Still wondering how to recover deleted ZIP files free in Windows 10/11? A useful guide here could help you recover ZIP files free & easily.
ZIP file, as a kind of archive file, is fairly convenient. It uses a compressed format to save users’ storage space and makes it easier for files to transfer.
Just like other file types, when dealing with them, accidental deletion is an unavoidable question. Many users are seeking help to recover deleted Word documents as well.
Moreover, even if users intentionally delete the file, there will be regrets.
I am looking for a FREE (at least as a time-limited demo) recovery software that can find and recover a few deleted .zip/.rar files. Any idea? Thx.
- Question from Tom’s guide
Some users are wondering how to recover deleted ZIP files free, and some are looking for free software to do so. Don’t worry, this article aims to give some practicable solutions.
How to recover zip files free? Users' top goal is to figure out a practical way to recover lost ZIP files. If you've checked your Recycle Bin and it's empty, there are a few alternative options.
This section introduces three ways for free ZIP file recovery that have a higher success rate.
If all these methods above cannot meet your needs, don't worry, you still have a great chance to get the deleted ZIP files back with a professional Windows data recovery utility.
When using Windows File Recovery, you may get tired of all the complex commands and syntax, switches, etc., so to free yourself from the difficult data recovery procedures, you might as well try this professional software- MyRecover.
Not only offering an intuitive user interface, but it supports deleted data recovery with the filename, path, and file format kept unchanged.
Step 1. Install and run MyRecover> Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.
Step 2. Use file filter to sort files by modified date, size, path, etc., thus finding your needed files faster. If you remember the filename of your ZIP file, you can input it in the search box to locate it directly.
Step 3. Select the ZIP files you need > click Recover x files to restore them. Please select a new location to save your recovered ZIP files.
MyRecover supports to recover files for free up to 500MB in total. If you need to recover larger files, please consider upgrading MyRecover to an advanced edition.
In this way, you could directly restore deleted ZIP files within 3 simple steps. In addition, it is feasible to recover data from other devices, like to achieve SD card data recovery using this software.
File History, which was launched with Windows 8, is a good in-built application that can back up users' documents, music, images, videos, and other folders/files.
If you have enabled File History, you could restore previous versions of files/folders because previous versions come from restore points and file history.
If you've used this application to back up your disk files, free ZIP file recovery is a simple task.
Step 1. Start Control Panel, and click System and Security.
Step 2. Navigate to File History.
Step 3. Select Restore personal files.
Step 4. Select the ZIP files you want to recover, and click the Recycle button to restore deleted ZIP files.
How to recover ZIP files? Plenty of users do not have the habit of backup. For these people, they could try Windows File Recovery.
However, it is a command-line app, designed by Microsoft, which can recover deleted media files/office files/ZIP files, etc. If you are familiar with command lines, you can recover deleted files using CMD.
Ordinary users who do not have command-related expertise will have certain difficulties when using Windows File Recovery.
If you need a detailed explanation of modes, switches, and commands in using this tool, please refer to "How to use Windows File Recovery".
Before using this tool, you need to check your File System first. Press Win+E to open This PC > right-click on the drive that contains the deleted ZIP files> click Properties.
PCs using NTFS File System could use both Regular Mode and Extensive Mode. Decide which mode to use according to your specific situation and File System.
| File system | Scenarios | mode |
| NTFS | Deleted recently | Regular |
| NTFS | Deleted for a while | Extensive |
| NTFS | Formatted disk | Extensive |
| NTFS | corrupted disk | Extensive |
| FAT and exFAT | Any | Extensive |
To decide which switch to use, refer to this chart.
| Switches | Definition | Supported mode(s) |
| /n | Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. | All |
| /y: | Recover specific extension groups. | Signature |
| /k | Recovers system files. | NTFS Segmentโโโโโ |
| /u | Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. | NTFS Segment |
Now, you could follow the steps below to perform free ZIP file recovery.
Step 1. Go to Microsoft Store, search for Windows File recovery, and click Get to download.
Step 2. Input Windows File Recovery in the Windows search box, select Run as administrator, then input the command line:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
Here, for example, if you are going to recover deleted ZIP files from C: drive to D: drive, then the command goes like this:
winfr C: D: /regular /n *.zip
Step 3. Then a folder named “Recovery_date and time” will be created automatically at the destination. You will have successfully performed free ZIP file recovery.
No matter what methods you are using, getting all your files back is the priority. Speaking of which, preventing data loss with some useful actions is better.
3 practicable methods on “How to recover deleted ZIP files free?” have been detailed in this post. You could recover deleted ZIP files via File History, using Windows File Recovery, or you might as well make use of a professional data recovery app - MyRecover. This useful tool could help users recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 or 11.