How to back up Google Workspace (and restore deleted data)
Google's trash and admin restore windows close after 20 to 30 days; this guide shows how to back up Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts daily with ProBackup and restore deleted data.
In short: Google Workspace keeps deleted Gmail messages and Drive files in the trash for 30 days, lets an admin recover emptied-trash files for 25 days and a deleted user for 20 days. After that the data is gone. ProBackup takes a snapshot of Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts every 24 hours and restores deleted items back into the user's account.
Why Google's trash and admin restore are not a backup
Google runs one of the most resilient infrastructures in the world. That protects Google Workspace from a data-centre failure. It does not protect your organisation from a user, a script or an AI agent deleting the wrong thing.
Google's own documentation (checked 2026-09-16) sets the limits:
- Drive trash: "Files you move to the Trash are deleted forever after 30 days."
- Gmail trash: "After 30 days: The message is permanently deleted. You can't recover the message."
- Admin restore for Drive: an administrator "can recover deleted items from Google Drive within 25 days after a user empties their trash." You "can't restore individual files or folders", only everything deleted in a date range, and "you can only have one restoration project running at a time."
- Deleted users: a deleted account can be restored for 20 days. Secondary calendars are deleted and cannot be restored.
Every window is measured from the deletion, not from the moment you discover it. An offboarded employee whose account was deleted in January cannot be recovered in March.
| Data in Google Workspace | Native protection | Recovery window | With ProBackup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deleted Drive file | Trash | 30 days | Restore from any snapshot |
| Drive file after trash emptied | Admin restore, date range only | 25 days | Restore individual files |
| Deleted Gmail message | Trash | 30 days | Restore thread from any snapshot |
| Deleted user account | Admin restore | 20 days | Snapshots kept per plan: Plus 6 months, Pro 2 years, Premium 4 years |
| Deleted secondary calendar | None on user deletion | 0 days | Restore calendar and events |
| Overwritten document content | Drive version history; uploaded files lose older versions after 30 days or 100 newer versions | Varies | Daily file snapshots |
How to back up Google Workspace with ProBackup
ProBackup is a SaaS backup service that takes automated daily snapshots of your cloud app data and lets you restore individual records, files or whole projects back to the original account.
Setting it up for Google Workspace:
- Start a trial. Go to app.probackup.io/onboarding, choose Google Workspace and create your account. The 7-day trial needs no credit card.
- Install the Marketplace app. A Google Workspace super admin installs ProBackup from the Google Workspace Marketplace, which grants it access to Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts through domain-wide delegation. ProBackup never sees a password, and uninstalling the app revokes its access.
- Connect with the admin email. Back in ProBackup, enter that super admin's email address. One backup then covers every user in your domain.
- Choose the scope. Every user is included by default; exclude the ones you don't need. Within a user, the four data types are backed up as a whole: you cannot pick individual mails, files or events. Shared drives are backed up through the super admin, so make that admin a member of every shared drive you want covered. In the settings you can exclude large Drive files by size or file extension.
- Wait for the first snapshot. The first snapshot is taken within 24 hours; a large mailbox or Drive takes longer to pull. You receive an email when it completes. After that, ProBackup snapshots every 24 hours with no scheduling required.
Snapshots are stored on AWS S3, encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, in one of nine AWS regions you select at signup. ProBackup is SOC 2 Type II audited and GDPR compliant.
What is and is not backed up
ProBackup backs up what the Google APIs expose for the connected user:
- Gmail threads, including attachments
- All files stored in Google Drive that the account can see
- Calendars and calendar events
- Contacts and contact groups
Limits to be aware of:
- Access-dependent. Excluded users are not in the backup. To cover a shared drive, make the connecting super admin a member of it.
- Whole data types. Mail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts are backed up per user as complete sets, not per folder or label.
- Attachment filters. Files excluded by your size or extension filter are not stored.
- No admin-console data. Organisational units, groups and Workspace settings are outside the backup scope.
Snapshots are retained for 6 months on Plus, 2 years on Pro and 4 years on Premium. Storage starts at 10 GB (Plus and Pro) and 25 GB (Premium).
How to restore deleted Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts data
ProBackup supports two restore modes across its platforms: create new duplicates (originals left untouched) or overwrite existing records field by field. For Google Workspace, every restore creates a duplicate:
- Gmail: select the thread in a snapshot; it is restored with its replies into the user's mailbox. Gmail accepts a restored thread only once the original is gone from the mailbox, trash included, so this is for mail that was deleted, not a second copy of mail that is still there.
- Drive: select the file; a copy goes back to its original folder, or to the owner's My Drive if that folder is gone.
- Calendar: restoring a whole calendar creates a duplicate calendar in the connected admin's Google Calendar; restoring a single event adds a duplicate to its original calendar.
- Contacts: restore a contact; a duplicate is created in Google Contacts.
Restores go back to the original Google Workspace account only. ProBackup is a backup tool, not a migration tool.
Use Global Search to find a message or file across every snapshot when you only remember a subject line or a client name (Global Search is included on Pro and Premium; Plus can try it 3 times a day). A weekly deletion report lists what was deleted, so you can restore before the 30-day trash window runs out.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from Google Vault?
Google Vault is a retention and eDiscovery tool for compliance holds; it is not designed as a restore tool for end users, and it is only available on some Workspace editions. ProBackup keeps an independent copy outside Google, in your chosen AWS region, and restores individual emails, files and events in a few clicks.
Where is my Google Workspace backup stored?
On AWS S3, in the AWS region you select at signup (nine regions are available). Changing region after the first backup requires support assistance. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit. On Pro and Premium plans you can additionally sync a copy to your own Google Drive.
Can I restore data from a deleted Google Workspace user?
Yes, if ProBackup had snapshots of that user before the account was deleted. Google's own window closes after 20 days; ProBackup snapshots are retained for 6 months (Plus), 2 years (Pro) or 4 years (Premium). ProBackup restores mail, Drive files and contacts into the original user's account, matched by email address, so restore or recreate that account first; you cannot pick a different target account.
Protect your Google Workspace data today
ProBackup is trusted by 3,000+ teams and rated 4.8 on G2. Plans start at $25 per month, billed yearly.
Start your free 7-day trial - no credit card required.
