How to Undelete JPG Files from Local or External Hard Drive?

“How do I recover a deleted JPG?”

Artists, photographers, and also ordinary users will be equipped with tons of photos on their PCs, phones, or other storage devices.

Many people choose to store their JPG files on their computers, meanwhile, organizing operations like editing, moving, and deleting will also be done right there.

Most of the time, people won’t pay attention to deletion, because thanks to the Recycle Bin on the desktop, they could recover deleted files from Recycle Bin if regretted.

However, some users may have emptied the bin, found the deleted files not in Recycle Bin, etc.

Given this, if Recycle Bin could not do any help, how to undelete JPG files? In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how to recover deleted photos from computers no matter whether they were removed from internal or external hard drives.

Undelete JPG: recover deleted photos from local hard drives

If the JPG files were wiped from a local hard drive, these 3 methods will be helpful.

1. Retrieve deleted photos using File History

File History saves several versions of the files from the C: drive. By default, it stores copies of files every hour. If the images were deleted from the C: drive, e.g., the Desktop, Pictures, Downloads, etc., using File History is a good option.

Step 1. Search for and launch Control Panel in the search box > System and Security > File History.

Step 2. Restore personal files.

Step 3. Use arrows to view earlier versions. Go to the original location of the JPG files > select the photos you want > Recover.

Using this too, you can also recover permanently deleted Excel files from desktop.

2. Recover JPG files via Windows backups

An inbuilt backup tool is also available on Windows PC – Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

It facilitates users to back up and restore selected drive/specific folder/specific files flexibly.

Step 1. Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Restore my files.

Step 3. Browse for files > select backups > choose the wanted JPG files > Next. You could also choose to browse for folders to restore deleted folders on Desktop or other places.

Step 4. Specify the target place as you like > click Restore. Generally, it is recommended to save the recovered photos in another place but not in the original location.

3. Restore previous versions of files to restore JPG files

Restoring previous versions of files/folders is also a good way to retrieve deleted photos from a local drive.

The earlier versions of files come from the restore points and File History. You could revert the folder that contains the deleted JPG files to its earlier status and thus get the JPGs back.

This app could help you find previous version of Word documents as well.

Step 1. File Explorer > find the upper folder where the removed images were stored.

Step 2. Right-click the folder > Restore previous versions > choose an earlier version > Restore.

Undelete JPG: retrieve deleted photos from external hard drives

If the JPG files were wiped from an external disk, these methods mentioned above will be futile since they just back up local files.

But don’t worry, Microsoft has provided a tool for users to restore deleted and missing files from both internal and external devices in Windows 10 and above.

The only fly in the ointment is it is a command-line tool and has no graphical user interface, which is quite unfriendly to ordinary users who don’t know commands.

Restore deleted jpg files from external hard drives using Windows File Recovery

Before using this app, these are necessary for better use.

For a more detailed explanation, refer to the ‘how to use Windows File Recovery’ guide.

Notes:✎...

It requires Windows 10, version 2004 (Build 19041), or above.

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive properly to the Windows PC > This PC > right-click the drive plugged in > Properties. Check the File System it uses.

Step 2. According to the File System and the scenarios, choose a recovery mode.

Step 3. Use switches to target the files faster.

Step 4. Go to Microsoft Store > search for Windows File Recovery > click Get to install it.

Step 5. Input the command.

Command format: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

E.g., winfr F: D: /extensive /n *.jpg

Thus you could restore JPG files from the F: drive to the D: drive.

Encountering any errors, check the Windows File Recovery tutorial to fix them.

Comprehensive: undelete JPG files from internal/external hard drives

The means of PC deleted photo recovery introduced above are pretty limited. Some of them can be useful when data loss occurs on a local data drive, while some are way too difficult and unfriendly to users.

Are there any all-inclusive tools that can both work on internal and external storage media? Any easy tools can help users retrieve deleted photos readily.

Of course. MyRecover is one of the eligible Windows data recovery apps. It features comprehensiveness, convenience, competency, and compatibility.

Comprehensiveness. Apply to all-inclusive data loss situations, e.g., deletion, disk formatting, system crashes, viruses, etc., on internal/external hard drives. 

Convenience. Simply recover deleted data with the original filename, format, and path while scanning. 

Competency. 200+ forms of recoverable data, including photos, videos, office files, zip files, etc. 

Compatibility. Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Server, and NTFS/exFAT/FAT32/ReFS, etc.

Step 1. Install and run the software > choose the affected drive which contains the deleted JPG files > Start Scan.

Step 2. Filters like Size, Type, Date modified, etc., are available to target files quickly.

Step 3. Go to Deleted files > navigate to the original location > select JPG files you want > click Recover x files. Or go to Other missing files > Image.

Not only Windows PC for home use, but it also facilitates users to recover deleted data in Windows Server 2016.

Conclusions

This post gathers multiple approaches to undelete JPG files from internal and external hard drives. For images removed from a local drive, File History, Previous Versions, and Windows backups can be of help.

For an external disk, users who know commands or have used Command Prompt to manage their disks before could utilize Windows File Recovery to make it.

But a comprehensive Windows data rescue tool is the best answer.