With Power Query in Excel 365, you can do just that. This powerful tool allows you to merge files from a folder into a single dataset, automatically updating as new files are added.

Downloading a file or folder from Google Drive can generally be accomplished by right clicking or selecting the three dots next to the item's name.

But, you can use Excel to view files and folder details of a directory, which would be helpful to you to know at least the list of files and folders that were deleted.