Recover files that have been deleted

File systems. There are several file systems supported by Windows that vary depending on the storage device or operating system. Recovering files from non-NTFS file systems is only supported by extensive mode. To see which file system you have, right click a drive in File Explorer and select Properties.

Deciding which mode to use. Use the following table to help you decide which mode to use. If you are not sure, start with Regular mode. General syntax. Specifies the storage device where the files were lost. Must be different from the destination-drive. Specifies the storage device and folder on which to put the recovered files.

Must be different from the source-drive. Advanced syntax. Specifies whether to always a , never n , orkeep both always b when choosing whether to overwrite a file. The default action is to prompt to overwrite. To keep your results manageable and focus on user files, some file types are filtered by default, but this switch removes that filter.

For a complete list of these file types, see the information after this table. Specifies which file types are filtered. Specifies the number of sectors on the source device. To find sector information, use fsutil. File extension filter list. The following file types are filtered from results by default. There may be several users on your computer, including you, the administrator, and the default account. Why am I getting this message: "Source and Destination cannot refer to the same physical partition?

The source and destination drive or partition path should not be the same. If you only have one drive, use a USB or external hard drive as your destination path. Why are additional files recovered from my operating system drive? Behind the scenes, Windows is constantly creating and deleting files. By default, Windows File Recovery filters out these files, but some slip through.

Once you click Restore, the files will either be returned to their original location or a new one, depending on which option you chose. This acts as a safeguard against accidental deletion. Something to consider is Google Drive will automatically delete files in the Trash after 30 days.

Other cloud-based solutions have similar policies. Of course, this will depend on the type of plan you have. Until the data is deleted from the bin, it acts as a reliable method to recover permanently deleted files from a PC easily and safely. When you restore the files, they will be restored to their original location in your cloud storage. Windows 11 was released on the 5th of October, With its release, many are wondering what the recovery process will look like on the brand new operating system from Microsoft.

Many of the same features you use now will be available to you, some with a new design. For those who have already updated their operating system from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you should check out our guide on recovering deleted files in Windows 11 to get specific instructions for navigating the new user interface. Recovery software may be the only option to recover files which have been deleted by mistake. You should consider installing and becoming familiar with a quality data recovery product to address these specific situations.

The ability to unerase data previously stored on your hard drive can be critical to the success of a business or personal project. It is well worth some time spent on learning how to use your data recovery software. Check out how it functions before the stress of recovering during an actual data loss event. Preventing the accidental deletion of data from your computer is certainly preferred over spending time recovering from data loss events.

Here are some tips that may help you protect your valuable information and enable you to access it at any time. Human error is the primary cause of data loss. Controlling access to a computer and its data can go a long way in protecting it from unexpected data loss. Training in correct procedures can help minimize mistakes, but as long as people are interacting with computers the chance of an accident that wipes out some data will continue to exist.

Backing up your computer is critically important if you value the data that it contains. At a minimum, you should be using the internal File History method of backing up a Windows 10 machine to an external storage device.

You should also consider cloud backups to maintain copies of important data in an alternate location to protect against physical disasters such as fire or flooding.

Installing the latest system updates can help prevent data loss. These updates often address bugs and security flaws that could increase your chances of losing data.

It is impossible to totally guard against data loss. Most experienced Windows users have had to recover lost files and folders at one time or another. Using the methods outlined above will give you a great chance of recovering all of your lost data. EaseUS free data recovery software allows you to recover up to 2GB of data. You can use it to recover any type of file on the hard drive of a laptop or PC. If the file you deleted is not in the Recycle Bin, or if you have emptied the Recycle Bin and do not want to use third-party software to retrieve deleted files, you can try to recover an older version of the deleted or lost file by using the free backup and restore feature built into Windows.

To recover deleted files without using specially crafted software, follow these steps. Click the "Start" button, select "Computer", and navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or fold that you need to recover.

Right-click the folder and select "Restore previous versions" in the context menu. You'll see a list of available previous versions of the deleted files or folders with different times and dates.

Choose the version you want and click "Restore" to retrieve deleted files. Read the full guide on how to recover deleted files from previous versions on Microsoft's web page. If you have previously set up Windows Backup, you can use it to retrieve deleted files. To restore a file from a backup, make sure the media or drive that stores your backup is available, and then follow these steps:.

Click the "Start" button, type Control Panel and select it. Click the "Select another backup to restore files from" option and choose your backup. Step 4. Click "Next" and follow the instructions to complete the recovery process.

If you also have any of the following frequently asked questions about deleted file recovery, you'll find answers here. The version of the file or folder is saved to the location that you selected. Tip: If you don't remember the exact file or folder name or its location, you can search for it by typing part of the name in the search box in the Documents library. Right-click the file or folder, and then select Restore previous versions.

The list will include files saved on a backup if you're using Windows Backup to back up your files as well as restore points, if both types are available. The Previous Versions tab , showing some previous versions of files. Before restoring a previous version of a file or folder, select the previous version, and then click Open to view it to make sure it's the version you want. Note: You can't open or copy previous versions of files that were created by Windows Backup, but you can restore them.

To restore a previous version, select the previous version, and then select Restore. Warning: The file or folder replaces the current version on your computer, and the replacement can't be undone. Note: If the Restore button is unavailable, you can't restore a previous version of the file or folder to its original location.

You might be able to open it or save it to a different location. Windows 7 More