Drive trash: restore or delete
The Drive trash keeps deleted items so you can recover them before they are permanently removed.
Move an item to the trash
- Open Drive and select the document or folder.
- In the details panel, click "Move to trash".
- A message confirms the move. The item disappears from its original list.
You need edit permission on the item. Otherwise the message "You don't have edit permission for this item" appears.
Open the trash
In the Drive sidebar, click "Trash" ("All trashed items"). Each row shows the name and when it was trashed ("Trashed … ago").
Restore or delete
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Restore | The item returns to its original folder. |
| Delete permanently | The item is deleted for good and cannot be recovered. A confirmation is requested. |
| Select all, then Restore selected or Delete selected | Handles several items at once. |
| Empty trash | Permanently deletes everything in the trash, after confirmation. |
Good to know
- Inside a trashed folder, items are read-only: they are restored together with their parent folder.
- Permanent deletion and emptying the trash cannot be undone.
Limits
This article covers the Drive trash. Trash behavior in other applications is not covered here.
Source: Drive app (app.delos.so).