Need help dealing with a complete file disaster
I’m trying not to panic but I think I lost everything I’ve been working on. Had this big writing project that took me over two years to create and it just vanished from my cloud storage.
I decided to take a break from writing because I was feeling burned out and couldn’t think of new ideas. After a few weeks I finally felt ready to get back to work on my manuscript. That’s when I opened my cloud drive and saw that EVERYTHING WAS GONE.
Not just my main project but also old drafts, short stories, and even important documents like my CV. The only thing left in my account is some random file from years ago that I don’t even remember making.
Has anyone else dealt with something like this? I’m not sure what my next steps should be. Really hoping there’s a way to get my work back because starting over feels impossible right now.
UPDATE: Got everything back! Contacted support and they were able to restore all my files. Now I’m making multiple backups and sharing copies with family members just in case. Thanks to everyone who gave advice about data recovery options.
This hits close to home - I went through something similar with my photography work. That panic before getting your files back? Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. What shocked me most was realizing I’d been relying on just one backup method without thinking twice about it. Your multiple backups plus family copies approach is exactly what I did after my scare. Here’s something I found during recovery - most cloud services keep deleted files for 30-90 days in a hidden trash folder that people never check. Worth digging into your account settings for next time. And that burnout break you mentioned? Totally normal. Sometimes stepping away helps us see our work with fresh eyes when we come back.
Glad you got everything back through support! This really shows how fragile our digital stuff is. I learned this the hard way when my laptop died during finals - lost three months of research. Now I’m obsessive about backups. I keep current projects in at least three places with automatic syncing. What really helped me was finding out that most cloud services have version history features nobody uses. Check those settings - they’re lifesavers when files corrupt or get deleted. The family sharing thing is smart too since it gives you an offsite backup that’s separate from your accounts.
Oof, that must’ve been terrifying before you sorted it out. Two years of work vanishing like that - absolute nightmare. Smart move with the family backup though. I started doing the same after my brother lost his thesis to a Google Drive glitch. Cloud services screw up their own systems during updates sometimes and files end up in random folders or just disappear temporarily.