How to Retrieve Deleted Files on PC | Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Answer: How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows

You can recover deleted files depending on how they were deleted and whether new data has overwritten them.

Try these methods in order:

• Check the Recycle Bin if you deleted files normally.
• Restore files from File History or Windows Backup if you have a backup available.
• Use Windows data recovery programs when files are deleted permanently, the Recycle Bin is emptied, or no backup exists.
• Use Windows File Recovery to recover deleted files without third-party software.

If you recently deleted important files, stop using the affected drive as soon as possible. New data may overwrite the deleted files and reduce the chance of successful recovery.

Can Deleted Files Be Recovered

Yes, deleted files can often be recovered on Windows computers if the original data has not been overwritten.

When you delete a file, Windows does not immediately erase its contents from the storage device. Instead, the system removes the file record and marks the space as available for new data. Until that space is reused, recovery tools can find and restore the deleted files.

However, the recovery possibility depends on several factors:

• How the file was deleted: Files removed normally, permanently deleted with Shift + Delete, or deleted after emptying the Recycle Bin have different recovery options.
• Whether new data has overwritten the file: Installing programs or saving new data to the same drive may reduce recovery chances.
• Storage type: Hard drive recovery is usually easier than SSD data recovery because SSD TRIM may permanently remove unused data blocks.
• Whether a backup exists: Backups provide the safest approach to restore lost files.

How to Retrieve Deleted Files on PC

Windows provides several methods to recover deleted files. Choose the method based on your situation.

Method 1. Restore Files from the Recycle Bin

If you deleted files by pressing the Delete key or choosing Delete from the right-click menu, the files are usually moved to the Windows Recycle Bin.

This method does not work if you emptied the Recycle Bin or deleted files from a USB drive.

Follow these steps to perform Recycle Bin recovery:

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin from the desktop.

Step 2. Find the deleted files or folders. Right-click them and select Restore. The files will be returned to their original location.

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Method 2. Recover Files Using File History

Windows File History is a built-in backup feature that can restore previous versions of files if it was enabled before data loss occurred.

This method only works if Windows created a previous version or you configured a backup before deletion.

To recover deleted files using File History:

Step 1. Open Control Panel and go to System and Security > Restore your files with File History.

Step 2. Browse previous versions of your files and click Restore to recover the selected files to their original locations. You can also right-click the Restore button and choose Restore to to select another location.

Method 3. Use Data Recovery Software

When files are permanently deleted, the Recycle Bin is empty, or no backup is available, data recovery software can help recover deleted files from a Windows PC.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free can help recover files from situations such as:

• accidentally deleted files;
• emptied Recycle Bin;
• Shift + Delete deletion;
• formatted drives;
• corrupted partitions.

It is fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8 and supports HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, and CDs/DVDs.

Get the free edition and run it to recover 1 GB of data for free.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Scan the target drive or location

On the main interface of the recovery tool, select the target partition where data loss occurs and click the Scan button to start detecting the needed data. Also, this software allows you to scan the desktop, the Recycle Bin, or a specific folder for quick scan and recovery.

Step 2. Find the files you want to recover

Once the scanning process is completed, you can start to find the needed files. Typically, under Path, there are three categories displayed in the left panel: Deleted Files, Lost Files, and Existing Files. You can find the deleted/lost files from the first two categories.

Alternatively, you can go to the Type category and make the software display all files according to file type and even file format.

Step 3. Save the required files

Finally, select all the files you want to restore and click Save. Then choose a new location separate from the original location to store the recovered files.

Method 4. Run Windows File Recovery

Microsoft provides Windows File Recovery, a command-line tool designed to recover permanently deleted files from local storage devices.

Windows File Recovery is useful for advanced users, but it requires command-line knowledge and may not be as convenient as graphical recovery software.

Step 1. Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store and launch it.

Step 2. Run the recovery command in the following format:

Winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

• source-drive: The drive where your deleted files were located.
• destination-drive: The drive where recovered files will be saved. It must be different from the source drive to avoid overwriting lost data.
• /mode: Defines the recovery method. Use /regular for recently deleted files and /extensive for files that were permanently deleted.
• /switches: Allows you to customize the recovery process, such as recovering specific file types.

For example, to recover JPG photos from your Pictures folder to the H drive with the Extensive mode:

Winfr C: H: /extensive /n \Users\<username>\Pictures\*.JPG

How to Reduce File Loss Possibility

Recovering deleted files is possible in many cases, but prevention is always better than recovery. The following practices can help protect your important files.

1. Use the Cut and Paste function with caution: We often encounter people asking for help in this situation – they cut files from one directory, planning to paste them into another directory; yet an unknown error appears in the middle, so they can’t find certain data in either the source directory nor target directory.

At this time, you can’t rely on the Recycle Bin. On the contrary, you’ll have no choice but to rely on data backup or data recovery tools. Thus, we highly recommend that users adopt Copy and Paste instead of Cut and Paste, since the former is much safer.

2. Be careful when managing disk partitions: Operations such as formatting, deleting partitions, or resizing partitions may cause unexpected data loss if interrupted or performed incorrectly. Always back up important files before making major disk changes.

3. Back up data regularly: Backups are always believed to be the best preventive measure for sudden data loss. No matter how terrible the data loss case is, you’ve got nothing to worry about as long as you have the latest backups. You can use MiniTool ShadowMaker for file backup due to its high security.

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Summary

We can’t deny the fact that data loss issues happen frequently during our work or study. It often occurs out of a sudden, leaving no room for us to rescue our data before it’s deleted from the computer. Thus, retrieving deleted files on a PC becomes necessary.

Certainly, you can restore lost files from a backup (if you’ve enabled the Windows backup function or backed up data manually in advance). But if you haven’t had any backups or lost the latest backups, you will need a data recovery tool.

If you encounter any issues when using MiniTool products, please contact the tech support team at [email protected].