How to back up Google Workspace (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.

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:

1. Start a trial. Go to app.probackup.io/onboarding, choose Google Workspace and create your account. The 7-day trial needs no credit card.
2. Connect via OAuth. Sign in with the Google Workspace account you want to protect and grant ProBackup read access to Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts. ProBackup never sees your password; it holds an OAuth token you can revoke from the Google security settings.
3. Choose the scope. Within a user, the four data types are backed up as a whole: you cannot pick individual mails, files or events. Shared drives and shared calendars are included only if the connected account has access to them. In the settings you can exclude large Drive files by size or file extension.
4. Add more users. Each Google Workspace user is connected separately, so the backup covers exactly the accounts you choose.
5. 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 certified (May 2025) 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. Anything the connected account cannot see is not in the backup. To cover a shared drive, connect an account that is 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 [verify].

Snapshots are retained for 6 months on Plus, 2 years on Pro and without limit 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 [verify: overwrite mode availability for Google Workspace]:

• Gmail: select the thread in a snapshot; a duplicate is created in the user's inbox.
• Drive: select the file; a duplicate is created in Google Drive.
• Calendar: restore a whole calendar or a single event; a duplicate is created in the user's Google 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 (unlimited on Pro and Premium; 3 free uses per month on Plus) to find a message or file across every snapshot when you only remember a subject line or a client name. Smart Alerts (Pro and Premium plans) warn you when a snapshot shows an unusual number of deletions, so you can restore before the 30-day trash window becomes irrelevant.

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 [verify]. 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 without limit (Premium). Restored items are created as duplicates in an account you choose [verify: target account for a deleted user].

Protect your Google Workspace data today

ProBackup is trusted by 4,000+ 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.