You might encounter the error message “Unable to restore parent folder” in the Backup Archives (Status column) page/Dashboard (Backup Health section)/Backup Health Status Report.

This is a permanent error.

Error Message: The user account for which the folder is to be restored doesn't have the necessary privileges to restore the folder.


The restore with sharing permissions failed because the user has view-only permission to the parent folder in which the file is to be restored with its folder structure intact. This is a Google API limitation.

Solution: You can try either of the below options to get the file from the archive.

  1. The file can be restored to the user with ‘Create new folder for restore’ option selected. The restored file will be created in a new folder in the user’s Drive.
  2. The file can be exported from the archive and uploaded to Drive.