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This is an archive article published on November 29, 2023

Google Drive files missing? Here’s what you should not do

Google has acknowledged the issue where files on Google Drive are missing for users. If you cannot see your files on Google Drive, here's what you shouldn't do.

Google Drive | Google Drive files missing | Google Drive bugGoogle Drive is available on the web, Android, iOS and as a standalone desktop app. (Image Source: Google)
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Google Drive is the go-to app for millions of people to store documents, images, videos and WhatsApp chat backups on the cloud. However, several users on the Google Support forum have been complaining that their files have disappeared.

Many said that their files vanished and were nowhere to be seen and despite attempts by Google to recover their data, the issue persisted. While the root cause of the issue remains unclear, the tech giant said that the problem only affected Google Drive for Desktop (v84.0.0.0 – 84.0.4.0).

Google also shared some instructions on what not to do in the meantime. The tech giant recommends users not to click the ‘Disconnect Account’ button on the desktop version of the app and that they should refrain from deleting or moving the app data folder located under “%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS” on Windows and “~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS” on macOS.

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For those who have ample space left on their storage devices, Google recommends that they make a copy of the app data folder. Moreover, it is still unclear if and when the issue of missing files will be fixed and what caused the problem in the first place.

Recently, the tech giant updated Google Drive’s interface on the web, which now features a redesigned homepage called ‘Home’. The new homepage updates the interface to be in line with Google’s Material Design 3 guidelines and makes it easier for users find the files they want.

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