diff --git a/backend/drive/drive.go b/backend/drive/drive.go
index f199858f0..799cbfddd 100755
--- a/backend/drive/drive.go
+++ b/backend/drive/drive.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"text/template"
 	"time"
 
@@ -68,6 +69,8 @@ const (
 	minChunkSize     = 256 * fs.KibiByte
 	defaultChunkSize = 8 * fs.MebiByte
 	partialFields    = "id,name,size,md5Checksum,trashed,modifiedTime,createdTime,mimeType,parents,webViewLink,shortcutDetails"
+	listRGrouping    = 50   // number of IDs to search at once when using ListR
+	listRInputBuffer = 1000 // size of input buffer when using ListR
 )
 
 // Globals
@@ -558,6 +561,9 @@ type Fs struct {
 	isTeamDrive      bool               // true if this is a team drive
 	fileFields       googleapi.Field    // fields to fetch file info with
 	m                configmap.Mapper
+	grouping         int32               // number of IDs to search at once in ListR - read with atomic
+	listRmu          *sync.Mutex         // protects listRempties
+	listRempties     map[string]struct{} // IDs of supposedly empty directories which triggered grouping disable
 }
 
 type baseObject struct {
@@ -1079,11 +1085,14 @@ func NewFs(name, path string, m configmap.Mapper) (fs.Fs, error) {
 	}
 
 	f := &Fs{
-		name:  name,
-		root:  root,
-		opt:   *opt,
-		pacer: newPacer(opt),
-		m:     m,
+		name:         name,
+		root:         root,
+		opt:          *opt,
+		pacer:        newPacer(opt),
+		m:            m,
+		grouping:     listRGrouping,
+		listRmu:      new(sync.Mutex),
+		listRempties: make(map[string]struct{}),
 	}
 	f.isTeamDrive = opt.TeamDriveID != ""
 	f.fileFields = f.getFileFields()
@@ -1634,15 +1643,17 @@ func (s listRSlices) Less(i, j int) bool {
 // In each cycle it will read up to grouping entries from the in channel without blocking.
 // If an error occurs it will be send to the out channel and then return. Once the in channel is closed,
 // nil is send to the out channel and the function returns.
-func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in <-chan listREntry, out chan<- error, cb func(fs.DirEntry) error, grouping int) {
+func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in chan listREntry, out chan<- error, cb func(fs.DirEntry) error) {
 	var dirs []string
 	var paths []string
+	var grouping int32
 
