How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files and Folders with or Without Software
Are Permanently Deleted Files Gone Forever
You can still recover permanently deleted files.
When you delete a file or folder, it doesn't disappear, but rather marks the space it occupied as vacant, allowing it to be recovered if you know how.
Here are some effective ways to recover permanently deleted files from PC, laptop, Android, and iPhone, allowing for their permanent recovery.
How to Deleted Recover Files from Recycle Bin
To recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin on a PC or laptop, follow these steps: First, make sure you haven't emptied the Recycle Bin, as this will permanently delete the files. If the files are still in the Recycle Bin, you can simply restore them to their original location by right-clicking on the file, selecting "Restore," and confirming the action.
Step 1. To open the Recycle Bin, right-click on its icon on your desktop and select the option to open it. This will allow you to view and manage the files and items that have been deleted and placed in the Recycle Bin.
Step 2. Select "Open" from the menu to view deleted files.
Step 3. Please check the box to the left of the filename you want to restore.
Step 4. Right-click on the selected file and choose "Restore" to recover the file to its original location on Windows 10.
If you find that the Recycle Bin is empty or the files you want to restore are not available in the Recycle Bin, you can use the methods below to recover them. These methods include checking the Recycle Bin's contents, searching for deleted files, and using third-party software to recover deleted files. You can also try using the Windows File Recovery tool to recover deleted files. If you are unable to recover the files using these methods, you may need to seek the help of a data recovery professional.
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from PC with Software
You can recover permanently deleted files from your Windows PC or laptop, even without a backup, using various methods. These methods can help retrieve files from Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and even XP, depending on the specific approach used.
Most data recovery methods, including those built into Windows 10, require a backup to restore files. If you don't have backups, you can try using a data recovery program, with many options available on the market.
Qiling Data Recovery is a data recovery software that has been available for several years. It's worth trying to see if it can help recover lost files.
Deep Data Recovery
- Use a reliable data recovery software to scan your device, identify the deleted files, and recover them in their original format. Ensure the software is compatible with your device's operating system and that you have backed up any important data before using it.
- You can recover deleted files from a hard drive, emptied recycle bin, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders using specialized software. These tools can scan the device for deleted files and recover them, even if they have been overwritten or deleted for a long time.
- Data recovery is crucial for sudden deletions, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attacks, and system crashes, which can occur under various situations such as accidental file deletion, power outages, physical damage to the device, or malware infections. In such cases, data recovery software and services can help retrieve lost or inaccessible data, minimizing the impact of the incident and preventing permanent data loss.
First, download this data recovery tool and then follow the guide below to recover permanently deleted files/folders with simple steps.
Step 1. Select file types and click "Next" to start
Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start the recovery process.
Step 2. Select a location and start scanning
Launch Deep Data Recovery, hover on the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored, and click "Scan" to find lost files.
Step 3. Select the files you want to recover
After the scanning process is complete, select the deleted files you want to recover. You can filter the results by file type or search for specific files using the "Search files or folders" box, which is the fastest way to find a target file.
Step 4. Preview and recover deleted files
Preview the recoverable files, select the desired files to restore, and click "Recover" to relocate them to a new storage location.
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files Free
Qiling free data recovery software allows you to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10/8/7 for free, but only if the data is less than 2GB. For larger data recovery, you need to upgrade to the pro edition.
Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11
If you've lost data permanently on your new Windows 11 and are unsure how to recover, don't worry - there are three workable ways to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11.
How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files Without Software
If you're not using deleted file recovery software, you can try File History to recover permanently deleted files. This method won't work if you don't have a data backup.
Recover Permanently Deleted Files on PC from Previous Versions
To prevent permanent file loss, you can use File History backup, which saves copies of your files at regular intervals. This method requires a backup to be effective, so make sure to set it up and keep your backup drive connected to your computer. If you've lost files and don't have a backup, you can try using the "Previous Versions" feature or restoring from a system image, but these methods may not be able to recover all of your lost files.
If you had File History enabled before deleting your files, you can restore them using that feature, even if you used Shift + Delete. However, this method won't work if you didn't have File History enabled before losing the files.
For Windows 11/10/8.1/8 users:
Step 1. Open the Start menu.
Step 2. Type restore files and hit Enter on your keyboard.
Step 3. Look for the folder where you deleted files were stored.
Step 4. To restore deleted Windows 10 files, select the "Restore" button in the middle of the File Recovery window. This will return the files to their original location.
If the computer warns you that it already contains a file or folder with the same name, select "Replace the file in the destination" to overwrite the existing file or folder and recover your permanently deleted files or folder.
For Windows 7 and older OS users:
If you're on Windows 7 or earlier and need to recover permanently deleted files, you can try this method, although its success is not guaranteed. You can give it a shot to see if it works for you.
Step 1. Create a new file or folder on the desktop, then rename it to match the name of the deleted file or folder. This will help you keep track of your files and folders and avoid confusion.
