How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10/8/7

Last updated on January 20th, 2025 at 10:06 am

If you are worried about losing some important file due to accidental deletion then we are here to help you. In addition to accidental deletion, you may also lose files due to other reasons like hard drive damage, virus attack, lost partition, formatted disk, OS crash and more.

In this article, we have reviewed some important steps to help you recover permanently deleted files in your Windows system. We have also reviewed one effective data recovery software to get instant and accurate results.

How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10/8/7

Retrieve deleted files from Recycle Bin

Whatever you delete on your system simply goes to system recycle bin. This deleted data stays in system recycle bin until one fine day you decide to empty your system recycle bin or data gets auto-erased due to storage settings.

If you have recently deleted the file and you haven’t emptied your recycle bin then there are chances you can easily recover deleted files on Windows easily. To recover deleted files in Windows from recycle bin, follow these steps.

  • To open Recycle Bin simply use the shortcut on the desktop or open it from Explorer.
  • Here, sift through the files to find the deleted file that you want to restore.
  • Once you have selected the file/folder, right-click on it and select Restore option from the menu.

This simple step will help you recover deleted file instantly.

Recover deleted files from Recycle Bin

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Restore from Previous Versions in Windows

The Previous Versions feature is a useful built-in feature on Windows 10 that comes as an integral part of the Volume Shadow service on your PC. Here, your system creates certain restore points automatically to help you roll back changes or recover old data when needed.

It helps you recover accidentally deleted files or folders in an effortless manner. This powerful feature helps you recover deleted files even when you have emptied the system recycle bin or used Shift + Delete command to delete the file. Let’s discuss more about this method to restore permanently deleted files/folders on Windows 10.

  • To begin with, you have to create a new file or folder on the desktop with the same name the deleted file or folder had.
  • Now right-click on this newly created file or folder and select the “Restore Previous Versions” option. It will initiate a search by Windows to look for the same name file or folder that was deleted. It will search for files with their associated dates.
  • Once it displays the results, simply select the latest version of the deleted file and click on the “Restore” option to undo the deletion to get back the permanently deleted file or folder.
restore previous versions windows 10

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Note: If you are not able to see “Restore Previous Versions” option when you right-click then simply follow below mentioned steps.

  • Head to Control Panel to turn on the System Protection feature.
  • Go to System & Security > System > System Protection (on the left sidebar).
  • Here, you will find all available drives with corresponding protection option.
  • Choose a specific drive and tap on Configure.
  • Here, tap on “Restore system settings and previous versions of files” option and press “OK”.

This simple step will help you see “Restore Previous Versions” option to recover the deleted file or folder.

Restore Previous Versions

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Recover permanently deleted files on Windows using the attrib command

You can use this somewhat higher-level option to restore deleted files on your PC. Here, you need to be careful while following the steps. Follow these steps to regain access to your deleted files on Windows.

  • Press Windows + X keys simultaneously to see the menu. Here, select Command Prompt (Admin) option to open Windows Command Prompt with administrative privilege.
  • Type: chkdsk X: /f and hit Enter. (X represents the drive letter of the drive where your files were deleted off)
  • Type Y to confirm the command and hit Enter to continue.
  • Type X (your own drive’s drive letter) again and press Enter.
  • Now, type X:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and hit Enter. Wait until the command to take effect and restore your deleted files.

Following these steps, you can recover permanently deleted files on Windows 10 using the command prompt. If you still find the issue recovering deleted files on your system then we suggest you should use the best data recovery software for Windows.

command prompt windows 10

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Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

The next best solution to recover permanently deleted files on Windows is to use the best data recovery software. One of these effective tools is EaseUS Data Recovery that offers abundant useful features to help you restore all your deleted files in a jiffy. This powerful hard drive recovery software helps you recover all types of files including documents, videos, emails, audio files, graphics, archives and more.

For better results, it supports all major file types. In other features, it offers accidentally deleted file recovery, formatted files recovery, recycle bin empty data recovery, lost partition recovery, virus attack recovery, recovery of files damaged due to hard drive failure, OS crash recovery, RAW partition recovery and more.

This smart data recovery software supports recovery on various devices including PC, laptop, hard drive, SSD, USB, memory card, digital camera and more.

Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

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It offers 2 flexible scan mores including Quick and Deep scan mode. In Quick scan mode, it uses basic algorithms to recover deleted files. In Deep scan mode, it scans the storage device sector by sector to deliver accurate results. It also offers preview option to help you view files before recovering them.

Conclusion

So, these are a few effective steps, you can follow to recover permanently deleted files on your Windows 10, 8 ,7 system. While manual steps help you recover deleted files at a basic level, best data recovery software tools offer advanced recovery features to help you recover files at any level. These tools work automatically to help you reduce manual efforts and save valuable time.

Author Bio:

Dinesh Lakhwani

Dinesh Lakhwani, the entrepreneurial brain behind “TechCommuters,” achieved big things in the tech world. He started the company to make smart and user-friendly tech solutions. Thanks to his sharp thinking, focus on quality and the motto of never giving up, TechCommuters became a top player in the industry. His commitment to excellence has propelled the company to a leading position in the industry.

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