Whether your files are lost due to accidental deletion or a system update, the first place to check is the Trash. To do so: ...

Recover missing Google Drive files using the recovery tool. Update Drive for desktop to version 85.0.13.0 or higher; Click the Drive for desktop icon in the menu bar or system tray.

Google Drive users have a path to recover missing files from the service, but it isn't foolproof, requires local storage, and may need a trip to the command line interface.