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Google drive is an incredibly useful online platform for keeping all of your digital files safely stored in one convenient place. The platform is incredibly easy to use and offers many helpful tools that you can use to upgrade your online storage.
However, there are certain functions that many users report having trouble finding or using. For instance, many people have trouble figuring out how to delete files from google drive.
So in order to assuage these digital storage woes, let’s take an in-depth look at how you can delete files from your google drive.
How Do You Delete Files From Google Drive?
Luckily, deleting files from google drive is incredibly easy, and won’t prove to be too difficult for you.
Step
Head To Google Drive
To start, head to your google drive, and find the file that you want to delete.
Step
Remove File
Right-click on that file, and you will be met with a massive number of options that can be used to edit the document from the driver directly. Towards the very bottom of this list of options is the ‘Remove’ option. Click on this.
Once you click on ‘Remove’, the file will instantly be sent to your “Bin”.
This now means that that file will no longer show up on your main google drive homepage, or directly in any folders that it may have been inserted into.
However, once a file has been placed into the ‘Bin’, it now has 30 days to either be recovered or fully deleted before it will automatically be deleted for good.
How Do You Delete A File For Good On Google Drive?
Once a file has been placed into the ‘bin’ on google drive, all you then need to do is erase it for good.
In order to do this, simply head to the bin and find the document that you want to delete for good.
Step
Delete Forever
Right-click on the document and you will be met with two options. Find the option marked as ‘Delete forever’. Click this to delete the file and its contents forever.
Before doing this, you should, of course, make sure that you want to be rid of the file and all of its contents. Once you hit ‘Delete forever’ you can never recover those files again.
How Do You Recover A File From The Bin On Google Drive?
If you find that you need to regain access to a file that you previously deleted, don’t worry, accessing the bin can help you to get access to that file back.
Step
Restore File
Head to the bin and find the file that you want to recover. Right-click on it, and you will be met with two options. You will want to choose the option that is marked as ‘Restore’.
The second you click that button, the document will be restored and sent back to where it once was before it was sent for deletion.
You have up to 30 days to choose to either permanently delete the contents of the bin or to recover them.
This automatic system is perfect for helping to prevent accidental deletions, and also to allow you plenty of breathing room to change your mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Delete Multiple Files In Google Drive?
In order to delete multiple files on google drive, press the ‘Ctrl’ key on your keyboard.
Then, click through each of the documents you want to be deleted. Each document you click will turn blue, to indicate that you are selecting multiple documents.
Once you have selected all of your files, simply right-click on one file you have selected, and then click on the ‘Remove’ option. This will send all of the selected files to the bin.
Why Can I Not Delete Things From Google Drive?
This may be due to a connection issue. Try instead opening google drive from a separate browser, or on a separate device, and see if you can disconnect from there.
Many users have reported such an issue, and have also reported that this works as a fix.
How Do I Remove Shared Files From Google Drive?
If someone has sent you access to a shared file on google drive, you can easily remove it from your own drive by simply right-clicking on the file and then selecting ‘remove.
However, you cannot remove files that are stored as part of shared drives that you operate with another user.
To Finish Up
Deleting files from google drive is luckily very easy, and only involves a few clicks.
The automatic ‘bin’ system is also perfectly designed to prevent you from accidentally deleting the wrong file, as well as to give you plenty of time to change your mind and recover the document at a later date.
We hope this guide has been helpful for you, and that you now feel more confident with deleting files from your google drive.
