Trash, expiry and getting a file back

Deleting a file or a folder moves it to the trash of the workspace it was in. It stays there for 30 days, visible to everybody in the workspace, and is then permanently deleted. Until that happens you can put it back.

1. 1

   Open Trash in the sidebar

   It lists what was deleted, with the date it went in.

2. 2

   Select what you want back

   Folders come back with their contents.

3. 3

   Press Recover

   Items return to where they were. If the folder they lived in is gone, they land at the top level of the workspace so you can see them.

Two consequences of the trash being a holding area rather than a deletion. Files in the trash still occupy your storage, and only give it back when they leave the trash for good. And putting a file in the trash removes it from any share link it was part of, permanently: recovering the file does not put it back on the link.

Who may do what#

Anybody with edit rights in the workspace can delete, recover and permanently delete. A viewer can do none of the three, including the reversible one. Roles are set per workspace: see Members and roles.

The free plan expiry#

This is a different mechanism and the one that surprises people. On the free plan, uploaded files are deleted automatically 30 days after they were uploaded, whether or not you have touched them. They do not go to the trash first, and there is nothing to recover afterwards.

• What expiry touches: files in your workspace, including ones somebody sent you through an upload link.
• What it does not touch: photos in Gallery, which are kept on every plan including free, and documents, sheets, canvases and forms.
• If you cancel a paid plan: files stop being exempt, and the 30 day rule applies again from each file's upload date. Export anything you need before you downgrade.
• If a payment fails: nothing is swept while the payment is being retried. See Invoices and payment.