I lost my research file from my Figma account. I also looked at the deleted tab, but it was not there. I still have the prototype link, but every time I click, it will show, ‘Either this file doesn’t exist, or you don’t have permission to view it. Ask the file owner to verify the link and update permissions.’
The file was lost during my computer’s internet connection. Do you think that will be a cause? But that file was really important to me as it related to my final project in my academic class. Does anyone have any rationale on how to fix or restore it? Please advice.
I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’re experiencing with your account. Could you share the file link so we can investigate further? This problem typically occurs if the file or project was moved or deleted. We’d like to look into it to better understand what’s happening.
It looks like this file was deleted, but not permanently. The good news is that we don’t permanently delete files from Figma, unless you manually click “Delete Forever” or if you delete the team or project that the file was in.
You will be able to restore the file by:
Opening your Drafts then opening the Deleted tab
Right-click on the file and click Restore
Confirm the file was restored to the project it originally resided in
When trying to find files that can be restored, check the Created by filter is set to Anyone instead of just you. If the file was editable by you or anyone else, you should be able to find it and restore it.
We also have an article in our help centre about restoring and deleting files, which you can find here: Delete and Restore files.
If you still have a hard time finding the file under the Deleted tab, try using the Created by filter.
If the issue persists, could you reach out directly to the support team with a copy of your file: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/requests/new? Our support team will look into it.