# Restore an Older Version of a File

Version history in Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud Drive, how long each keeps old versions and deleted files, the Mac's Trash, Revert To and Time Machine.

Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and the Mac, each from its own help pages, and what Folder keeps.

## How Long Each Keeps It

| | Older versions | Deleted files |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox Basic, Plus, Family | 30 days | 30 days |
| Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Standard, Business | 180 days | 180 days |
| Dropbox Advanced, Business Plus, Enterprise | 365 days | 365 days |
| Google Drive | 30 days, or until there are 100 newer versions | 30 days in the Trash |
| iCloud Drive | See Revert To on the Mac, below | 30 days in Recently Deleted |
| Folder | Every one kept | Every one kept |

As listed on [Dropbox's](https://help.dropbox.com/delete-restore/version-history-overview), [Google's](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2409045) and [Apple's](https://support.apple.com/en-us/111763) help pages in October 2026.

## Dropbox

- An older version: on dropbox.com, hover over the file, click … › Activity › Version history, pick a version and Roll back to this version, then once more to confirm. On a Mac, right-click the file in Finder › Version history.
- A deleted file: on dropbox.com, Deleted files in the left sidebar, then select it and restore it. It goes back to the folder it was deleted from.
- Many changes at once: Dropbox Rewind undoes edits, renames, additions and deletes across a folder, within the account's version history. It is on Plus and the other paid plans, not Basic.

## Google Drive

- An uploaded file, like a PDF, a photo or a Word file: on drive.google.com, select it, then More › Manage versions. More › Keep forever stops a version from being deleted, and More › Download saves a copy. To bring an old version back, download it and upload it again with Upload new version.
- Google Docs, Sheets and Slides: open the file, click Last edit at the top right, pick an earlier version, then Restore this version.
- A deleted file: Trash in the left panel, right-click the file › Restore.

## iCloud Drive

- On iPhone or iPad: Files › Browse › Recently Deleted, select the files and Recover.
- On iCloud.com: icloud.com/iclouddrive › Recently Deleted, select the files and Recover, or Recover All.
- Not in Recently Deleted: icloud.com/recovery › Restore Files.
- On a Mac, a file you delete from iCloud Drive goes to the Trash, which empties it after 30 days.

## The Mac

From Apple's [Mac User Guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/delete-files-and-folders-on-mac-mchlp1093/mac), in the order worth trying.

### The Trash

A file you deleted in Finder stays in the Trash until you empty it. Drag it out, or select it and choose File › Put Back. If Finder › Settings › Advanced › Remove items from the Trash after 30 days is on, it goes after 30 days.

A file deleted with `rm` in Terminal, or by a script or a Claude Code session that runs one, never goes to the Trash.

### An Overwritten Document

Many apps save versions as you work: every hour, more often while you make many changes, and when you open, save, duplicate, rename or revert. Open the document and choose File › Revert To › Browse All Versions. Pick a version on the timeline and click Restore, or hold Option and click Restore a Copy ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/view-and-restore-past-versions-of-documents-mh40710/mac)).

### Time Machine

With a Time Machine backup disk, open a Finder window where the file was. Open Time Machine with Spotlight, go back through the backups with the arrows, select the file and click Restore. It returns to where it was ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/restore-files-mh11422/mac)).

## Folder

- In a folder on Folder or in your own Cloudflare, every overwrite and every delete is kept, whatever made it. Right-click a file in Finder › History…, or open it at folder.dev, where each version has View, Restore and Save a Copy. Restoring keeps the version it replaces too.
- A deleted file: on the web, Restore Points lists every change to the folder by day, Deleted Files shows only the deletes, and Restore brings one back.
- In a folder [on this Mac](/docs/on-this-mac), Folder copies the folder before each Claude Code session, so a file a session deleted with `rm` comes back from View › Sessions with Restore. Earlier versions of the files a session changed are kept for 30 days. See [Claude Code](/docs/claude-code).

## Next

[Get Folder for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819667588?mt=12&pt=128232389&ct=folder-web) and sign in with Apple: a folder on Folder is free with 5 GB. How putting a version back works: [History](/docs/history).

Source: https://folder.dev/guides/files/restore-older-version