Archive an item
Archiving hides an item from the default lists without deleting it. Open Archive to find it again and choose Unarchive to bring it back.
- Drive
- Web
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Open the item's actions and choose Archive. The item leaves Home, My Drive and the other default lists, and Drive confirms with Item archived. Nothing is deleted.
Archive one item or several
- Find the item in any Drive list.
- Open its actions menu and choose Archive.
- Drive confirms with Item archived.
To archive a set, check the rows and use the archive action above the table. The confirmation for a set reads Items archived.
Items shared with you cannot be archived. Drive says Items shared with you cannot be archived and leaves the selection alone.
Find and restore an archived item
Archive in the left rail lists the items currently hidden from the default view. Open the item's actions there and choose Unarchive. The confirmation reads Item unarchived., or Items unarchived. for a set. The item returns to the lists it was in before.
Archiving is not deleting
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Archive | The item is hidden from default lists. Its content, links and access stay as they were. |
| Unarchive | The item reappears. |
| Delete | The item is removed permanently. The dialog asks Delete item? and warns that it cannot be undone. |
Deleting a set asks Delete items? with the same warning, and the button reads Delete selected. Items shared with you cannot be deleted either.
The other kind of archive
An uploaded zip, tar or tgz file is also called an archive. Drive extracts those, and the item offers View extracted files once extraction finishes. Until then it says Extracted files are available after extraction completes. That is unrelated to the Archive area described above.
If it did not work
- Couldn't archive that item. and Couldn't unarchive that item. both mean nothing changed. Try again.
- An item that will not archive may be shared with you rather than owned by you. Ask its owner.
- Archiving needs write access to the item. A viewer sees the action but the request is refused.
- An archived item still opens from a link you sent earlier, and still belongs to the folder it was in.
Related pages
- Find your way around Drive — Drive holds your files in one place. Home lists recent items and what needs your action; the left rail reaches every area and your managed folders.
- Find the files you uploaded — My Drive lists the files and folders you uploaded or created. Open it from the Content group in the left rail or from the pinned row under My managed folders.
- Delete a managed folder — Deleting is permanent and needs you to type the folder's name. It removes the folder, its members and its snapshots; the files themselves stay in Drive.