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Fixed! Visual Studio Code Deleted Files Not in Recycle Bin
Visual Studio Code deleted files not in Recycle Bin? You can try to undo deleted files, check its Local History, use powerful data recovery software - AOMEI FastRecovery, etc. Scroll down to explore more.
By Ivy / Updated on April 3, 2025
Accidentally deleted VS Code files, not in Recycle Bin
Microsoft Visual Studio is a well-known code editor, which provides a development environment for web developers and designers to finish projects effectively. However, data loss can happen at any time.
Have you ever accidentally deleted your VS code files? It's frustrating to lose Visual Studio Code projects because writing back the code can take a long time, especially for complex projects. So many users are seeking ways to recover deleted files in Visual Studio Code.
“I had deleted all unwanted files from the Visual Studio project folder but when I tried to open the useful file from Visual Studio's recent projects the actual file also got deleted which is not there in the Recycle Bin either. I didn't keep any backup too. What is the best way to get back my lost project file?”
We'll focus on the best method below and cover other possible methods as well, so check it out.
| Recovery Methods | Description |
|---|---|
| 🔥Powerful data recovery software | It's the best method to recover deleted Visual Studio Code files, especially for those users who don't have a backup. Learn More >> |
| Other methods | You can attempt to undo change, check the recent files or Local History, File History, etc. Learn More >> |
Where do deleted files go in VS code?
If you just press the Delete key to delete Visual Studio Code files, they will be put into the Recycle Bin. But if Visual Studio Code deleted file not in Recycle Bin, it may be permanently deleted from your computers. Fortunately, in most cases, they will not be gone immediately.
The occupied space of deleted VS Code files waits to be overwritten by new data. There is still a chance to recover permanently deleted Visual Studio Code files until being covered or overwritten. Sometimes, you still can find deleted files by checking the Recent Files or Local History.
Therefore, you’d better stop using the computer and check the following recovery methods to get Visual Studio Code deleted files back quickly.
(Best Way) Visual Studio Code deleted file not in Recycle Bin
If you don’t have any available backup, the best way to solve Visual Studio Code deleted files not in Recycle Bin is to use a professional file recovery tool, like AOMEI FastRecovery. It’s the one-stop shop for your data recovery.
You can recover permanently deleted Visual Studio Code files in 3 simple steps. It intelligently scans different device (e.g. internal & external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, etc.) and quickly finds files using the Quick Scan or Deep Scan feature.
AOMEI FastRecovery- With a simple and user-friendly interface, all users can use it smoothly.
- Recover deleted or lost documents (e.g. recover deleted Word files), images, audios, videos, etc., and more than 1000+ data formats.
- Search, filter, preview, and recover files while scanning.
- Recover specific files or folders instead of all.
- Recover data from specific locations, e.g. Recycle Bin, Desktop, and Select folder.
- Work perfectly with Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server as well as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
- Recover data in any scenario, e.g., permanent deletion, formatted disk, virus attack, lost partition, system crash, etc.
- ...
100% SecureNow, download data recovery freeware - AOMEI FastRecovery to get started.
Step 1. Select the partition to scan
Launch AOMEI FastRecovery on your computer. Then, hover the mouse over the partition to scan where VS Code files were stored and click the Scan button.
Step 2. Scan for deleted or lost files
The software will automatically start Quick Scan to scan the selected partition and find deleted and missing files. If you can't find the desired data, please click Deep Scan to search it thoroughly.
Step 3. Find and recover deleted files
During or after scanning, you can attempt to search or filter the VS code files you want to recover in the following options, even preview them before recovering.
- 🔎 Search: Directly type the file name or extension in the search box for targeted search. It’s primarily used to recover specific files or folders.
- 🔽 Filter: Click the funnel-shaped button to specify the data type and its size to narrow your search.
- 👁🗨Preview: Double-click the files to preview in a clear thumbnail, including wav,ico, jpg, png, bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, mp4, mp3, txt, xlsx, pdf, ini, docx, etc.
Once found, you can select them and click the“Recover” button to recover deleted files from Visual Studio Code right now, even during scanning. More surprisingly, it's not only simple and easy to use, but also has a free edition that can recover data up to 500MB.
