How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Folder in Windows 7 without Backup

Accidentally deleted folder in Windows 7? Read this tutorial and learn some useful tips to recover deleted files or folders in Windows 7 whether you have a backup or not.

By @Penny Last Updated November 7, 2024
   
   
   
       

Hello! I’m using a Dell 755 with Win7 Ult-64-bit OS. One night I accidentally deleted some needed folders. I tried the Windows recovery process-no help. Not even sure that was meant for data files anyway. So how do you recover a deleted folder in Windows 7 OS?

- A user from Seven Forums

Accidental deletion always comes first when it comes to the reasons for data loss. Have you accidentally deleted folder in Windows 7 and struggled to restore it?

If you’re wondering how to recover a deleted folder in Windows 7, you’ve come to the right place. Please find corresponding solutions for recovering accidentally or permanently deleted folders.

How do you recover the accidentally deleted folder on a computer

While organizing files you accidentally deleted an entire folder, what can you do to fix it? At this point, there’re two feasible methods for your preference.

▶ Solution 1. Undo Delete to recover the accidentally deleted folder in Windows 7

If you accidentally deleted folder in Windows 7 several minutes ago, you can press the “Ctrl + Z” keys to perform Undo Delete performance. Then you can restore the accidentally deleted files or folders to their previously saved path at once.

However, if you've rebooted your computers after accidental deletion, this solution cannot work for you.

▶ Solution 2. Recover the accidentally deleted folder in Windows 7 from the Recycle Bin

If you intended to move your selected folder to the Recycle Bin, you can recover it from your Recycle Bin as long as you haven’t performed the permanent deletion operation below.

Press “Shift + Delete” to delete some folders.
Empty your Recycle Bin by yourself or set the time for automatic cleaning.

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin, and locate the folder you want to restore.

Step 2. Right-click on your selected folder and “Restore” it to the original location.

How to recover accidentally deleted folder with backup

Microsoft has released many practical features to backup files, folders, partitions, or the system. Backup and Restore is such a handy feature for file and folders backup.

First appeared in Windows 7 operating system, Backup and Restore seems as the ideal method to restore permanently deleted folders if you’ve made valuable backups before.

Step 1. Enter “Control Panel” in the search bar and open it. Then go to System and Security and click the “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” button.

Step 2. Click the “Restore my files” button.

Step 3. Please select “Browse for folders” to locate your desired folders.

You can restore your selected folders to the original location or in a new saved path.

How to recover permanently deleted folders without backup

As stated earlier, it could be problematic for you to recover permanently deleted folders without backups. If there’s no useable backup for you, you’d better use reliable data recovery software like MyRecover.

There’s no need for you to open the restored folders to confirm their contents because it’s possible for you to judge the contents of the recovered folders based on their original path, filenames, and format.

Meanwhile, you can also enjoy the following features.

Functionality:

  • Recover the deleted/lost files from hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other storage devices.
  • Recover Word, Excel, PPT, Folders, Photos, Videos, Audio, Emails, Compressed files, and other 200+ types of data.
  • During scanning, search your targeted folders by typing their filenames in the search bar or wait to find all the deleted files and other lost files on your computers.

Better user experience:

  • Support NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS file systems in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server.
  • An intuitive graphical user interface and easy-to-follow operations.

Don’t hesitate to download it on your Windows 7 computers!

Download SoftwareWin 11/10/8/7/Server
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Step 1. After loading the disk, hover the mouse over the partition/disk that includes your needed folders. Then click Scan.

Step 2. You can search or wait to view all the deleted and other missing files.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted files/Other missing files folder, and select the folders you want to restore. Then click “Recover x files” and save them in a new location.

Bonus tip: Protect your folders with the best data loss prevention software

This passage shares four ways with you to recover the accidentally/permanently deleted folder in Windows 7. To make a wiser decision, you’re supposed to get an overview of them before following one of them.

How to prevent data loss? Regular backups are the best hedge against data loss. Perhaps you can try this free backup software, AOMEI Backupper to backup files, folders, disks, partitions, or the system.

Let’s perform how to make a File Backup.  

Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper on your PC.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
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Step 2. Under the Backup tab, select the “File Backup” option.

Step 3. Click Add Folder or Add File > This PC > Devices and drivers to add folders.

Step 4. Locate the destination place to store your folders.

Step 5. Click “Start Backup” and wait patiently. After the backup process, you can exit the interface by clicking the “Finish” button.

With accessible backups, you can restore files from backups.