Recover a deleted file

A deleted file is not lost immediately. It stays in the trash for 30 days, where you can recover it. After that, deletion becomes permanent — and that is by design.

In short

You have 30 days to recover a deleted file from the trash. After that, the file can no longer be restored from the app: it is queued for permanent deletion, which removes every stored copy and version together with the wrapped key material protecting the file.

The trash: a 30-day window

When you delete a file, it moves to the trash, where it remains for 30 days. Throughout that window, you can recover it from the trash.

After 30 days: deletion is permanent

Once the 30 days are over, the file leaves the trash and can no longer be restored from the app. Each file is encrypted with its own key, stored only in wrapped (encrypted) form; the permanent-deletion pipeline removes every stored copy and version of the file together with that wrapped key material. Once the purge completes, the ciphertext is unreadable everywhere it existed — including in any backup still in rotation — and neither Everabyte nor anyone else can reconstruct it.

Why such a definitive deletion?

Removing every copy and version together with the key material that protects them is at the heart of Everabyte’s erasure model: rather than tracking down every copy across many locations (including backups), the deletion pipeline makes the remaining ciphertext permanently unreadable, so the data is no longer readable anywhere. This choice also supports your erasure rights, detailed in our article on data retention and deletion.

Common issues

I cannot find my file in the trash.

First check the deletion date: beyond 30 days, the file has left the trash and is queued for permanent deletion. Then check that it was not simply moved to another folder.

Is deletion reversible after 30 days?

No. The permanent-deletion pipeline removes every stored copy and version together with the wrapped key material protecting the file: it becomes unreadable, including in backups still in rotation.

Does permanent deletion also remove the file from your backups?

The file becomes unreadable everywhere: the purge removes the stored copies and versions together with the key material protecting them, including in any backup still in rotation.

Can I recover a file before 30 days?

Yes: during the 30 days following deletion, the file can be recovered from the trash.