Try it if you lose any VS code files!
Other possible methods for Visual Studio to recover deleted files
There are some other possible methods for Visual Studio Code to delete files not in Recycle Bin without using data recovery software.
Way 1: Undo deleted files in VS CODE (Immediate Action)
If you deleted VS CODE files recently, you can choose to undo the file deletion. Note hitting CTRL+Z without highlighting that folder didn't work.
Step 1. Open VS CODE. Click and highlight the folder where the file was deleted from.
Step 2. Then, while it is selected, press CTRL + Z. It will undo deletion on Windows.
Way 2: Check the recent files
If the Undo action doesn't work, you can also try the Open Recent feature to find deleted files.
Step 1. Open the Visual Studio Code program.
Step 2. Select “File” > “Open Recent” to check where the deleted VS Code file is in the list and open it.
Way 3: Recover deleted files from Local History 👍
In addition to the Recycle Bin, VS CODE also provides you with Local History, which can save versions of your files.
Step 1. Open VS CODE. Then, press F1 and select "Local History: Find Entry to Restore".
Step 2. Type part or the entire file name to search deleted files. Usually, there are many different versions tied to a timestamp/session defined in a JSON file called entries.json.
Step 3. Once found, right-click the last saved files and select "Restore Contents". If there is no restore option, you can choose to copy the contents and save it.
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\History\
- Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/History
- Linux: $HOME/.config/Code/User/History
Method 4. Restore the previous version of VS Code files
If you accidentally deleted Visual Studio Code files, you can choose to restore the previous version of the folder containing those files. This method is also suitable for restoring overwritten VS Code files.
Step 1. Locate the folder that includes the deleted Visual Studio Code files.
Step 2. Right-click the folder and select “Restore previous versions”.
Step 3. According to the name and date modified, select the folder version you want to recover and click “Restore” > “OK”.
Method 5. Visual Studio recovers deleted files via Windows File Recovery
When you find Visual Studio Code deleted files not in Recycle Bin, you can try the Microsoft official file recovery software - Windows File Recovery. It’s a command-line app to recover deleted or lost files for Windows computers. It only supports Windows 10 2004 and above.
Windows File Recovery offers four modes to use: Regular, Extensive, Signature, and Segment. It requires users to be familiar with the command prompt to use Windows File Recovery because different command lines have different meanings. You may not recover deleted files you want due to wrong commands.
The command format is: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
Follow the detailed steps to recover deleted files via CMD.
Step 1. Type “Store” in the search bar. And then search “Windows File Recovery” and install it on your computer.
Step 2. To check your file system, please press Win+E to open This PC. Right-click on the partition that has Visual Studio deleted files > Properties.
Step 3. Launch Windows File Recovery and run as administrator. According to the following chart choose modes and common switches.
For example, if you want to recover files from E: drive to D: drive, you need to use Segment mode, and the files you have lost are text files, then your command will be like:
winfr E: D: /segment /n *.txt
▶ Pick a recovery mode:
|
File system |
Scenarios |
mode |
|
NTFS |
Deleted recently |
Regular |
|
NTFS |
Deleted for a while |
Extensive |
|
NTFS |
Formatted disk |
Extensive |
|
NTFS |
Corrupted disk |
Extensive |
|
FAT and exFAT |
Any |
Extensive |
▶ Pick the desired switch:
|
Switches |
Meaning |
Supported mode(s) |
|
/n |
To filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. |
All |
|
/y: |
Recover system files. |
NTFS Segment |
|
/u |
Recover undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. |
NTFS Segment |
Closing words
This article describes 6 proven methods to fix Visual Studio Code deleted files not in Recycle Bin, check it out and take action. It's suggested to undo deleted files and check the recent files first. If not, try professional data recovery software - AOMEI FastRecovery, especially without any backup.
One more suggestion, if you don't want to lose VS code files in the future, it's advisable to backup them regularly. You could consider using built-in tools like File History, OneDrive, etc., or any other software.
FAQs about Visual Studio recover deleted file
After knowing the methods to fix Visual Studio deleted files not in Recycle Bin, here are three frequently asked questions to know more about Visual Studio recovering files.
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