Have you ever had a sinking feeling you lost a Google Drive file or worse, that your Google account was hacked and your file was stolen? If “yes,” then you know the need to make your Google account more secure, keep backups, and use all the security tools at your disposal to keep your data safe.
How to Find or Recover a File in Google Drive
Now that your Google account is much more secure with these basic protections, you’ll hopefully never experience a loss or theft of any files. However, if you do, there are four excellent ways to find or recover a file in Google Drive.
1. Utilize Backups
One of the best ways to locate lost or damaged files is to have a consistent, automated backup of your entire Google Drive. With cloudHQ’s Backup, you can back up all of your cloud accounts to another cloud account in real-time. It creates a continuous sync between the two, ensuring that the most recent files are constantly backed up and saved as you make new versions and edits. Not only does this create a safe backup, but it’s also protected from hackers with state-of-the-art security protocols. You get to consolidate all your files in one place, keeping your data stored and ready for the day you need to recover files.
2. Quickly Restore Files
Accidentally delete something? You might be able to restore the file yourself.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it quickly. First, you’ll need to do the following on your computer or desktop:
- Head to drive.google.com/drive/trash. Try sorting this by the most recent deleted to find something you recently deleted.
- Right-click your missing file, and hit Restore.
- Your restored file will appear in its original location.
3. Use Advanced Search to Find a Missing File
If you’ve searched through your entire Google Drive and even looked in the trash and your file is still missing, try using the advanced search. To refine your search, use parameters like the exact phrase, exclude a word, file owner, files shared by others, starred items, deleted items, file type, timeframe, title, or app with keyboard shortcuts found in the advanced search. This can help narrow your search and create a clearer view of your files.
4. Use Recent Activity
Maybe it’s not lost, but you just truly can’t find a document you were just working on. A little-known secret is to look at your activity panel to find recent files.
- Make sure you’re on a desktop and go to your Google Drive.
- Click “info” on the top right.
- Select “activity” to look at the activity panel, and start searching for your file.
Use cloudHQ’s Backup to Find or Recover Google Drive Files
Whether you’ve just misplaced a file or your account has been hacked, the safest way to protect your data and assets is to have a consistent real-time backup. cloudHQ offers full backup of your Google Drive data, so you can sleep peacefully knowing you’re not vulnerable to cyber-attacks. First, run through the basic checklist we provided to make your account, and then use cloudHQ’s backup to never worry about your data again. Here’s a step-by-step blog about how to do that in under 5 minutes.
How to Prevent the Loss of Files Proactively
First, the best way to make sure your files never get removed or stolen is to tighten up the security of your Google account.
1. Run a Google Security Check
This is an excellent baseline check from Google that will provide personalized recommendations on how to make your account more secure. It’ll offer recent security activity, notify you of third parties that have access to your account, and will showcase potentially vulnerable passwords. Use Google’s basic suggestions for your account to keep your files proactively safe.
2. Turn on Two-Step Verification
Adding additional safeguards around login also helps keep your account secure. For example, two-step verification keeps your account protected even if someone has discovered your password. In addition to your password, they will need to enter a code sent to another device, and usually, that’s where you can detect these suspicious activities.
3. Keep Software Updated
How many times do you snooze the software update notification? Having outdated versions can put your account at risk since developers constantly make security improvements. This includes updating both your browser, operating system, and your apps.
4. Use Strong Passwords
Ditch your basic name and birthday passwords. Never use the same password twice, regularly change it, and create a strong password using multiple characters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using basic phrases like your name, last name, and email address or easy-to-guess phrases like “1234.”
To read more about prevention, visit this article about Cyber Security Tips for Your New Google Workspace Security Features.