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How to Recover Files Deleted by Antivirus?
Approved By Rohit Arora in
Written By Rishabh Singh in
Updated on 22 Jul 2026
Min Reading 31 Min
Summary: To recover files deleted by antivirus, first check the quarantine or protection history in your antivirus program and click Restore. If the file was permanently deleted or auto purged from quarantine, use File History, Previous Versions, or data recovery software to get it back.
Antivirus programs are designed to protect your PC from malware threats like viruses and Trojans. But sometimes, they mistakenly flag legitimate files as threats and mark them for permanent deletion. The good news is that, in many cases, you can successfully recover those files deleted by antivirus.
This guide will explain why antivirus software sometimes delete files, how do they decide whether the files will be quarantined or permanently removed, and some effective ways to recover them on your Windows PC.
Why Did the Antivirus Delete My File?
Antivirus software protects your system from malicious programs by scanning files for known malware signatures and suspicious behavior. While it doesn’t intentionally delete your files, but when a file appears harmful, the antivirus may take action to prevent any unwanted infection in your system. It may also remove a file for several other reasons.
- False positive: An antivirus will attack a legitimate file as malware if it’s code or behavior looks like that of a malicious program—a major reason why some trusted apps, scripts, or cracked programs are flagged.
- Heuristic or behavior-based detection: Modern antivirus programs don’t just depend on virus signature; they also analyze how a file behaves. When a file shows behavior which resembles malware, like modifying system files, encrypting data, or making unauthorized registry changes, the antivirus may block or remove it even if it’s not infected.
- Confirmed malware detection: When the file is really infected or contains malicious code, the antivirus may quarantine, disinfect, or permanently delete it to prevent the threat from spreading.
Before trying any recovery method, the first step is to determine whether your antivirus quarantined the file or permanently deleted it. The next section explains how to identify the difference and choose the appropriate recovery method.
| Antivirus action | What It Means | Can You Recover It? |
| Quarantined | The file has been isolated in a secure location where it can't run or harm your computer. | Yes. You can usually restore it directly from the antivirus quarantine. |
| Deleted | The antivirus permanently removed the file from its original location because it was considered unsafe. | Possibly. If it wasn't overwritten, you may be able to recover it using backups or data recovery software. |
| Cleaned/Disinfected | The antivirus removed the malicious code while attempting to preserve the original file. | Probably. If the cleaning process failed or damaged the file, you may need to restore it from a backup or recover the original version. |
5 Methods to Recover Files Deleted by Antivirus
The right recovery method depends on how the antivirus really handled your files. In case they were quarantined, then you can restore them directly from the antivirus program. But if the files were permanently deleted, then you’ll have to restore them from a recent back up folder or use a professional data recovery software.
1. Recover Deleted Files from Quarantine
Most antivirus programs have a “virus chest” called quarantine, which is an isolated area that holds suspicious files so they can’t harm your system. In case, the antivirus quarantined files instead of deleting them outright – you can easily restore them from here. But be very cautious while restoring a file from quarantine. Do it only if you’re sure that it’s a false positive, else you may end up restoring an infected file and put your system at risk.
Restore Files from Windows Defender Quarantine
- Open Windows Security.
- Select Virus & threat protection.
- Click Protection history.
- If you have a list of items, you can filter on Quarantined Items.
- Select the files you want and click Restore.
Restore Files from Avast Antivirus Quarantine
- Launch Avast Antivirus.
- Click Protection > Quarantine.
- Click the … menu (More options), then select an action:
Restore: It will move the file to its original location on your device
Restore and add exception: It will move the file to its original location and also add it to the exceptions list to exclude it from all Avast Antivirus scans and shields.
Extract: It will move the file to a chosen location on your device.
- The selected files will be restored.
Restore files from Kaspersky Antivirus Quarantine
- Open Kaspersky.
- Go to Security > Quarantine or More Tools > Quarantine.
- Locate the file you want to recover.
- Click Restore.
You can restore files from the quarantine section of most antivirus programs like this. But if you’re unable to locate your files in quarantine it’s likely that the file is permanently deleted, cleaned, or automatically removed after the retention period.
2. Check the Recycle Bin
Take some time to quickly check Recycle Bin before trying advanced recovery methods. Although most antivirus programs bypass the Recycle Bin and remove the suspected files directly, still check the Recycle Bin once. In case you accidentally deleted the file yourself around the same time, then restore it from there.
- Open Recycle Bin.
- Look for the deleted files.
- Right-click on the file and select Restore.
The file will be returned to its original location.
3. Restore from File History Backup
File History is a Windows backup feature which can restore lost files – including those that are deleted by an antivirus software. It creates automatic backups of important locations like Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, etc. But it works only if File History was enabled before the files were lost.
