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What is Google Workspace backup?

Google Workspace backup keeps a separate copy of your organization's Gmail, Drive and shared drives, so mail, files and accounts can be restored after they're deleted, even once Google's own restore windows have closed.

Google builds some recovery in: deleted mail and files stay in the trash for 30 days, an admin can restore them for 25 days after that, and a deleted user can be restored for 20 days. Google's export tools copy your data to a Cloud Storage archive, and since June 2026 customers with the Assured Controls add-on can schedule incremental exports as a backup; Google's help pages don't describe putting exported data back into users' accounts. A cloud-to-cloud backup for Google Workspace covers what comes after those windows.

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Google's built-in recovery, and where it stops

30 days in the trash

Deleted mail and files stay in the user's trash for 30 days, where the user can put them back. After that, they're permanently deleted from the trash.

25 more days for an admin

An admin can then restore a user's Gmail or Drive data for another 25 days. After that, Google doesn't keep the data, and it can't be restored, even by Google support.

By date range, not by file

An admin restore brings back everything deleted in a date range. You can't pick individual files or folders, and once a restore starts it can't be stopped.

20 days for a deleted user

A deleted user account can be restored for 20 days, and only while a license is free and the domain is still in your account. After that, the account and its data are gone.

Vault keeps, it doesn't restore

Vault holds mail and files under your retention rules and lets you search and export them, but not put them back in a user's mailbox. Google says Vault isn't a data archive.

What a managed Google Workspace backup adds

01

A copy kept apart

Gmail, Drive and shared drives copied to separate storage on a schedule, so a deletion in Workspace doesn't delete the copy.

02

Restores after the windows close

Mail, files and accounts brought back from the copy once Google's 25-day admin window or 20-day user window has passed.

03

Just what's missing

One message, one file or one folder put back, instead of everything deleted in a date range.

04

Kept as long as you decide

How long copies are kept, set with your legal team alongside your Vault retention rules.

How a restore request works

  1. Tell us what's missingWhose account, which mail or files, and roughly when they were deleted.
  2. Inside Google's windowsIf the deletion is recent, the item may still be in the user's trash, or within the 25 days an admin can restore it from the Admin console.
  3. From the backupPast those windows, or when only one file or message is needed, it comes back from the backup copy.
  4. Checked with the userThe restored mail or files are checked with the person who lost them.
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Workspace backup FAQ

What IT leads ask about getting deleted Google Workspace data back.

Lost something already?

If the deletion was recent, Google's own restore window may still be open. Tell us what's missing and when it was deleted.

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Does Google back up Google Workspace?

Partly. Google keeps deleted mail and files recoverable for a limited time (30 days in the trash, then 25 days for an admin) and can export your data to a Cloud Storage archive. Since June 2026, customers with the Assured Controls add-on can schedule incremental exports, which Google describes as a backup. Google's help pages don't describe putting exported data back into users' accounts, so restoring a single deleted message or file after those windows needs a backup.

How long can we recover deleted Gmail?

Deleted messages stay in the user's Trash for 30 days. After that, an admin has 25 more days to restore them from the Admin console, by date range. Past those 55 days Google doesn't keep the data, so only a backup or a Vault-retained copy is left, and Vault can export retained mail but not put it back in the mailbox.

Can we restore a single file in Google Drive?

A user can restore their own files from the trash for 30 days. After that, an admin restore brings back everything deleted in a date range: Google doesn't let admins pick individual files or folders. Putting back one file is a job for a backup.

Is Google Vault a backup?

No. Vault keeps data under retention rules and holds for legal and compliance reasons, and lets you search and export it. Google says Vault isn't a data archive, and retained mail can't be restored directly to a user's Gmail. Once data is purged at the end of a retention period, Google says it can't be recovered by users or admins, so set the period with legal input.

Related services

Disaster Recovery & Business ContinuityRecovery plans for Google Cloud and WorkspaceGoogle Cloud & Workspace Managed ServicesSupport plans with a named Technical Account ManagerSecurity Assessments & Risk ManagementWorkspace and Google Cloud security auditsGoogle Compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001)Controls and evidence for auditsEmail Security & DMARCDMARC, DKIM and SPF for your domain

Talk about Workspace backup

Tell us how many people use Google Workspace, what you've lost before, and how long you need to keep mail and files.

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