Easily Fix Google Backup and Sync Deleting Files (4 Ways)

User Case: Google Backup and Sync Delete Local File

"I recently installed Google Backup and Sync on my computer and there is a folder for Google Drive. When I put my files into this folder it got uploaded to Google Drive. When the uploads were completed, I deleted the files from my Google Drive folder on my computer.

Then after some time I logged in to my Google Drive account and was unable to see my uploaded files there. Why is this? And I want to know how to fix the problem - Google Backup and Sync deleting files. Any help would be appreciated.” 

In the related forums, many users have reported that they encountered the same problem that Backup and Sync would delete files or folders from the local folders without any warning, which led to data loss. You can read on to learn the causes of this problem and four useful solutions.

Why Google Backup and Sync Deleting Files?

Google Drive is a two-way synchronization tool. When you sync local files on your computer to Google Drive, any changes you make locally or in the cloud will also be synced. In other words, the Google Drive folder is a local representation of the files you are currently uploading to Google Drive.

If you delete a file in your Google Drive folder on your computer, it will be reflected on the Drive website. Similarly, if you find that your files are accidentally deleted on Google Drive, Google Backup and Sync will also delete the files from your computer.

How to Fix Backup and Sync Deleting Files

After learning the reason, this article will then introduce 4 useful methods to solve the problem that Google Backup and Sync deleting files. You can choose any of these methods to help you according to your own needs. 

Method 1. Remove the Syncing

The first method is to remove the synchronization, if you only want to delete the files from your computer, just don't sync them. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Click the Google Drive for desktop on the taskbar and select Preferences from the settings.

Step 2. To remove the syncing, you need to first click the synced folder under My Computer tab.

Step 3. Then uncheck the Sync with Google Drive box and click Done.

Step 4. After clicking Done, you will see a pop-up message. Click Stop syncing to remove the syncing.

Method 2. Reinstall Google Backup and Sync

Most problems can be solved by reinstalling, because the version of the software you installed may be outdated or corrupted. From October 2021, Google Backup and Sync has been upgraded with Drive File Stream to a new application, namely Google Drive for desktop. You can reinstall the correct program and it may work properly again. Here are the steps.

Step 1. First, uninstall Google Backup and Sync on your computer. Press Win+ I together to open Windows Settings, then click Apps > Apps & features, then enter Backup and Sync in the search box, find the program and click Uninstall.

Step 2. Download and install the latest version of Backup and Sync, which is Google Drive for desktop.

Step 3. Open the latest version of the program, log in to your Google account, and check whether it works normally.

Method 3. Use Google Drive via the Browser

If you have installed the latest version of the Google Drive for desktop app and still haven't solved the problem, you can try to manually upload files to Google Drive website. In this method, you can upload folders from your computer to the cloud, but there won't be any synchronization, that is to say, if you change the local version, then the online copy will not be updated until you load a new version for it.

Open Chrome or any browser that you like and go to the Google Drive website and sign in with your Google e-mail and password to proceed.

Method 4. Use the Free Third-party Sync Software (Easiest)

If none of the previous three methods work or you are looking for an easier way to fix the problem, you can use the free third-party sync software AOMEI Backupper Standard to help you. Its Basic Sync feature can sync files to Google Drive easily. After syncing, your deletion of files in the source folder will not affect the destination folder, unless you checked the sync the deletions in source directory to destination box before clicking Start Sync. This software also has the following advantages.

• Sync any files: You can sync any files you want to Google Drive. Therefore,  if you need, the software allows you to sync files outside the Google Drive folder.
• Schedule sync: If you want to sync updated versions of your files to Google Drive, you can set the fixed interval (Daily/Weekly/Monthly) to perform scheduled sync. Then this software will automatically sync files to Google Drive according to the frequency you set.
• Different storage devices: It not only supports you syncing files to Google Drive and other cloud devices (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc) but also syncing files to multiple storage devices (external disk, HDD, SSD, USB drive, network, etc).
• Multiple operating systems: It supports various Windows OS, such as Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista.

Then you can follow the graphic tutorial below to sync files and folders to Google Drive Easily. After that, if you delete files from the computer, the files on the cloud won’t be deleted. On the contrary, if you delete the files stored on the cloud, your local files won’t be deleted as well.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Standard, install and open it. Then click Sync > Basic Sync.

Notes: It also provides other three sync features, and they are available in the professional version.

• Mirror Sync: This feature can always keep the source directory the same as the target directory. So, any extra files in the target folder will be deleted. And it can help you perform Google Drive one way sync.
• Two-Way Sync: It will sync the changes in the source file directory to the target file directory and vice versa.
• Real-Time Sync: If the software detects any changes in the source folder, it will be synchronized to the target folder immediately.

Step 2. Click Add Folder to select the folder you want to sync. If you need to sync multiple folders, you can click the + icon to add more folders to sync.

Step 3. Click the inverted triangle at the right edge of the second bar and choose Select a cloud drive.

Step 4. Choose Google Drive and click OK.

Tip:

If you cannot find Google Drive in the list, then go back to Step 3 and manually navigate to the Google Drive folder by clicking the folder shaped button in the second bar.

Step 5. Confirm your operations and click Start Sync to sync files to Google Drive.

Notes:

• Options: You can set email notifications, write comments and choose the operation priority for the sync task.
• Schedule: It allows you to set different frequencies to sync files to Google Drive automatically, such as Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Event trigger/USB plug in. The last two are supported by the professional version and higher versions.

★ Bonus tip: backup files to AOMEI Cloud

Apart from the cloud drives offered by third-party providers, you can also backup files to AOMEI Cloud. It offers you 1TB free storage for 15 days after you sign up for an AOMEI account.

Summary

This article provides you with 4 ways to fix Google Backup and Sync deleting files, you can remove syncing in Google Drive for desktop, uninstall the current version and download the latest version of sync software Google Drive for desktop, or use Google Drive with browser and upload files manually.

If none of these solutions solve the problem, you can choose the free third-party sync software AOMEI Backupper Standard, which allows you to sync any file to Google Drive. After syncing, your deletion of files in the source folder will not affect the destination folder, unless you checked the the deletion box.

In addition, it is also an excellent restore software, you can easily restore disks, partitions, files, and systems. If you want to restore your system to a computer with different hardware, its Universal Restore feature can also easily achieve the goal. You can download this software to experience more useful features.