Deleting a file or folder from Google Drive

To delete a file or folder, right-click it in your Drive and select Delete from the menu. On a phone or tablet, tap and hold the file, then tap the trash icon. The file moves to your Trash folder when ready — it does not disappear from your account right away.

You can also select multiple files at once by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each one, then right-click and choose Delete. This works for a mix of files and folders together.

Files stay in Trash for 30 days before Google permanently removes them. During those 30 days, the file still counts toward your storage quota, so deleting does not free up space until the file is gone from Trash.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any file or folder and select Delete to move it to Trash when ready.
  • Files in Trash remain for 30 days before permanent deletion, and they still use your storage space during that time.
  • You can restore a deleted file from Trash by right-clicking it and selecting Restore, as long as it has not been there for more than 30 days.
  • Permanently deleting a file from Trash removes it from your account entirely and frees up the storage space it was using.
  • Shared files and folders behave differently — deleting them removes them from your view but may not remove them from others' views if they own the file.

How to empty your Trash folder

To permanently delete files and free up storage space, you must empty your Trash. Open Google Drive, click Trash in the left sidebar, then click Empty trash at the top of the page. This permanently removes all files in Trash and cannot be undone.

You can also permanently delete individual files from Trash without emptying the whole folder. Right-click the file in Trash and select Delete forever. This removes that file only and frees up its storage space when ready.

If you want to keep some files in Trash and delete others, use the individual delete-forever option rather than emptying the entire folder. Once you empty trash, there is no way to recover those files.

Restoring files from Trash

If you delete a file by mistake, you have 30 days to restore it. Click Trash in the left sidebar, find the file you want to keep, right-click it, and select Restore. The file returns to its original location in your Drive.

If the original folder no longer exists, Google Drive restores the file to the root of your Drive (the main "My Drive" section). You can then move it to a different folder if you want.

After 30 days, files in Trash are automatically and permanently deleted. There is no way to recover them after that point, so if you think you might need a file, restore it before the 30 days are up.

Deleting shared files and folders

When you delete a shared file or folder that you own, it goes to your Trash. Other people who have access to it can no longer see it, and it is removed from their view when ready — they do not see it in their Trash.

If someone else owns a shared file and you delete it, it only disappears from your Drive. The owner still has the file, and other people with access can still see it. Deleting a shared file you do not own removes it from your view only.

To stop sharing a file without deleting it, open the file, click Share, then remove each person's access individually. This keeps the file in your Drive but prevents them from viewing it.

Storage space and deleted files

Deleted files count toward your storage quota until they are permanently removed from Trash. If you are running out of space, emptying your Trash is the fastest way to free it up. Files in Trash use the same amount of storage as files in your Drive.

You can check how much storage you are using by clicking the gear icon in the top right of Google Drive and selecting Storage. This shows your total storage, how much you are using, and a breakdown of what is taking up space.

If you need more storage, you can purchase additional space through Google One, but first clearing out old files in Trash is usually the cheapest option.

What happens when you delete a file someone else is editing

If you delete a file while someone else is editing it, they can still see and edit it in their current session. However, when they try to save their changes, they will get an error message because the file no longer exists in your Drive.

To avoid this, tell people you are about to delete a shared file and give them time to save their own copy. If you delete a file by mistake and someone was working on it, you can restore it from Trash within 30 days and they can resume editing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a file after I empty my Trash?

No. Once you click Empty trash, all files in Trash are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. If you only want to delete some files, right-click each one and select Delete forever instead of emptying the entire folder.

Do deleted files still take up storage space?

Yes, until they are permanently removed from Trash. Files stay in Trash for 30 days and count toward your storage quota the whole time. Emptying Trash or deleting files forever frees up the space when ready.

What if I delete a folder with files inside it?

The entire folder and all files inside it move to Trash together. You can restore the whole folder by right-clicking it in Trash and selecting Restore, and all the files inside will return to their original location.

Can I delete a file if someone else is sharing it with me?

Yes, but it only removes the file from your Drive. The owner still has the file, and other people with access can still see it. If you want to stop seeing a shared file, deleting it from your view is the right approach.

How long do files stay in Trash before they are gone forever?

Files remain in Trash for 30 days. After 30 days, Google automatically and permanently deletes them. You cannot recover files after this period, so restore anything you might need before the 30 days are up.