Recover Recently or Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10(7 Ways)

Can I recover recently deleted files from my PC?

Data loss happens all the time. When you decide to clean up your hard drives, you may delete some important files included in those deleted folders. If you delete files by right-clicking, it’s easy to restore deleted files from Recycle Bin. However, if you press Shift + Delete keys, empty Recycle Bin, or delete a large size folder exceeding 8998MB, the files will be deleted permanently from your PC. 

Fortunately, whether the files are recently or permanently deleted, there is a chance to recover them as long as you don't overwrite them. To avoid this, please stop using your hard drive in Windows 10 and shut it down until you are ready to recover your data. Don't add new data or format it as well.

How to recover recently deleted files in Windows 10 (2 Ways)

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. 

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.

How to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 (5 Ways)

If you find there are no deleted files in the Recycle Bin, your files may be hidden or permanently deleted from your computer.  You need to check your situation by chkdsk & attrib commands and then decide the method to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10, depending on whether you have a backup copy. If your files are permanently deleted but don't have a backup, try data recovery software. 

Way 1: Show hidden files 

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator. 

Step 2. In the command prompt window, type chkdsk #: /f /r and 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.

Way 2: Recover deleted files in Windows 10 using Windows File Recovery

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 in this case, it is wise to use reliable data recovery software. 

Fortunately, Microsoft released one such software named 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 in the next method.

Step 1. Go to Microsoft Store to get Windows File Recovery. Type Microsoft Store in the search box and open. Then search Windows File Recovery and 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”.

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]

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

Way 3: Recover deleted files in Windows 10 via data recovery software

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. 

Therefore, we recommend you use a top Windows data recovery software like MyRecover, which has an intuitive interface, a high success rate, and fast data recovery speed. Support 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.

• Search: Type the file name or extension in the search box to locate deleted files quickly.
• Filter: Set the file type (e.g.: image), date modified, and size to narrow down the search range. 
• Preview: Preview multiple file formats, such as jpg, png,bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, etc.
• Recover: select deleted files and recover immediately without waiting for the final result.

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.

Way 4: Restore deleted files from File History

As mentioned previously, 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.

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.

Way 5: Recover permanently deleted files via Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

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.

• Search: Type part of the name of files and select the deleted files to restore.
• Browse for files: Navigate to the folder containing deleted files from Recycle Bin and select it. Then, click Add Files.
• Browse for folders: Select the entire folder with deleted files.  

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.

How to prevent deleted files in Windows 10

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.

Conclusion

To recover recently deleted files in Windows 10, check the Recycle Bin or try the Undo Delete feature first. If you find there are no deleted files in Recycle Bin, you could check the methods to recover permanently deleted files with or without software.

Compared with Windows File Recovery, MyRecover is easier to use for everyone due to its graphical user interface and fast scanning speed. It’s a nice tool to help you recover deleted files in Windows 10 or 11.

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.