Recover Deleted Documents From Grammarly

You cannot recover deleted documents directly through Grammarly’s interface, but you may still retrieve them from your own device’s recycle bin, version history, or backup if you acted quickly. This article explains where Grammarly stores your documents, what happens when you delete them, and the practical steps you can take to get them back.

How Grammarly Stores Your Documents

Grammarly is primarily a writing assistant, not a cloud document storage service. When you write or edit text in the Grammarly Editor, your work is saved to Grammarly’s servers so you can access it from any device. However, Grammarly does not offer a public “trash” or “recently deleted” folder within its web or desktop apps. Once you delete a document from your Grammarly dashboard, it is removed from your visible list, and the action is immediate—there is no confirmation dialog that offers an undo option.

This means that the only way to recover a deleted Grammarly document is to find the text elsewhere: in your computer’s recycle bin if you downloaded the file, in your browser’s autofill or form history, in an email draft, or in a backup of your device. Grammarly itself does not provide a restore feature for deleted documents, so your success depends entirely on whether you have a copy of the text outside the app.

Check Your Device’s Recycle Bin or Trash

If you ever exported or downloaded a document from Grammarly as a .docx or .txt file, it may still be in your computer’s recycle bin (Windows) or trash (Mac). To check:

• Windows: Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking its icon on the desktop. Look for files named after your Grammarly document or with a recent deletion date. Right-click the file and select “Restore” to return it to its original location.
• Mac: Open the Trash from the Dock. Search for the file, then right-click and choose “Put Back” to restore it.
• Google Drive or OneDrive: If you saved a copy there, check their respective trash folders. Google Drive keeps deleted files for 30 days, and OneDrive for 30 days as well.

If you never downloaded the document, this method won’t help. But it’s the first place to look because it’s the most common way people lose a file on a computer.

Use Version History in Your Word Processor

If you pasted text from Grammarly into Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Apple Pages, those applications may have their own version history that can recover earlier drafts. For example:

• Google Docs: Open the document, click “File” > “Version history” > “See version history.” You can browse previous versions and restore one that contains the text you thought was lost.
• Microsoft Word: Go to “File” > “Info” > “Version History” (or “Manage Document” on older versions). Word autosaves versions, and you can open and restore an earlier one.
• Apple Pages: Click “File” > “Revert To” > “Browse All Versions” to see a timeline of saved states.

This works only if you edited the text in those programs, not if you wrote it entirely in Grammarly’s editor.

Look in Browser Autofill, Drafts, and Email

Sometimes your text survives in unexpected places. If you typed the document in a web form, email, or social media post and then copied it to Grammarly for proofreading, the original might still be in the draft folder of that service. Check:

• Email drafts: Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all save draft emails automatically. If you composed the text in an email, it may be in your Drafts folder.
• Browser autofill: Chrome and Edge save form data. If you typed the document into a form field, you might be able to retrieve it by right-clicking the field and selecting “Inspect” to view the value, though this is technical and not always reliable.
• Notes apps: Apple Notes, Google Keep, or Microsoft OneNote often have a history or trash feature. Check those if you pasted the text there.

If You Have a Backup, Restore From It

If you regularly back up your computer or phone, you can restore the entire device to an earlier state. This is the most reliable method, but it also restores everything else to that point in time, so use it as a last resort. For example:

• Windows File History: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup, and look for “Restore files from a current backup.”
• Mac Time Machine: Connect your backup drive, open Time Machine, and browse to the date when the document still existed.
• Phone backups: If you wrote the document on your phone, check iCloud or Google Drive backups. You may need to erase and restore your phone to access an old backup, which is a drastic step.

Why Grammarly Doesn’t Offer a Trash Folder

Many users assume Grammarly works like Google Docs or Dropbox, where deleted files go to a trash folder for 30 days. But Grammarly’s product focuses on grammar and style checking, not file management. Its editor is meant for short pieces like emails, social posts, or quick notes, not long-term document storage. The company’s help center explicitly states that deleted documents are permanently removed and cannot be restored. This is a deliberate design choice—it keeps the product simple and avoids the cost of storing deleted data indefinitely.

How to Prevent Future Loss

Since Grammarly doesn’t protect you from accidental deletion, the best strategy is to keep your own copies. Here are practical habits:

• Export important documents: After finishing a long piece in Grammarly, click the download icon to save it as a .docx or .txt file on your computer.
• Use a cloud storage service: Copy the final text into Google Docs or Dropbox, which have version history and trash features.
• Enable autosave in a word processor: Write in Word or Google Docs and use Grammarly as a browser extension or add-in, rather than writing directly in the Grammarly editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a deleted Grammarly document from my account?

No. Grammarly does not keep deleted documents on its servers, and there is no trash folder in the app. Once you delete a document, it’s gone from your account permanently.

Does Grammarly save a backup of my documents?

Grammarly saves your work in real time while you’re editing, but only on their servers. They do not offer a restore feature for deleted documents, so there’s no way to access a backup through the app.

Can I find deleted Grammarly documents in my browser history?

Possibly. If you typed the text in a web form, your browser may have saved it as form data. You can try inspecting the form field, but this is unreliable and only works if the browser didn’t clear its cache.

Does the Grammarly keyboard on mobile have a trash folder?

No. The Grammarly keyboard does not store documents; it only checks text you type in other apps. Your text lives in the app you’re using, so check that app’s drafts or history.

What should I do if I accidentally deleted a document in Grammarly?

Stop using the device immediately to avoid overwriting any recoverable data. Check your computer’s recycle bin, your word processor’s version history, and any cloud storage trash folders. If you have a backup, restore from it.

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