MyRecover
How to Recover Recently Deleted Files from Recycle Bin [5 Ways]
Don't worry if you accidentally empty the Recycle Bin, refer to this page to learn how to recover files recently deleted from Recycle Bin both with and without backups.
By Lora / Updated on October 25, 2024
“I have lost some important files that are necessary for my small company. While cleaning up some useless data from my laptop, I accidentally put some files that are the backbone of my small business to Recycle Bin and emptied them. The files were deleted yesterday. Can I recover files deleted from Recycle Bin? I need to get these files asap. Any help or advice is welcomed. The files were photos.”
The deleted files will be sent to the Recycle Bin directly when you press the Delete key to remove them. You can easily restore the deleted data from Recycle Bin by right-clicking “Restore”. We will show you the step-by-step guide in detail.
But if you press the Shift-Delete keys, the files are too large, or you delete the files from portable storage devices, they will be permanently deleted. But there are still ways to recover them if you find the deleted files not in Recycle Bin. Continue to read this article and find ways to recover files deleted from Recycle Bin.
Steps to Recover Recently Deleted Files from Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin folder is a temporary folder on the C: drive of a computer to store recently deleted files, which will be kept for 30 days after deletion. So you can easily restore deleted files from Recycle Bin in this case.
Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon the desktop.
Step 2. Locate deleted or lost files you want to recover, right-click them, and click "Restore". To select multiple files, please hold the "Ctrl" key.
Step 3. It will restore deleted files to their original location. Please check them there. You can also manually drag the files to another location.
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To avoid deleting files mistakenly, you can enable the "Display delete confirmation dialog" option in the Recycle Bin properties.
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You can also change the retention time of deleted files to 60 days or never. So you have more time to restore deleted files from Recycle Bin.
How to Recover Files Deleted from Recycle Bin without Backup
For users who don't have backups, the best way is to use data recovery tools, they are the most effective way to recover deleted files.
Method 1. Recover permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin using MyRecover
In most cases, users don't think about backing up their files, and some of them don't even know there is such a tool as backup software. So the best way is to recover permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin using software.
We recommend you use MyRecover, a professional Windows data recovery software, released by AOMEI, a leader in the data recovery industry for 10 years.
MyRecover- With advanced scanning methods, it will thoroughly scan your disk through its file system (e.g. NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, exFAT) to find all deleted and lost data at a fast speed
- Recover deleted or lost files including images, documents, audios, videos, emails, etc., up to 200+ formats.
- Search or filter specific files or folders, event a specified data type, preview and recover them during the scanning process.
- Fully compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server.
- Generously offer 500MB of free data recovery.
100% SecureNow, free download this software and follow the steps below to recover permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin:
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Empty the Recycle Bin after deleting files.
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Delete files using the "Shift + Delete" keys.
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Files/folders are too big to recycle, bypassing the recycle bin.
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The Windows recycle bin is already too full to hold the deleted items.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.
Step 2. The scanning process will automatically start from a Quick Scan to a Deep Scan. You can recover the needed data once you find it in the scanned result.
Step 3. Click "Recycle Bin" to check the deleted files in the Recycle Bin. Or check the "Deleted Files" or "Other Missing Files" to find the deleted or lost files.
Step 4. Select the deleted files of folders and click the "Recover files" button.
Step 5. You will be asked to select a destination path to save the recovered files. Please select a new one to avoid data overwriting. Click Select Folder to confirm this.
Method 2. Restore files deleted from Recycle Bin via Windows File Recovery
Windows File Recovery is a free command-line utility, released by Microsoft, that aims to recover deleted or lost files in Windows 10 2004 edition and above. It requires users to be familiar with the command prompt. Using Windows File Recovery is to recover deleted files using CMD.
According to the file system of hard disks and data loss scenarios, it offers users 4 recovery modes and different switches. Two basic modes are Regular & Extensive, and the other two advanced modes are segment & Signature. To use Windows File Recovery, you need to input command lines based on the following syntax:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
Step 1. Check the file system of the hard disk. Right-click a partition of the hard disk and select “Properties”. Then, go to the "General" tab and check the "File system".
Step 2. Select a recovery mode according to its file system and scenarios.
|
File system |
Scenarios |
Recommended mode |
|
NTFS |
Deleted recently |
Regular |
|
NTFS |
Deleted a while ago |
Extensive |
|
NTFS |
After formatting a disk |
Extensive |
|
NTFS |
A corrupted disk |
Extensive |
|
FAT and exFAT |
Any |
Extensive |
Step 3. Also, decide the parameters and switches based on recovery mode to execute the commands.
|
Parameter / switch |
Description |
Supported mode(s) |
|
/n |
Scans for a specific file by using a file name, file path, file type, or wildcards. For example:
|
|
|
/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 |
|
/segment |
Segment mode, recovery option for NTFS drives using file record segments |
Segment |
|
/signature |
Signature mode, recovery option for all file system types using file headers |
Signature |
Step 4. Get Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store and run it. Then, type the winfr commands based on your need to recover data.
For example, if you want to recover a recently deleted word file named “Test” from D: /working/Documents folder to E:, the command prompt should be:
winfr D: E: /r /n \Working\Documents\Test.docx
How to Recover files from Recycle Bin with Backup
If you are in the habit of making regular backups, you can get back those lost files by backing up when you accidentally delete them or empty the recycle bin.
Method 1. Recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after empty using File History
File History could be a good way to recover recently deleted files from Recycle Bin without software, which supports Windows 8.1 and above. It will automatically backup user data in Libraries, Desktops, Contacts, and Favorites. You can also backup specific folders since Windows 10 by adding it manually.
Step 1. Press the “Win + S” keys to open the search bar. Type “restore files” and select it to open “Restore your files with File History”.
Step 2. Find the folder where the deleted files were saved before. Select the file you want to recover and click the “Restore” button to retrieve the deleted file to the original location.
Method 2. Restore the previous version of deleted files
If you enable File History, you can attempt to restore previous version of files from the folder containing deleted files.
Step 1. Locate the folder including deleted files, right-click, and select “Properties”.
Step 2. Go to the “Previous Versions” tab, scroll down to "Folder versions", and select the folder based on date and time.
Step 3. To confirm you select the right version, click "Open" and check the content. Afterward, click "Restore" to restore the previous version of the files.
Method 3. Recover files deleted from Recycle Bin via Backup and Restore
Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is another backup tool pre-installed on a Windows PC. It offers file and folder backup in all versions of Windows. You can also choose to include a system image backup. Anyway, it helps to recover data in the event of data loss.
Step 1. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2. Click "Restore my files".
Step 3. Click "Browse for files" > select the files you need > Next.
Step 4. Specify the destination - original location or specified location according to your preferences. Then, click "Restore" to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin.
Bonus tips: How to prevent file deletion
Sometimes, you may still not recover files recently deleted from Recycle Bin because the files were overwritten by new data. Therefore, it’s important to repair the house before it rains.
To prevent accidental deletion in the future, there are some useful tips to help you avoid data loss in the future.
- Make regular backups using built-in or third-party freeware. The built-in backup software only copies the files in C: drive. To backup specific files and enjoy more flexible features, try AOMEI Backupper Standard.
- Increase the maximum storage size limit for Recycle Bin files. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon and navigate to “Properties” > “Recycle Bin Location” > “Settings for selected location” > “Custom Size”.
- Don't delete files via the Shift + Delete keys. This combination of keys will permanently delete files from your computer, making it difficult to recover.