Step 2. Right-click the new file or folder and choose "Restore previous versions". Windows will search for and list the previous versions of files or folders with this name along with their associated dates.
Step 3. Choose the latest version and click "Restore" to get your deleted file or folder back.
Here are the most complete methods recommended by Microsoft to recover deleted files on Windows 7 from backup or previous versions.
Restore Permanently Deleted Files via Backup and Restore
If you've lost files, you can try to recover them using a previously created backup. This method won't work if you didn't have a backup before the files went missing.
If you've backed up your files on an external hard drive or enabled Windows Backup, you can restore lost files from the backup. If not, you're out of luck.
Here's how to restore the deleted files and folders from Windows Backup in one paragraph:
Step 1. Open the Start menu. recover deleted files in windows 10
Step 2. Type backup and hit Enter on your keyboard.
Step 3. To access the backup and restore feature in Windows 7, select the "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" option under "Looking for an older backup."
Step 4. To restore files from a backup, click the "Select another backup to restore files from" option and choose the desired backup from the list.
Step 5. To complete the recovery process, click "Next" and follow the instructions provided. This will guide you through the necessary steps to recover your account.
Conclusion
If you had File Backup or Windows Backup enabled before losing files, try using those methods to recover them first. If you don't have backups, don't worry, you can still recover your files.
If you're struggling to recover lost data, don't worry - there are many helpful tools available. One good starting point is Deep Data Recovery, which can assist you in retrieving your lost files.
If you've accidentally deleted a file or folder on your PC or laptop, don't worry! There are several solutions to recover deleted files or folders, and you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
| Deleted Scenes | Recycle Bin | Data Recovery Software | Previous Versions | File Backup & Restore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deleted files recovery | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Permanently deleted files recovery | × | √ | √ | √ |
| Emptied Recycle Bin recovery | × | √ | √ | √ |
| Need backup | × | × | √ | √ |
| Recovery rate | Low | High | Low | Low |
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files FAQs
You can easily recover permanently deleted files and folders on your PC using the methods described above. If you're still having issues restoring permanently deleted files on other devices such as a Mac, iPhone, Android, or Google Drive, the following instructions may help.
1. Where Do Permanently Deleted Files Go?
When you permanently delete a file, the file itself isn't erased, but rather, its entry is removed from the file system, leaving the file intact on the hard disk.
To recover lost files, stop using the hard drive and use a data recovery program to scan and recover the deleted files. The sooner you do this after deletion, the better the chances of recovery will be.
2. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Cloud Drive?
Take Google Drive as an example:
Step 1. Move to drive.google.com/drive/trash.
Step 2. Right-click the file you want back and choose "Restore".
If you've deleted a file from Google Drive and clicked "Deleted Forever" from the trash bin, recovering it can be challenging. However, there are steps you can take to try and recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive, as outlined in the article "How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive".
3. How to Recover Deleted Files with Free Software?
There are many free software programs available to help recover deleted files on devices, such as Deep Data Recovery, which can work on all modern Windows versions including Windows 10/8/7.
The steps to use these tools are usually as follows:
Step 1. To recover lost files, launch the recovery tool on your computer and let it scan the drive where your lost files were located.
Step 2. The tool can recover a variety of files, including documents, images, audio files, and even data from damaged or corrupted storage devices. It can also recover data from a range of file systems, including FAT, NTFS, HFS, and others.
Step 3. Select the files to be recovered and click the "Recover" button.
4. How to Retrieve Permanently Deleted Files on Android
To recover deleted photos or videos from an Android phone using a PC, download Qiling MobilSaver for Android. Follow the guide on recovering permanently deleted files on Android.
5. How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files on iPhone
You may be able to recover deleted photos, videos, or files that your iPhone removed, but if you can't find them in the Photos app, they're likely gone for good.
You can use Qiling iOS data recovery software to try and recover deleted folders or files on your iPhone 14/13/12/11/11 Pro/XS/XS Max/XR with iOS 15-iOS 8.
Step 1. Download and launch Qiling MobiSaver.
Step 2. Connect your iPhone to your PC, click "Recover from iOS device" on the left, and click "Start".
Step 3. Qiling MobiSaver will automatically scan your devices and find all the lost data, and you just need to wait for the scan to complete.
Step 4. You can select the lost data you want to recover, such as photos, videos, contacts, SMS, notes, voice mails, and other files, and save them to a new location.
6. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac
Mac users can restore permanently deleted files using Time Machine or Terminal, provided the files are still in the Trash, or use software to recover deleted files.
If you don't meet the requirements for the above methods, your last resort is to rely on a data recovery tool, such as Deep Data Recovery for Mac, which can potentially bring your lost files back on your Mac.
Step 1. Select the device location from which you deleted files, then click the "Scan" button to locate the permanently deleted files.
Step 2. Deep Data Recovery for Mac will list the found files in the left-hand sidebar.
Step 3. To recover permanently deleted files on Mac, preview the items you are looking for and click the "Recover Now" button to restore them.
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