Google Drive: Users report missing data
There currently seem to be problems with missing data in Google Drive. Google is working on this. An update may be to blame.
Whoever stores data in cloud storage such as Google Drive usually does so as a backup. After all, the expectation is that they are stored on servers with multiple layers of security. Seven days ago, however, a user reported in the Google support forum that all the data he had uploaded or changed in the last six months had disappeared from Google Drive. The entire storage was as it was in May 2023.
And it's not just about files, but also about the folder structure. This indicates that the user has not accidentally deleted data themselves, but that only an older version of the data storage exists. He did not say whether the original data on his hard drive had also disappeared.
An update to the Google Drive app could be to blame
The user reported that the activity log on Drive showed nothing, the recycle bin was empty and he had not given anyone else access to his cloud. The problem occurred from one day to the next. To date, 270 other users have clicked on the "I have the same question" button under his article and several people have commented that they also have the same problem.
The comments show that the affected users are using the Google Drive app. This automatically synchronises desired folders on the computer with the cloud so that there is a mirrored version of the local folders.
A user wrote a longer post yesterday that could explain the problem. The data loss is apparently due to an update of the Drive app. The user's local profile may have been reset in a new version, which could have caused the app to synchronise an outdated folder structure. After two days of work, the user managed to restore his data. He attached instructions on how he managed to do this.
What does Google say about the problem?
A Google employee responded to the article yesterday: The problem described is known and they are working on a solution. Until then, those affected should not log out of the Drive app on the desktop and also not delete or move the app data folder from the system.
Even if the data can hopefully be restored: This case shows that even with cloud use, data backup remains an important topic. Cloud backups are invaluable in the event of the loss of local backup hard drives. But even the cloud is not infallible: in 2021 one of Europe's largest data centres for cloud storage completely burned down in Strasbourg: many websites disappeared and companies lost their data stored there.
Cover image: Nopparat Khokthong/Shutterstock
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.