How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files from Recycle Bin in Windows?

How to restore permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin? This efficient guide offers you three methods to recover permanently deleted files in Windows.

By @Penny Last Updated December 11, 2024

Can I restore permanently deleted files in Windows 10?

   
   
   
       

Recently, I found some files recording my Dad’s life story. Then I put the locked files in the Recycle Bin and emptied it mistakenly. My father had a major brain injury and cannot tell me anything about it. So is it possible to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10? Any suggestion will be appreciated.

Have you had a similar experience with this? So how to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after emptying them or pressing the “Shift + Delete” keys. If you have no idea about it, please read the step-by-step instructions below.

How to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after emptying?

How to restore permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin? There are two directions: backups or professional data recovery software for Windows.

Method 1. Restore permanently deleted files from Previous Versions

Microsoft Windows has released many practical Windows features for users. If you’ve sized the opportunity to make backups with one of these features, at this point, you can restore permanently deleted files from these backups.

Let’s take Previous Versions as an example. These steps depict how to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after emptying them. Ensure you’ve activated System Restore manually or File History by clicking Control Panel > System and Security. 

One of the most exciting functions of this feature is that you’ll get a history of your files. Then you can browse and select a needed version among the different versions. If you need it, you can also use it to recover missing folders in Windows.

Step 1. Press the “Win + E” keys to open Windows File Explorer. Then find the folder that contains your needed files before permanent deletion.

Step 2. Right-click on your chosen folder, and click the “Properties” option.

Step 3. Under the Previous Versions tab, select a file version and “Restore” it.

Method 2. Restore permanently deleted files using Windows File Recovery

If there’re no usable backups, please use data recovery software to recover permanently deleted files. If your deleted files are not in the Recycle Bin, command-line software, Windows File Recovery might be your best bet.

Pros:

  • Recover the lost files from internal and external hard drives, USB sticks, SD cards, and other storage devices.
  • Recover the lost Word document, Excel, PPT, PDF, ZIP, JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.
  • Free.

Cons:

  • Windows File Recovery is only compatible with Windows 10 and above.
  • Recover the deleted files using CMD because Microsoft has not provided a graphical user interface (GUI).
  • Resemble your needed command lines according to the following basic command format line.

Notes:

  • winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
  • Ensure the destination drive (which stores the recovered files) is not the same as the source drive (which stores the permanently deleted files).
  • Two basic (Regular and Extensive) modes and another two advanced (Segment and Signature) modes support four (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS) file systems.

Before starting the Recycle Bin recovery, please figure out the mode and switches you want to fill in the basic command format.

Step 1. Check the file system of your source drive: Click “This PC” > right-click on the source drive > “Properties.”

Step 2. Select the basic “Regular” or “Extensive” mode after checking your file system and data loss scenarios.

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

Step 3. Select some common switches from the following form.

Switch              

Description

Supported          modes

/y:

Recover specific extension groups, comma-separated

Signature

/p:

Saves a log file of the recovery operation in a different location than the default location on the recovery drive (for example, D:\logfile).

All

/a

Overrides user prompts, which is useful in a script file.

All

/u

Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.

NTFS Segment

/k

Recovers system files.

NTFS Segment​​​​​

/g

Recovers files without primary data streams.

NTFS Segment

/e

To keep your results manageable and focus on user files, some file types are filtered by default, but this switch removes that filter. 

NTFS Segment

/e:

Specifies which file types are filtered.

NTFS Segment

Step 4. Download Windows File Recovery by clicking the “Get” button, then install and “Open” it on the computer.

Step 5. How to recover permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin? Let’s perform how to restore the permanently deleted PDF files from the F drive to the D drive.

▶winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

Please type “winfr F: D: /extensive /n*.pdf” in the command prompt window.

Step 6. Please hit “y” to start the Recycle Bin recovery process. If you want to stop the recovery process, please press the “Ctrl + C” keys.

Method 3. Restore permanently deleted files with data recovery software

To some degree, freeware Windows File Recovery is a powerful data recovery tool, but it’s not suitable for everyone. So how to restore permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin? In this scenario, why not utilize another more well-designed software like MyRecover?

Besides HDD, this leading data recovery software allows you to recover the deleted/lost files from portable devices such as HDD, SSD, USB, etc.

For a higher data recovery possibility, please avoid writing new data to your PC after data loss. There’re other highlights of this excellent software.

  • Recover 200+ types of data: Microsoft Office, Photos, Audios, Videos, Emails, Webpages, and Compressed files.
  • Get the original format for the deleted/lost data.
  • Run Quick Scan and Deep Scan automatically to find all the deleted files and other lost files on your computer.
  • Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server.

Better to act than to think! Download it to solve your permanent deletion issues now!

Download SoftwareWin 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

Step 1. Launch it on the computer. Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. The windows will display all the deleted files and other missing files after running Quick Scan and Deep Scan. During scanning, you can search your needed files.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted files/Other missing folder > Recycle Bin. Please click the “Recover x files” button to get your selected files back. Then you can save them in a new saved path.

You’re supposed to restore them in a new location instead of the original locations.

Q&A for permanently deleted files