 	for dir := range in {
 		dirs = append(dirs[:0], dir.id)
 		paths = append(paths[:0], dir.path)
+		grouping = atomic.LoadInt32(&f.grouping)
 	waitloop:
-		for i := 1; i < grouping; i++ {
+		for i := int32(1); i < grouping; i++ {
 			select {
 			case d, ok := <-in:
 				if !ok {
@@ -1655,6 +1666,7 @@ func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in <-chan list
 		}
 		listRSlices{dirs, paths}.Sort()
 		var iErr error
+		foundItems := false
 		_, err := f.list(ctx, dirs, "", false, false, false, func(item *drive.File) bool {
 			// shared with me items have no parents when at the root
 			if f.opt.SharedWithMe && len(item.Parents) == 0 && len(paths) == 1 && paths[0] == "" {
@@ -1662,6 +1674,7 @@ func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in <-chan list
 			}
 			for _, parent := range item.Parents {
 				var i int
+				foundItems = true
 				earlyExit := false
 				// If only one item in paths then no need to search for the ID
 				// assuming google drive is doing its job properly.
@@ -1702,6 +1715,53 @@ func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in <-chan list
 			}
 			return false
 		})
+		// Found no items in more than one directory. Retry these as
+		// individual directories This is to work around a bug in google
+		// drive where (A in parents) or (B in parents) returns nothing
+		// sometimes. See #3114, #4289 and
+		// https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/149522397
+		if len(dirs) > 1 && !foundItems {
+			if atomic.SwapInt32(&f.grouping, 1) != 1 {
+				fs.Logf(f, "Disabling ListR to work around bug in drive as multi listing (%d) returned no entries", len(dirs))
+			}
+			var recycled = make([]listREntry, len(dirs))
+			f.listRmu.Lock()
+			for i := range dirs {
+				recycled[i] = listREntry{id: dirs[i], path: paths[i]}
+				// Make a note of these dirs - if they all turn
+				// out to be empty then we can re-enable grouping
+				f.listRempties[dirs[i]] = struct{}{}
+			}
+			f.listRmu.Unlock()
+			// recycle these in the background so we don't deadlock
+			// the listR runners if they all get here
+			wg.Add(len(recycled))
+			go func() {
+				for _, entry := range recycled {
+					in <- entry
+				}
+				fs.Debugf(f, "Recycled %d entries", len(recycled))
+			}()
+		}
+		// If using a grouping of 1 and dir was empty then check to see if it
+		// is part of the group that caused grouping to be disabled.
+		if grouping == 1 && len(dirs) == 1 && !foundItems {
+			f.listRmu.Lock()
+			if _, found := f.listRempties[dirs[0]]; found {
+				// Remove the ID
+				delete(f.listRempties, dirs[0])
+				// If no empties left => all the directories that
+				// triggered the grouping being set to 1 were actually
+				// empty so must have made a mistake
+				if len(f.listRempties) == 0 {
+					if atomic.SwapInt32(&f.grouping, listRGrouping) != listRGrouping {
+						fs.Logf(f, "Re-enabling ListR as previous detection was in error")
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			f.listRmu.Unlock()
+		}
+
 		for range dirs {
 			wg.Done()
 		}
@@ -1736,11 +1796,6 @@ func (f *Fs) listRRunner(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, in <-chan list
 // Don't implement this unless you have a more efficient way
 // of listing recursively that doing a directory traversal.
 func (f *Fs) ListR(ctx context.Context, dir string, callback fs.ListRCallback) (err error) {
-	const (
-		grouping    = 50
-		inputBuffer = 1000
-	)
-
 	err = f.dirCache.FindRoot(ctx, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -1753,7 +1808,7 @@ func (f *Fs) ListR(ctx context.Context, dir string, callback fs.ListRCallback) (
 
 	mu := sync.Mutex{} // protects in and overflow
 	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
-	in := make(chan listREntry, inputBuffer)
+	in := make(chan listREntry, listRInputBuffer)
 	out := make(chan error, fs.Config.Checkers)
 	list := walk.NewListRHelper(callback)
 	overflow := []listREntry{}
@@ -1766,6 +1821,9 @@ func (f *Fs) ListR(ctx context.Context, dir string, callback fs.ListRCallback) (
 			job := listREntry{actualID(d.ID()), d.Remote()}
 			select {
 			case in <- job:
+				// Adding the wg after we've entered the item is
+				// safe here because we know when the callback
+				// is called we are holding a waitgroup.
 				wg.Add(1)
 			default:
 				overflow = append(overflow, job)
@@ -1779,7 +1837,7 @@ func (f *Fs) ListR(ctx context.Context, dir string, callback fs.ListRCallback) (
 	in <- listREntry{directoryID, dir}
 
 	for i := 0; i < fs.Config.Checkers; i++ {
-		go f.listRRunner(ctx, &wg, in, out, cb, grouping)
+		go f.listRRunner(ctx, &wg, in, out, cb)
 	}
 	go func() {
 		// wait until the all directories are processed
@@ -1789,8 +1847,8 @@ func (f *Fs) ListR(ctx context.Context, dir string, callback fs.ListRCallback) (
 			mu.Lock()
 			l := len(overflow)
 			// only fill half of the channel to prevent entries being put into overflow again
-			if l > inputBuffer/2 {
-				l = inputBuffer / 2
+			if l > listRInputBuffer/2 {
+				l = listRInputBuffer / 2
 			}
 			wg.Add(l)
 			for _, d := range overflow[:l] {