- Go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History and click Restore personal files.
- Use the on-screen left/right arrow buttons at the bottom of the window to browse through backup versions and locate your files.
- Select the files you want to recover.
- Click Restore to the move the files to the original location.
4. Restore Using Previous Versions (Shadow Copies)
The System Protection feature allows Windows to take automatic snapshots of your files & folders, which are saved in the background and can be used to restore files to an earlier state. If a restore point or shadow copy was created before the files were deleted, you may be able to recover your files.
- In File Explorer, find the folder or drive that stored the lost file.
- Right-click the folder and select Properties.
- Click Previous Versions tab.
- Select the version you want to retrieve, and click Restore.
5. Recover Files Using Data Recovery Software
When the above methods don’t work it means that the files are not in your antivirus quarantine, Recycle Bin, backup, or even previous versions. There’s a high chance that the files are permanently deleted and in such cases, a dedicated data recovery software is the most effective way to recover them. It performs a deep scan of the storage device to locate recoverable files that are no longer accessible through the file system.
Stellar Data Recovery Professional helps you recover permanently deleted files by antivirus, even if they don’t appear in Recycle Bin. It is compatible with all the standard Windows file systems – NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS, and supports recovery from all types of storage devices.
- Launch Stellar Data Recovery Professional on your PC.
- On the What to Recover screen, select the type of data you want to recover.
- Click Next.
- On the Recover From screen, select the drive volume in which you want to search for lost files.
- Click Scan. A screen displaying the scanning process will appear.
- Recovered files will be displayed for you to Preview.
- Select the files you want to retrieve and click Recover to save them at a desired location.
Bottom Line
Having your important files deleted by an antivirus can be alarming but it doesn’t always mean that they are gone for good. You can still recover them from antivirus quarantine, Windows backup, Previous Versions. When the files are permanently deleted, a reliable data recovery software can usually recover them before they are overwritten. After you have recovered the files, add them to your antivirus exclusions list but only after verifying that they are safe.
FAQs
Yes. Antivirus software can permanently delete files it considers malicious, especially if the threat can't be cleaned or your antivirus is configured to automatically remove infected files. However, many antivirus programs first move suspicious files to quarantine, where they can be safely restored if they turn out to be false positives.
Most antivirus programs don't immediately delete suspicious files. Instead, they move them to a quarantine (also called Virus Chest or Vault), an isolated location where the files can't execute or infect your computer. You can usually restore them through your antivirus application's quarantine or protection history.
If Microsoft Defender quarantined the file, open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history, select the quarantined item, and click Restore. If the file was permanently deleted, try recovering it from File History, Previous Versions, or a professional data recovery tool.
The chances of recovering a file depends on when it was removed from the quarantine. The original file stays on the disk from the time it was quarantined, but the system’s encrypted backup cannot be recovered using standard recovery programs. So it depends on how long ago the file was quarantined and how much the drive has been used since.
This usually happens because of a false positive. Antivirus software uses signature-based detection and behavioral analysis to identify threats. Sometimes, legitimate applications, scripts, installers, or newly released software exhibit behavior that resembles malware and are mistakenly flagged as malicious.
Only restore a quarantined file if you're confident it's a false positive. If you're unsure, scan the file with another trusted antivirus or an online malware scanner before restoring it. Restoring an infected file can expose your system to malware and compromise your data.
Microsoft Defender typically quarantines suspicious files first, allowing you to review and restore them, if necessary. However, it may permanently remove severe threats or automatically delete quarantined files after a retention period, depending on its configuration and the type of threat detected.
It can. If the antivirus still considers the file suspicious, it may quarantine it again during the next scan. If you've verified that the file is safe, add it to your antivirus exclusions or allow list after restoring it to prevent repeated detections.
Yes. If the antivirus permanently deleted the file and it hasn't been overwritten, data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery can scan the storage device for recoverable data and restore the deleted files. To improve recovery success, avoid writing new data to the affected drive until the recovery is complete.
You can prevent repeated false positives by adding the file or folder to your antivirus exclusions (or exceptions) list. Before doing so, verify that the file is safe by downloading it from the official source or scanning it with multiple trusted antivirus engines.
Yes. If your antivirus detects malware or suspicious files on a connected USB flash drive, external HDD, or SSD, it can quarantine or delete them just as it would do to files on your internal drive. The recovery methods are the same: check the antivirus quarantine first, then use backups or data recovery software, if necessary.
ABOUT REVIEWER
Rohit Arora
Data Recovery Expert
This article was Reviewed by Rohit Arora, a Data Recovery Expert at Stellar Data Recovery.
Rishabh Singh
Senior Content Writer
This article was written by Rishabh Singh , a Senior Content Writer at Stellar Data Recovery.
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