You can still recover deleted files in Windows 10, whether they are recently deleted or permanently deleted. 7 effective ways are described below.
“Hi, Can I recover recently deleted files from my Windows 10 PC? I just accidentally deleted 15GB worth of data a few minutes ago. Can you please recommend a method or software? The data was important to me! Thanks a lot.”
We've all deleted files before, or lost data while cleaning up hard drives, unconsciously clicked formatting, etc. In theory, the recently deleted files are recoverable with a high success rate, as long as you don't overwrite them In addition, the way to delete files also matters for the recovery rate.
Fortunately, even if the files are permanently deleted, your files are still somewhere in Windows 10 PC and recoverable. The deletion process only removes its file references and marks the space of deleted files as "free" for new data.
How to recover deleted files in Windows 10? It depends on how and when you deleted files. Start data recovery as soon as possible after you realize data loss. The earlier the time, the higher the success rate, provided you use the right methods.
You can then follow the guide below to recover deleted files in Windows 10.
In general, the recently deleted files will go to the Recycle Bin folder unless it's a large file or you use the Shift + Deleted keys to delete a file. So you can check the Recycle Bin folder.
Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
Step 2. Find the files you want to recover in Recycle Bin.
Step 3. Right-click the files and select Restore.
In addition, there is a quick way to recover recently deleted files by using the “Undo Delete” feature or Ctrl + Z keys.
Step 1. Launch Windows File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing the deleted files.
Step 2. Right-click the blank space and select Undo Delete from the drop-down menu.
Alternatively, you could press Ctrl + Z keys immediately after accidentally deleting the file. It will be restored to the previous location.
If your files are not in the Recycle Bin, your files may be permanently deleted. We recommend you use the safest method to retrieve deleted files using top Windows data recovery software like MyRecover.
It's embedded with advanced scanning methods, which are capable of scanning your disk completely and finding all the recoverable files with high speed and success rate.
✔ Recover permanently deleted files, regardless of data loss scenarios, such as accidental deletion, disk formatting, virus infection, etc.
✔ Support 200+ file formats, from documents to images, videos, compressed files, etc. So you can use it to recover Word documents, Excel files, PPT, JPG, PNG, MP3, MP4, WMV, etc.
✔ Highlight features: Filter, preview, and recover files during the scanning process. And keep their original file name, format, path, and quality.
✔ Crashed PC recovery: It allows you to recover deleted data from hard disk without OS.
✔ Supports almost all Windows systems including Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc.,and Windows Server.
Step 1. Download and launch MyRecover on your computer. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.
Step 2. The software runs the scanning process from Quick Scan to Deep Scan automatically to find deleted files and other missing files in this partition. During the process, you can search, filter, preview, and recover deleted files in Windows 10
For example, to recover deleted PNG images, click Filter and select Type > Image, then type .png in the search box to narrow down. You can also directly type its file name in the search box.
Step 3. Select the deleted files or folders and click the Recover files button. You will be asked to select a location. Please select a new location instead of the original location to avoid data overwriting.
In addition, Microsoft released one free Windows data recovery software - Windows File Recovery in 2020, which is able to recover lost or deleted files from local hard drives, including internal and external hard drives, USB drives, SD Cards, etc.
Note this software is a command-line utility and requires you to learn some parameters. Click how to use Windows File Recovery to learn more. If you are not familiar with CMD, please turn to GUI-based software above.
Step 1. Go to Microsoft Store to get Windows File Recovery. Type Microsoft Store in the search box and open. Then search Windows File Recoveryand click Get.
Step 2. After the Windows File Recovery installation is completed, open the search box and type Windows File Recovery, choose “Run as administrator”.
View the fixed methods of error “WinFR requires admin privileges to run” if you have a problem opening it.
Step 3. Right-click the drive including the deleted files and select Properties to check the File System. Regular and Segment only support the NTFS File System.
