Critical Data Risk: Google Drive integration (Online Accounts) bypasses all Trash folders

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Hello Zorin Team,

I would like to report a serious data safety issue regarding the Google Drive integration via "Online Accounts" in Zorin OS 18.

Currently, when a user deletes any file within the Google Drive mounted folder, the file is permanently deleted immediately. It bypasses both safety nets that a user would normally expect:

  1. No Local Trash: The file is not moved to the Zorin OS system Trash.
  2. No Cloud Trash: The file is not moved to the Google Drive Trash (web-based bin). It is purged from the account entirely.

This behavior represents a significant risk for users who rely on Zorin OS for professional work, as there is no way to undo an accidental deletion.

I believe this could be addressed by ensuring the file manager uses the Google Drive API's moveToTrash function instead of a permanent delete command, or at least by implementing a mandatory warning prompt before the action is completed.

Since Zorin OS aims to be a safe and user-friendly alternative to Windows, fixing this "permanent-by-default" behavior would be a great improvement for data integrity.

Best regards.

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I've tested and if i try to delete a file from my Google Drive in Nautilus I have a warning dialog-box...

3

Welcome to the Forum!

Do You have set in the Nautilus Settings the ''Permanently Delete'' Option as enabled?

3 Likes
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Thanks for pointing that out, Ponce-De-Leon.

I've checked my Nautilus settings and the 'Permanently Delete' option is already DISABLED.

This confirms my point: even when using the standard delete action, Zorin OS bypasses the trash bins (both local and cloud) for Google Drive. It’s not a matter of a specific setting being enabled, but rather how the GVfs/Online Accounts integration handles file removal on this specific cloud provider.

As I mentioned, anyone handling important documents needs the safety of the 'Move to Trash' functionality to prevent irreversible data loss. No one should have to worry about a definitive deletion by default.

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what you call standard delete action ?

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I can suggest you to use rclone instead, just follow the rclone part here:

or this but less friendly:

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Thank you, Nourpon, for the Rclone suggestion!

I have successfully set up Rclone as a workaround, and it completely solves the issue. With Rclone, deleted items are properly handled and sent to the trash (either via the .Trash-1000 folder or the Google Drive web bin), providing the safety net that users expect.

However, I still believe the native 'Online Accounts' integration could be significantly improved. It is a very convenient feature, but its 'permanent-delete-only' behavior is a major risk for data integrity.

It would be great if the Zorin developers could look into evolving this function, perhaps by implementing the moveToTrash API call, to ensure that the native experience is as safe and robust as other modern operating systems.

Best regards!

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It's not a Zorin fonction it's from Gnome and I don't think they will make it evolve because Canonical want to drop Google drive in accounts in the future

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