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 is permanently purged: the encryption key is destroyed and the file becomes unreadable, including in backups still in rotation.

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 is purged. Permanent deletion works by destroying the encryption key: from that moment, the ciphertext is permanently unreadable, including in any backup still in rotation. Neither Everabyte nor anyone else can reconstruct it.

Why such a definitive deletion?

Destroying the key is at the heart of Everabyte’s erasure model: rather than tracking down every copy across many locations (including backups), destroying the key means the ciphertext is 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 been purged. Then check that it was not simply moved to another folder.

Is deletion reversible after 30 days?

No. The purge destroys the encryption key: the file is permanently unreadable, including in backups still in rotation.

Does the purge also remove the file from your backups?

The file becomes unreadable everywhere: destroying the key makes the ciphertext permanently unreadable, 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.