also back up your files to a local hard drive. To do this, simply copy and paste the files to your hard Drive.
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Use A Cloud Storage Service Other Than Google Drive
Several other cloud storage services are available, such as Dropbox and OneDrive. You can use one of these services to back up your files.
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Monitor Your Drive Activity
You can monitor your Drive activity to see if any files have been deleted or reverted to an earlier version. To do this, go to drive.google.com and click on “Activity.”
Google’s Move on Fixing the Issue?
Google is investigating the issue and working on a fix. They have recommended that users do not click “Disconnect account” within Drive for desktop or delete or move the app data folder.
Google has also provided the following tips to recover the lost files:
- Download Drive for desktop 85.0.13.0 or higher.
- Open Settings while holding Shift.
- Click “Recover from backups” in the hidden dialogue.
- Wait for the recovery process to finish.
- Find recovered files in your desktop’s “Google Drive Recovery” folder.