Step 4. In Windows File Recovery, there are 4 recovery modes namely, Regular, Extensive, Segment, and Signature. You can choose according to the file system and data loss scenarios. Below are some commonly used switches and syntax:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
|
Switches |
Meaning |
Supported mode(s) |
|
/n |
Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc.For example:
|
All |
|
/y: |
Recovers specific extension groups. |
Signature |
|
/k |
Recovers system files. |
NTFS Segment |
|
/segment |
Segment mode; recoversfiles under NTFS drives using file recordsegments. |
Segment |
|
/signature |
Signature mode; recoversfiles under all file system types using fileheaders. |
Signature |
|
/u |
Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. |
NTFS Segment |
Step 5. Follow the examples below to recover deleted files in Windows 10.
Example 1. Recover the specific document from C: drive to E: drive
(File path: \Users\Documents\FileRecovery.docx)
The command line: winfr C: E: /n \Users\\Documents\ FileRecovery.docx
Example 2. Recover PDF and docx document from C: drive to E: drive
The command line: winfr C: E: /r /n *.pdf /n *.docx
Example 3. Recover ZIP files from C: drive to the Recovery folder on E: drive
The command line: winfr C: E:\Recovery /x /y:ZIP
Click “Winfr.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command” if you have problem using Windows File Recovery.
Although Windows File Recovery claims it can recover different types of files, the results are often less than satisfactory. At the same time, its interface is not friendly to a large number of users, especially for novices. In addition, this software only supports Windows 10 version 2004 and Windows 11.
In fact, if you have an available backup, it will be a good choice to restore deleted files from backup. File History is a free backup software provided by Microsoft to backup files in Windows 8 and later systems. More surprise, it not only retrieves deleted files but also restores previous version of files if needed.
If you haven’t turned on File History, this method doesn’t apply to you. To turn on File History, you could navigate to “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “File History”.
Step 1. Press the Win + Q keys to open the search box and input Restore Files. Open Restore your files with File History.
Step 2. Navigate to the destination folder which includes the deleted files. When you find the deleted file, click the Restore button to retrieve the file to the previous location.
If you remember the folder that includes the deleted files, right-click the folder and select “Previous Versions” to restore the folder to a specified version according to the dates.
Like File History, Backup and Restore is a built-in Windows backup utility to help you backup and restore files. It was released on Windows 7 and later kept in Windows 8, 10, and 11 with a new name - Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Try it if you create a file backup in advance.
Step 1. Navigate to Control Panel > System and Security and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Then, click Restore my files.
Step 2. In the Restore Files window, you can search or browse for files and folders to restore.
Step 3. Select a location to restore deleted files from the Recycle Bin. You can choose the original location or browse to a new location. Then, click Start Restore.
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator.
Step 2. In the command prompt window, type chkdsk #: /f /rand press Enter. Replace # with your drive letter.
Step 3. Then, type ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D #:*.* and press Enter. Again, replace # with your drive letter.
If you don't want to lose any data in Windows 10, it's a wise choice to take some precautions instead of recovering files later.
1️⃣ Take care of your files: Be careful when editing files, and double-check before you delete any files. Don't use the Shift + Delete keys to delete files or format disk containing important data.
2️⃣ Backup your files automatically: This is the most effective method. You can use Windows built-in tools, such as File History, Backup and Restore (Windows 7), etc or third-party Windows backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard.
3️⃣ Use antivirus software: Antivirus software is able to scan your disk for unsecure software, suspicious files, etc., and remove them to avoid deletion or file corruption due to viruses or malware. If you don't want to download any software, try Windows Defender.
Restoring files from backup is the best method of data recovery. However, many users are not in the habit of backing up their files. So it is wise to use reliable data recovery software like MyRecover to recover recently deleted files in Windows 10 if you find there are no deleted files in Recycle Bin.
Thanks to its high-level scanning algorithm, you can recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 successfully and quickly. Meanwhile, it has a super user-friendly interface and tiny useful features, such as filter, preview, and instant recovery. It's worth trying!
Sometimes, you may delete or lose an entire partition instead of files, AOMEI Partition Assistant could be your best choice to recover deleted or lost partitions.