Restore a Deleted File from a Network Share
This covers the shared drives: Plans (G:), GIS (H:), Apps (P:) and Shares (S:).
Unlike OneDrive and SharePoint, these drives have no recycle bin you can reach. We restore files for you from the overnight backup.
Important: files created and deleted the same day
If a file was created and deleted on the same day, it cannot be recovered. Backups run overnight, so a file that never survived until the nightly backup was never captured.
There is no way around this. It is the one situation where contacting us quickly does not help.
First, check it was not just moved
On a shared drive it is easy for someone to drag a file into the wrong folder. Before requesting a restore:
- Search the drive for the file name using the search box in File Explorer
- Check nearby folders, especially ones next to the original in the list
- Ask whoever else works in that folder
A moved file is found in seconds. A restore takes considerably longer.
Request a restore
Send us a message with:
- The file or folder name — as exact as you can manage
- Where it was — which drive, and the full folder path if you have it
- When it was deleted — the approximate date and time
The full path matters most. S:\Planning\Applications\2026\ narrows the search enormously; "somewhere in Shares" does not.
What happens next
We locate the file in the backup and restore it to its original location, or to a folder you nominate if something else now occupies that name.