Google Drive will automatically delete files and folders which have been placed in trash for thirty days.
The policy which takes effect from October 13, 2020 will help users free up storage space in the cloud platform.
Previously, items placed in trash were left there indefinitely until manually deleted permanently by the user. The retained files counted against the user’s storage space/plan
Writing on its G Suite Updates Blog, The G Suite team said: “Any files already in a user’s trash on October 13, 2020 will remain there for 30 days.”
With this change in Drive’s retention policy, Google has brought the online storage platform in line with Gmail and other services to “ensure behavior is consistent and predictable for users across G Suite products.”
Google adds that the change is “meant to fall in line with user expectations for “deleting” a file, while providing enough time to change their mind.”
9to5Google reports that Google Drive started from September 15 to feature an in-app notification informing all users of this change. A message in Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. will follow two weeks later.
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