How Do I Restore a Deleted Email or File?
First identify the original account, the app, and approximately when the item was deleted or changed. You need a successful backup containing the item. For an older file version, choose a recovery point from before the unwanted change.
Use a JitBackup account authorized to access that domain. Restoring to Google also needs a working destination account or Shared Drive and the required Google permissions. To obtain a local copy, use Export backup data.
Find the Item
| Data | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Gmail | Restore from > Workspace Users, select the user, then Gmail. Browse labels or all backed-up mail, search messages, and check the date filter |
| User Drive files | Select the user, open Drive, choose a backup date and recovery point, then browse folders or search the file name |
| Shared Drive files | Restore from > Shared Drives, select the drive, then choose a recovery point and find the files |
| Contacts, Calendar, or Tasks | Select the user and the relevant app, choose a recovery point, then browse the group, calendar, or task list |
Gmail is browsed as backed-up messages and labels; it does not use the dated snapshot list shown for the other apps. If the item is missing, follow Why can't I find my backup data?.
Choose the Destination and Start
- Select only the items you need. Review folder or label selections carefully because they can include multiple items.
- Click Restore. For an open Gmail conversation, Restore Message(s) is also available.
- Review the selected items in the confirmation dialog.
- Choose Restore destination. Confirm the full account address or Shared Drive name, especially when restoring for a colleague.
- Enter a clear Target folder name, such as
Recovered invoices 2026-09-07, and resolve any validation message beside the field. - Click Restore Now! once, then open History > Restore History to monitor the job.
Shared Drive sources and destinations require an active paid license. A destination appearing in a list does not guarantee that Google will allow every item to be written there.
Where Will the Restored Items Appear?
The Target folder field names a destination appropriate to each app:
| App | Where to check in Google Workspace |
|---|---|
| Gmail | The target label in the destination mailbox |
| Drive or Shared Drive | The target folder in the selected destination |
| Contacts | The target contact group or label |
| Calendar | The newly created target calendar |
| Tasks | The newly created target task list |
These restore operations create recovered items in the target location. They do not roll the entire account back to a previous date. Repeating a restore can create additional copies; check the first job before submitting it again.
Verify the Recovery
Check the job status and errors in Restore History, then sign in to the destination Google account and inspect the recovered content. Confirm a file opens, an email has the needed attachments, or an event has the expected date and time.
A submitted job is not yet a successful recovery. If the job fails or the result is not where expected, follow Restore problems and missing results.