How Can I Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10
Summary: When operating on Windows 10, you may encounter a scenario when you have accidentally deleted files from the system. This post discusses the stepwise methods to recover permanently deleted files and get them back in your system again (without any damage). It also talks about using specialized ‘file recovery tools’ that could help you recover permanently deleted files almost instantly. Download the recovery software to verify the functionality and effectiveness of the software.
Contents
There are only a few ways to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10. However, before we head to the recovery part, it’s important that you must stop using the system or the affected drive immediately after data loss. The step is crucial to prevent overwriting of permanently deleted files.
If you continue to use the affected drive or the system, you may never be able to recover the permanently deleted files in Windows 10.
How a File is Permanently Deleted in Windows?
Typically, when we delete a file in Windows, we use either Delete key or Right-click on a file or folder and choose Delete. Such (temporary) deleted file or the folder goes straight to the Recycle Bin from where we can restore them in just a few clicks.
On the contrary, when we delete a file by using Shift + Delete key combination or empty the Recycle Bin — also happens when you run system cleaner app—the files and folders are permanently removed (deleted) from the system.
Fortunately, permanently deleted files are recoverable with prompt action.
Methods to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10
Below are the steps you must follow in the sequence to get back permanently deleted files in Windows.
Method 1: Use Backup
Check your recent backup (if you are using Windows Backup) and restore permanently deleted files in Windows 10.
To restore data from a backup, connect the backup storage media to your Windows 10 PC and follow these steps:
- Open ‘Control Panel’
- Go to ‘All Control Panel Items>Backup and Restore (Windows 7)’
- Click ‘Restore my files’ and follow the wizard to restore lost files.
If ‘Restore my files’ isn’t visible, click ‘Select another backup to restore files from’ and follow the restore wizard.
Method 2: Restore Previous Versions
Alternatively, you can recover deleted files in Windows 10 with File History. The steps are as follows:
- Right-click on the folder that contained the permanently deleted file(s) or folder(s)
- Choose ‘Restore previous versions.’
- From the available versions, choose the one dated when files were there
- Click ‘Restore’ or drag & drop the desired version at any location on the system.
CAUTION: Use an external storage drive to prevent data overwriting in case the desired files are not found in the restored version.
Method 3: Deleted File Recovery through File Recovery Software
Follow the instructions given below to restore permanently deleted files in Windows 10 with the help of Stellar data recovery for Windows.
- Download Stellar Data Recovery software
- Install the software on a different volume or external USB drive (recommended) to avoid overwriting
- Launch the software
- Select ‘All Data’ or choose a specific file type from the options and click ‘Next.
- Select the location from where files were deleted. You can choose a particular folder under ‘Common Locations’ or the drive volume from ‘Connected Drives’ and click ‘Scan.
- After Scan, files are listed in the left Tree View pane. Expand the tree to locate desired files or click ‘File Type’ tab to sort files quickly.
Use the Search bar to locate files and click on a file to see its preview before saving.
- If the desired files are not found, click ‘Click here’ link at the bottom to run ‘Deep Scan.’
The deep scan takes more time but gets back all recoverable data as it thoroughly searches for the permanently deleted data on the hard drive based on file signatures.
- Finally, select the files you wish to recover, click ‘Recover>Browse’ and choose a save location. Click ‘Start Saving’
After restoring the permanently deleted files, create a backup to safeguard against future data loss.
Watch the video for detailed instructions on how to recover deleted files in Windows 10.
Conclusion
To prevent permanent data loss, always keep an updated backup of your critical files. You may use cloud storage or local drive to set up a backup. Alternatively, you may enable File History, which is a great backup tool available in Windows. File History automatically stores a shadow copy of the files and folders to an external USB or Network drive.
Further, a data recovery software such as the Stellar Data Recovery for Windows also comes handy in such data loss situations and beyond. It can recover deleted files, formatted data, and files from deleted partitions in just a few clicks. The data recovery software is strongly recommended to serve as a ‘backup of backup’ because the tool helps when a backup fails, is unavailable, or obsolete.
About The Author
Isha is a technical blogger and data recovery expert. She has experience in Windows data recovery. She writes about technical tips and tutorials.
Thanks for sharing such valuable information in this article. Through this article, I learned that it is very important to keep a backup of all the critical files. Thanks for sharing.
Hi,
Very useful blog. Thanks for the in-depth information that you mentioned in the blog
I had given my mini desktop PC to a technician to replace the old hard drive with SSD hard drive. He had done that and given back my old hard drive with USD adapter saying all the data is safe and this can be used as an external hard drive as well. I also verified and found that all the data was safe. However, I also had some desktop files which were deleted by my son the previous day when he was playing on my computer. This was not on the old drive (now made into an external hard drive). Where will the data in the recycle bin be in such a case and how can I get it back.
Hello Jai, you can download the stellar data recovery on your pc and attach your external hard drive with this pc. Now run the software and choose the deep scan option. If you see lost desktop files in preview then you can recover them easily after activation of the software. Thanks