Files get deleted automatically when left-click? This guide will tell you how to fix “my laptop deleted everything I click” issue and how to recover deleted files not in recycle bin.
Everything I click goes to recycle bin
Every time when I click a folder or anything on my laptop they automatically get transferred to recycle bin. Why files get deleted automatically when left-click? Any help with this is greatly appreciated as I'm stuck right now!
- Question from Microsoft Community
Are you experiencing the same problem as this user? When you left mouse click on any file like image, doc, excel, then it removes everything which you open instead of executing a proper operation. That’s to say, any file that you open on the laptop gets deleted. What’s going on?
Well, “left clik deletes files” sounds odd but in fact, many users have reported this problem. It is usually caused by a faulty operating system, outdated mouse driver, virus attacks, etc. Usually, the deleted files will go to recycle bin from where you can undo deleted files. In some cases, files will be deleted permanently and cannot be found in recycle bin.
For data security, you’d better first recover deleted files and then take measures to fix the “my laptop deleted everything I click” issue. If you cannot find deleted files in recycle bin, please stop using the laptop as soon as possible and refer to Part 1 to recover left-deleted files.
When files get deleted automatically when left-click and cannot be found in recycle bin, you can rely on File History or a third-party data recovery tool to help you recover permanently deleted files.
First of all, you can go to Control Panel > System and Security to check if File History is enabled. If it is enabled, this means that there may be a backup of the deleted files on the laptop. You can click Restore personal files > find the deleted files or folders you want to recover > click Restore to get them back.
If there is no backup available, then you can let the data recovery tool help you scan the laptop and find the deleted files. When files are deleted from laptop, the operating system will mark them as free space, waiting to be overwritten by new data. As long as the deleted files have not been overwritten, then the data recovery tool can find them.
MyRecover is recommended here. It’s one professional data recovery software for Windows laptops developed by AOMEI, the benchmark of the data recovery industry. With an advanced scan engine and robust data recovery algorithm, ADR for Windows will locate deleted or lost data at a very high speed.
You can click the download button below to get ADR for Windows. It offers a trial version to lets you scan the laptop freely and allows you to recover data up to 30 MB each time.
1. Launch MyRecover > Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan to scan.
2. The tool will automatically search your data with Quick Scan and Deep Scan. Quick Scan aims at finding deleted data, while Deep Scan searches for other lost data. It can recover 200+ types of data.
3. As soon as any deleted or lost files are found, the tool will immediately show them in the Scanned files list > When you find the deleted files you need, you can select the files and click the Recover button to recover them. Or you can also wait for the complete scan results.
Here are all methods that can help you solve the “my laptop deleted everything I click” issue. If you are worried about losing important data, you can choose to turn on File History or backup laptop to USB flash drive ahead of time.
First check if there is any problem with the mouse. You can choose to reset the mouse. If it doesn't work, you can try using another mouse. If you can open the file normally, then there is a problem with the previous mouse and it needs to be replaced. If files still get deleted automatically when left-click, then move on to the following solutions.
Left click deletes files may be caused by a virus infection. You can install antivirus software on laptop and let it help you remove the virus.
A driver error may lead to the “My laptop deleted everything I click” problem. It is worth trying to update the driver.
“My laptop deleted everything I click” problem may occur due to a wrong registry alteration. You can try the steps below to modify Registry.
“My laptop deleted everything I click” problem may also occur due to corrupted system files. You can run a command to repair the corruption.
You can also try to repair Windows Component Store when you meet “left click deletes files” issue on laptop.
That’s all about how to fix “my laptop deleted everything I click” problem. Don’t panic when files get deleted automatically when left-click. First recover the deleted files and then take action to troubleshoot the problem.
PS: If there are some files you never want to lose, it’s recommended to make regular backups. To only backup certain files, you can let AOMEI Backupper help you. This free laptop backup software can automatically backup your important files and folder daily/weekly/monthly. This way, you won't have to worry about data loss anymore.