Windows automatically places files from folders or external devices in the Recycle Bin when you delete them, so you can easily recover these with just a few clicks. If you’ve permanently deleted a file, however, you won’t be able to restore it through the Recycle Bin. Luckily, there are other advanced methods for recovering your files, as we shall see below. Note: the methods included in this article are compatible with Windows 10/11.
1. From Recycle Bin
This is the easiest method to restore any deleted files. When you delete a file, it’s not really gone. The Recycle Bin just marks the file as no longer needed and removes it from normal view. If you decide later that you want the file back, you can easily restore it.
2. Bring Back Previous File Versions
When you delete or move a file or folder, Windows keeps the old version of the file and stores it in the Recycle Bin. These previous versions appear in the File History window and you can use them to retrieve old files or even restore an entire drive to a previous state. Understanding how to restore previous versions of files from the Recycle Bin can help you recover files if you have accidentally deleted them. You can also use this method to repair a file that has become corrupted or to view a file’s contents from several days ago. These two methods are the most basic methods of retrieving files in Windows. For more advanced troubleshooting, we’ll need to use the Command Prompt and the Windows File Recovery Too, as will be demonstrated.
3. With Command Prompt
You can actually do some pretty cool things from the Command Prompt, and recovering deleted files is one of them, even if you’ve permanently deleted them from your Recycle Bin on your Windows computer.
4. Using Windows File Recovery Tool
Windows File Recovery is a dedicated app for data recovery. You can use it to recover files that can’t be restored from your Recycle Bin. It’s a command-line app that can recover files from a variety of sources including internal storage, external storage, and memory cards. Here’s how to use it on Windows 10/11. Hopefully, you’ll be able to use one or more methods to restore your deleted files. While you are still here, it is also critical that you always back up your files to avoid such mistakes in the future. Also, if you are more tech-savvy and you’d prefer to automatically restore your deleted files, check out our top 5 software to recover deleted files. Image credit: Pixabay Press the Win+I keys to open “Settings-> System-> Storage” and then click the “Change how we free up space automatically” link. Under “Temporary Files” select the checkbox for “Delete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for over” and select a time frame from the drop-down list. In Windows 11, you’ll find the same option by going to “Settings-> System-> Storage-> Storage Sense”. Turn the feature on, to be able to configure the Recycle bin option.
