Troubleshooting

Start with workspace, resource type, and timing

When deleted work is not where you expect, check the basics before assuming data is gone. Trash is workspace-specific, resource-specific, permission-sensitive, and time-limited. A missing item is often in another workspace, another tab, already restored, permanently deleted, or past the retention window.

Open the correct workspace, then open Trash. Check the resource tab for the item type: canvases, projects, dashboards, OKR sessions, or files. Clear search terms and filters. Load more results if the tab is long.

For the normal Trash model, see How Trash works.

The item is not in Trash

First, confirm the item was actually deleted. It may have been moved, renamed, archived, restored, or shared differently. Search the normal work surfaces before treating it as deleted:

If the item is not in the normal surface or Trash, check whether it was permanently deleted, emptied from Trash by an admin, or removed after the 30-day retention window. For timing, see Retention window.

The item is in the wrong resource tab

Trash is organized by resource type. A file removed from a canvas is not the same as a deleted canvas. A dashboard archive may not behave like a project deletion. A canvas inside a project can appear under canvas resources, while the project itself appears under project resources.

If you only check the All view, you may miss items in a long workspace. Open the specific resource tab and load more. If you are looking for a file, check file-related deleted work and also check whether the containing canvas was deleted.

The Restore action is missing

Restore can be missing when you do not have permission, the item is outside the recovery window, the item was permanently deleted, or the parent context no longer supports restore.

Ask an owner or workspace admin to check the same Trash item. If they can restore it, the issue is your role. If they cannot, the item may no longer be recoverable through normal controls.

If the item is a file, make sure the containing canvas or project still exists. Restoring a file can depend on the parent work having somewhere for it to return.

Restore succeeded but the item is still missing

Refresh the normal work surface. Restored items can take a moment to appear in every list. Then search by current title, old title, and project context.

For canvases, check All canvases and the project where the canvas belonged. For projects, check the project list. For files, open the containing canvas and Files. For dashboards, check Dashboards.

If another teammate renamed or moved the item after restore, the old title or location may no longer match what you remember.

Delete forever is missing

Permanent deletion is more restricted than restore. If Delete forever is missing, your role probably does not allow it. Ask a workspace admin or item owner to review the item.

Do not use Empty Trash as a shortcut for one missing Delete forever button. Empty Trash can permanently delete unrelated recoverable work across the workspace. Use Delete work forever for one item and Empty Trash only for deliberate workspace-wide cleanup.

Empty Trash is missing or still running

Empty Trash is admin-only. If you do not see it, check your workspace role.

If an admin used Empty Trash and the list did not update immediately, wait briefly and refresh. Large Trash contents can be cleared in the background. If items remain after refresh, they may have been added after the Empty Trash action began, or the action may have failed. See Empty Trash.

If work went missing after Empty Trash, normal restore is no longer available for items permanently deleted by that action. Gather item details and contact support if the work was critical.

A file restore does not work as expected

Files in Trash belong to a work context. Restoring the file needs a meaningful parent, such as the canvas where the file belonged. If that canvas or project was permanently deleted, the file may not be restorable.

If the file restores but preview or download is disabled, the file may be unavailable for permission, storage, retention, or source-file reasons. See Unavailable and retention-locked files.

If the file was removed from the wrong canvas, restore the file as soon as possible and then check the canvas. Do not wait for retention.

Permission and account checks

Make sure you are signed in with the account that had access to the work. If the item was shared with a different email, your current account may not see it. If you belong to multiple workspaces, switch to the correct workspace.

If your role changed, you may lose access to Trash actions you previously had. Ask an admin to confirm your workspace role and the item’s sharing state. See Can't access work and Members, guests, and external collaborators.

What to send to support or an admin

Include the workspace name, item type, item title, old link if you have it, approximate deletion date, who deleted it if known, whether you checked the correct resource tab, whether you tried load more, and whether the item may have been permanently deleted or emptied from Trash. For support routing, see Contact support.

For file issues, include the containing canvas or project if known. For shared work, include the sender and the email that received the share. These details turn a vague “it disappeared” into a recoverable investigation.