How to Recover Files Deleted from Recycle Bin on Windows?
Summary: Summary: In this blog, learn how to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin on Windows PC. We bring you some effective DIY methods that may help you retrieve permanently deleted files and other data. You may also use the Windows data recovery tool to get back your files. Download the trial version below
When you delete items such as files, photos, folders, etc.,they are generally placed into the Recycle Bin on Windows PC. Recycle Bin works as a ‘holding bay’ for the items deleted using only the ‘Del’ key. These items remain in the Recycle Bin for up to 30 days. After 30 days, the Recycle Bin gets empty, and the files get lost permanently.
However, there is a catch. If you deleted your files and other data using the Shift + Del key, the files would not be found in the Recycle Bin. They will be gone permanently. Hence, it is suggested to be careful while getting rid of unwanted data. While deleting some of your unnecessary or junk files, you may mistakenly lose your essential data.
So, if you have deleted your files, try the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) methods shared in this blog to recover deleted files on Windows PC. We also share some preventive measures to avoid file loss in the future!
Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin
If the files are deleted only with the ‘Del’ key, we suggest you open your Recycle Bin first and check if the deleted files are there.
a. If you find your files there, right-click on them and click Restore. (See Image 1)
b. The files will be retrieved to the location from where you deleted it in the first place.
However, if you emptied the Recycle Bin or used the Shift+ Del key to delete files, and other data, they are permanently deleted. You won’t be able to find them in the Recycle Bin. To recover those files, follow the methods shared below.
Recover Files Deleted from Recycle Bin
If the files are lost due to the above-shared reasons, the files will become inaccessible to you. Don’t fret! You can still recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin on Windows following the given methods:
#1Use File Backup
You can quickly recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin easily if you have a backup. Many people keep a backup of their important files, folders, documents, photos, and more using an external storage drive or Windows built-in backup utilities such as File History, Backup & Restore, and Previous Versions. If you have used any of these facilities to back up your files, you may quickly recover deleted data.
Also learn, how to recover deleted word documents for free?
But what if I have no backup and I accidentally empty my Recycle Bin? How would I recover the deleted files?
No worries! Recycle Bin recovery is possible. You can still recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin on Windows using a powerful data recovery tool such as Stellar Data Recovery Software.
#2 Recover deleted files with Stellar Data Recovery software
You may quickly recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin on Windows PC using Stellar Data Recovery software. This DIY windows data recovery tool can restore deleted documents, email files, photos, videos, and more. It makes Recycle Bin recovery possible and helps you retrieve lost or deleted files and folders on your Windows PC, laptop, or any external storage media. It also supports data recovery from formatted, corrupted, encrypted,and RAW drives. To recover files deleted from Recycle Bin, you need to run this software on your Windows PC from which you lost your data and scan the affected drive/location to retrieve the files. Follow the below steps and learn how to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin:
a. Download, install and run Stellar Data Recovery on your PC. (Trial version can be downloaded from the link given below)
b. Launch the software, and you will see the ‘Select What to Recover’ screen.
c. From the ‘Select What to Recover’ screen, select either ‘Everything’ or the type of files you want to retrieve. (See Image 2)
d. Click Next to proceed.
e. Afterward, the ‘Recover from’ screen will appear. You will have to select the location/drive from which you delete the files.
f. After selecting the drive/location, click Scan. (See image 3)
g. Once the scanning process is completed, all the lost files will display on the screen under three panes, i.e.,File Type, Tree View, and Deleted List.
h. Find your files in the Deleted List, select the ones you want to retrieve, and click Recover. (See image 4)
i. Now, click Browse to choose the desired location to save the retrieved files from the drop-down list.
j. Once done, click Start Saving to store the recovered files. (See Image 5)
[Note: Don’t choose the same drive (from which you deleted the files) as the storage location. Always use an external storage drive or another location on your Windows PC to avoid data overwriting.]
Preventive measures to avoid permanent file loss!
There are a few tips we would like to share with you that may help you prevent file loss in the future, given as follows:
- Immediately stop using the drive from which you lost your files and other data to prevent data overwriting. When you delete files, the space becomes available. However, the file remains there and can be recovered. But if you keep adding more data to it, space will be overwritten, and the files will not be recovered even with the help of a data recovery tool.
