Google keeps Workspace running. It doesn't keep a backup for you.
Google Workspace gives admins a short window to undo mistakes, not a backup:
- Files in Google Drive trash are deleted for good after 30 days.
- Once something is permanently deleted, admins can restore Drive files and Gmail messages for only 25 days.
- Delete a user and their Gmail and Drive data goes with them unless it is transferred first. The account itself can only be restored for 20 days.
- Google’s own Vault FAQ says Vault isn’t designed to be a backup or archive tool.
An overwritten shared drive, a mass deletion by a synced device or a departing employee's account can all fall outside those windows. Our guide Is Google Vault a backup? lists the main built-in windows, with Google’s own sources. Google’s figures as published on its help pages, checked 28 October 2026.
Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar and Google Contacts
- Gmail: your users' mailboxes.
- Google Drive: your users' files.
- Google Calendar: calendars and events.
- Google Contacts: contacts.
Each one is a protected object in your CloudVision dashboard with its own backup status. If you also run Microsoft 365 or QuickBooks, everything sits in the same dashboard and the same daily report.
Fully managed Google Workspace backup, from set-up to every restore
Our engineers connect your Google Workspace, run the first backups and confirm every user’s Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts is reporting in your dashboard. From then on, it’s our job, end to end:
See what was backed up, every morning
Every protected object is checked against a 24-hour backup SLA, and the CloudVision Daily Backup Report lands in your inbox every morning with your compliance score, results by service and anything that needs attention. The same view is live on the web, iOS and Android.
Google Workspace backup: common questions
Is Google Vault a backup?
No. Google Vault is built for retention, legal holds and eDiscovery. It is not designed to restore lost Gmail or Drive data quickly. CloudVision keeps an independent backup of Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts.
How often is Google Workspace backed up?
As frequently as real time. However often a backup runs, every user’s Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts is also checked against a 24-hour backup SLA, so anything that falls behind is flagged and fixed.
Is our backup kept separately from Google?
Yes. Your backups are kept independently of Google, in data centres that are ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type 2 audited. They’re stored in the UK by default, with Canada, the USA, Ireland, Germany, Singapore, Australia or Japan available when we set you up, and are encrypted at rest and in transit.
Can you back up Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 together?
Yes. Organisations that run both see every service in one CloudVision dashboard and one daily report.
What happens when someone deletes files or emails by mistake?
Tell us what you need back. Our team restores it from your CloudVision backup, so you are not racing Google's 25-day admin restore window.
How quickly can we be protected?
We connect your Google Workspace in minutes, then run the first backups and confirm every user’s Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts is reporting in your dashboard. The first full backup takes longer for large organisations.
Who fixes a backup that fails?
We do. If a user’s Gmail, Drive, Calendar or Contacts misses the 24-hour backup SLA, it’s flagged in your dashboard and in the CloudVision Daily Backup Report, and our UK team picks it up and fixes it, 24/7.