Google announced on September 8, 2023 that it will start marking Google Drive files without active owners as “To Be Deleted” starting from September 15, 2023. An active owner is someone who has logged into their Google account in the past 24 months.
Files that are marked as “To Be Deleted” will be permanently deleted after 30 days. This means that if you have a file that is marked as “To Be Deleted” and you want to keep it, you need to take action to transfer ownership of the file to someone else or to download the file to your computer.
Why is Google doing this?
Google is making this change to free up space on its servers and to keep users’ data safe. The company says that it has found that a significant number of files in Google Drive are inactive and are not being used. By marking these files as “To Be Deleted,” Google hopes to encourage users to either delete the files or to transfer them to another location.
What files are affected?
The following types of files are affected by this change:
- Files that are not shared with anyone.
- Files that are shared with others, but the owner has not logged into their Google account in the past 24 months.
- Files that are in a shared drive, but there is no active manager of the shared drive.
What files are not affected?
The following types of files are not affected by this change:
- Files that are shared with others and the owner has logged into their Google account in the past 24 months.
- Files that are in a shared drive and there is an active manager of the shared drive.
- Files that are in the trash.
How can I find files that are marked as “To Be Deleted”?
You can find files that are marked as “To Be Deleted” by searching for the term “is to be deleted” in Google Drive. You can also use the following steps to find these files:
- Go to your Google Drive.
- You can click the Menu button (three horizontal lines) on the top left corner.
- Select Settings.
- Click the Manage Drive tab.
- Under Inactive files, click View inactive files.
How can I transfer ownership of a file?
If you find a file that you need to keep, you can transfer ownership of the file to someone else by following these steps:
- Open the file.
- Click the Share button.
- In the Share with field, enter the email address of the person you want to transfer ownership to.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Under File permissions, select Is owner.
- Click Share.
How can I download a file?
If you find a file that you need to keep, you can download the file to your computer by following these steps:
- Open the file.
- Click the Download button.
What if I have questions?
If you have any questions about this change, you can contact Google Drive support.
Conclusion
Google’s decision to mark inactive Google Drive files as “To Be Deleted” is a good reminder to regularly review your files and to make sure that you are not storing any files that you no longer need. By taking action now, you can avoid losing any important files.
Here are some additional tips for managing your Google Drive files:
- Use the Trash feature to temporarily delete files that you no longer need. Files in the Trash will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
- Use the Labels feature to organize your files. It will be easier to find files more easily.
- Use the Backup and sync feature to automatically back up your files to your computer. This can help protect your files in case of a data loss.
By following these tips, you can keep your Google Drive organized and safe.
Here are some additional details about the recent change in Google Drive
- Google will notify users who have files that are marked as “To Be Deleted”. The notification will be sent to the email address associated with the Google account.
- Users will have 30 days to take action to prevent the files from being deleted.
- If a user does not take action, the files will be permanently deleted
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