- Always keep your PC/laptop virus-free, as a virus may create havoc on the system. Run the latest antivirus program to detect any virus on your PC and get rid of it. This way, you will save your data and keep your PC in good health. So, always use an updated Antivirus program on your PC and keep using it frequently.
- Take a backup of your data regularly. Keeping a backup is the easiest way to get back access to the lost files, documents, and more.
- Always keep a robust and reliable data recovery tool handy so that you can quickly restore your lost or deleted files.
Conclusion
The blog outlined some best methods to recover files from Recycle Bin on Windows PC. Retrieve the deleted files from the Recycle Bin if they got deleted only using the Del key. However, if you mistakenly emptied the Recycle Bin or deleted the files using the Shift + Del key, you may use your Backup to recover files deleted from Recycle Bin. Even if there’s no backup, Recycle Bin recovery is still possible with a data recovery tool such as Stellar Data Recovery. This DIY software can help you extract data even from formatted, corrupted, or encrypted storage devices.
Hello Jyoti,
I lost some of my important files from the 4TB Toshiba external hard drive. The format of the files I have lost is JPEG, XHTML, TEXT, DOCX, and XLSX. Does this software is cable to restore these file types?
Hello Joe,
Yes, the software supports almost all file formats. You can download this software to see how easily this tool scans your hard drive and shows you a preview of all files types, which were deleted, from your hard drive.
Good Luck!!
Hi Jyoti,
Thank you for the article, it just helped me to save my files, which I had deleted from the recycle bin. I downloaded the above data recovery software and feeling so relieved as it gave me my all files back. Thanks again buddy for sharing such a helpful post.
Hi,
I am in data loss problem; please help. 10 minutes ago, I permanently deleted some of my videos from the D drive. I tried my luck with the previous version but it didn’t help me, there were no data available for restoration. Can you please suggest if there is any other manual way of recovering those deleted files?
Hello Edward,
You can restore your deleted files with the help of backup and Restore option available in control penal to recover your lost data. However, to use this feature, a backup should be setup first. If you haven’t activated the backup option, then this Windows feature won’t help you. If you don’t find any backup available for restoration, then you can use above recommended software for recovering your deleted videos.
Hi,
I am using HP Pavilion desktop with Windows 10 operating system. Yesterday, I deleted some of my files from the desktop to clean it, but accidently I deleted one of my important project file, which was also on the desktop. Also, I had deleted those files from the recycle bin also. I tried to find a manual solution to get that file back but did not get it yet. Please help.
Hello Jack Roger,
As you have deleted your files from the recycle bin also then there is no manual command available to recover that permanently deleted data. In this case, you need to download and scan your drive using above-recommended Windows data recovery software. Software will list all the recovered file in left pane, you can see the preview of your file before saving. Good luck!!
Hi,
I have an external hard drive and recently I have deleted some of my files from that drive. Now, the files are not appearing in the recycle bin. Can you please suggest what I can do to get those files back?
Hello,
As you have deleted data from the external hard drive, then those deleted files do not go to the recycle bin and have deleted permanently. To recover those permanently deleted files, you need to download the above-mentioned Windows data recovery software.
Hi, I am so thankful that you have shared such an amazing post. The Windows data recovery software you have recommended in the post helped me a lot to recover my data from the reformatted hard drive. It worked like a miracle for me.
Hi, my daughter had accidentally deleted some of my files from the system. It has been a week over. I want to know that is there any chances of recovering those deleted files?
Hello,
Yes, there is still an option available to get your deleted data back. You can look into the recycle bin to restore your files. If you’ll unable to find your files there, then download the above-recommended data recovery software to recover deleted files.
Hi, I am looking for the Windows disk recovery tool which can retrieve data from my Windows computer system. I have an old computer system and a running Windows 7. Last night, I accidentally deleted some of my important files from the D drive and and didn’t found them on the recycle bin or anywhere else in my system. Please suggest how I can recover my files?
Hi Mike,
You can try our software mentioned in the above post. The software is fully capable of recovering permanently deleted data from the computer’s internal hard disk. You can download this software for recovering your lost data. Thanks!!
I am really impressed with the tool you have recommended to recover deleted files from recycle bin. The software helped me a lot as I got everything back. Thanks!!
In past, some of my official files are accidentally deleted from me, while arranging them. I googled for various tricks and techniques, being a non-techie fellow, I opt for easiest method i.e data recovery tools, the software successfully recovered by desired data efficiently.