You’re cleaning your PC and by mistake pressed “Shift+Delete” on valuable photos, work files, or personal projects. It sweeps over you as you find they’re not in the Recycle Bin. Never mind, though, as those files may not be lost forever. There might still be a chance to recover deleted files on Windows 10/11. But under what circumstances is this achievable? We’ll tell you in this post when recovery can help, what options to use, and tricks to stop losing data like this in the future.
Part 1: Can You Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10/11?
Yes. You can undelete files on Windows 10/11, but it’s based on whether the files are recently or permanently removed or are overwritten. Windows computers generally use traditional hard disks. So, when you erase a file in Windows, it usually goes to the Recycle Bin first.
If you delete a file using Shift + Delete or empty the Recycle Bin, the file doesn’t go to the Bin, it’s permanently removed. However, the data isn’t gone right away.
Only its reference is removed, and the space it used is marked as available. Until that space is reused, recovery software can often restore the file. But if new data overwrites that space, the original file becomes unrecoverable. In that case, if you’ve got a backup, you can recover permanently deleted files on Windows 11/10 for free from there.
Part 2: How to Recover Recently Deleted Files on Windows?
If you’ve just removed files from your Windows 10/11 PC, you can restore them quickly without any tools or backup.
Method 1: Use the Undo Option
There’s an Undo function that allows you to undelete files on Windows 10/11 quite fast, by rolling back the latest actions (e.g., removing the file by mistake). However, it functions one step at a time, and if your system restarts, you won’t be able to undo older actions without undoing every action since. Here’s how to recover recently deleted files on Windows 10/11 with the Undo option:
Step 1: Head to the folder where the files were recently removed. Then, Ctrl + Z to undo the delete.
Step 2: Or, right-click in the folder. Tap “Undo Delete.”
Method 2: Check the Recycle Bin
Recently removed items go into the Recycle Bin unless you’ve erased them by using Shift + Delete or they were too huge for the Bin. If you haven’t removed the items from the Recycle Bin yet, here is how to recover recently deleted files on a Windows 10/11 computer:
Step 1: Double-tap the Recycle Bin. Then, pick the files you want back.
Step 2: Press “Ctrl” while selecting them. Right-click. Next, hit “Restore.”
Part 3: How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Windows 10/11?
Method 3: Employ a Free Data Recovery Software
Nothing could be better than using a free file retrieval software to recover deleted files on Windows 10/11 that are permanently erased. This is ideal in case you don’t possess a backup. A free and professional file recovery tool like 4DDiG can get your files back if they’re not overwritten yet. It’s a popular app to extract mistakenly deleted, hidden, and corrupted files with high success. The tool allows you to retrieve up to 2GB of data completely free. Here’s what more it can do:
- This app can recover up to 98% of files, including 2000+ formats, e.g., docs, photos, videos, emails, images, etc.
- The tool supports file extraction from internal/external devices, e.g, HDDs, SSDs, USBs, SD cards, and more.
- You can retrieve files from crashed systems, missing partitions, virus attacks, unbootable drives, etc.
- You can even recover files while scanning and preview them before recovery.
- It offers a free trial for Windows users.
Here’s how to recover permanently deleted files from PC with this tool:
Step 1: Execute the file recovery tool on your computer. Then, choose the disk where you erased the files. Pick the file types you want back. Hit “Scan.”
Step 2: After the scan locates the files you want, you can pause or stop the scan to check them. Adjust filters to find exactly the files you want to retrieve.
Step 3: Once you do, hit “Recover” to shift them to a secure place on your computer or cloud drive.
Method 4: Use Backup and Restore
Windows Backup and Restore is a backup feature that allows you to save your files to an external drive or network. It can also create a full system image to back up your entire setup, and restore files or your whole system if needed. If you’ve enabled this feature beforehand, you can recover permanently deleted files on Windows 10/11 with it. To do so:
Step 1: Press Windows + S, type Control Panel, and select it from the results. Then, navigate to System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2: Click “Restore my files” to proceed.
Step 3: Select the files or folders you want to restore by browsing or searching, then click “Next.”
Step 4: Afterward, choose where to restore the files—either to their original location or a new location, and click Restore.
Method 5: Utilize File History
File History, another backup feature in Windows, when enabled, can recover permanently deleted files on Windows 11/10 for free. It automatically backs up files from Libraries, Desktop, and Favorites. File History also allows you to restore the previous versions of your files. Here’s how to recover permanently deleted files from PC with this feature:
Step 1: Type “con” in the Windows search field. Then, execute “Control Panel.”
Step 2: Head to “System and Security.” Then, choose “File History.”
Step 3: Tap “Restore personal files” on the left. Next, browse through backups to find your files.
Step 4: Select the files. Click the green “Recover” button to get them back.
Method 6: Check OneDrive or Other Cloud Backups
Don’t have any Windows-embedded backup feature enabled? There’s another way you can recover permanently deleted files on Windows 10/11. That’s with a cloud backup like OneDrive or Google Drive. OneDrive is even integrated into Windows 10/11. So, if you’ve synced your files with it, you can download them from the cloud drive.
Step 1: Open “OneDrive” in your browser. Then, sign in to your Microsoft account with your credentials.
Step 2: Select the files you need. Tap “Download.”
Method 7: Use Command Prompt With Windows File Recovery Tool
Windows offers a free tool to recover permanently deleted files on Windows 11/10 for free. It’s called Windows File Recovery. However, it uses Command Prompt, so you’ll have to have technical knowledge to operate this tool. Here’s an example of how to employ Windows File Recovery to get back your permanently erased files:
Step 1: Download the Windows Recovery tool from the Microsoft Store. Then, execute it with Command Prompt.
Step 2: Then, you can choose a recovery mode. Here’s an example of using signature mode to file multiple file types at once:
- winfr E: D: /x /y:JPEG,PDF,ZIP (Here E is the letter for the drive where you erased the files, and D is for the drive where the tool will restore them. You can replace these letters with your own drive’s letters. Also, x is for the signature mode, and y is to list the group of file types).
Method 8: Contact a Data Recovery Service
If you’re unable to recover permanently deleted files on Windows 10/11 because they’re overwritten, you’ll have to reach out to a data retrieval service. Find a trustworthy source through user reviews or by searching in your vicinity, and contact them. Send the drive to them, and they might have a solution for it. The cost of recovery will depend on how complicated it is to retrieve your data from it and the size of your files.
Part 4: Tips to Prevent Data Loss in the Future
There is no assurance that you won’t end up in a fix again after recovering your deleted files on Windows 10/11. Therefore, it will be wise to take certain precautions so you don’t lose your data in the future again. Here’s what you can do:
- Turn on Backup: Initiate Windows-embedded backups, for example, File History or Backup and Restore.
- Safely Remove Drives: Always properly eject portable drives with the right method to prevent file corruption.
- Check Disk Health: Use CHKDSK or CrystalDiskInfo to find and repair hard disk errors.
- Be Careful with Cleanup Tools: Don’t be deleting system files mindlessly with Disk Cleanup or 3rd party programs.
- Protect Against Malware: Install antivirus and activate Ransomware protection in Windows Security.
- Keep System Updated: Install Windows and driver updates to prevent file errors.
Conclusion
If you removed your files by mistake, it doesn’t mean you lost them forever. Even if you bypass the Recycle Bin, your data is retained on your drive until it’s overwritten. Options such as Undo, File History, cloud backups, and the Windows File Recovery tool can recover deleted files on Windows 10/11. Yet, the most convenient means of preventing future loss lies in making concrete measures like backups and smart file management.
