8 Easy Ways to Recover Files Deleted from Recycle Bin [2023] (2024)

If you have not emptied it, you can perform a restoration from the Recycle Bin with this procedure.

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin by clicking its icon.
Step 2. Locate the files you wish to restore. They will be recovered to their original location which is displayed in the Recycle Bin.
Step 3. Click on the Restore button to recover the files.

How to Recover Deleted Data From an SD Card

You may be able to recover deleted files by using the command line on your system. Try these steps:

Step 1. Open a Command Prompt on your Windows machine.
Step 2. Type chkdsk "drive letter": /f and press Enter:
chkdsk D: /f
Step 3. Press Y until the command line reappears.
Step 4. Type the drive letter and hit Enter.
Step 5. Enter this command:
ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D D:*.*

These commands display hidden folders that may contain your lost data. Filenames will be displayed in generic form, making it hard to determine if the files you wanted have been recovered.

Windows comes with a cloud backup tool called OneDrive. When enabled, one can back up all files stored in your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders, as well as everything you place inside the dedicated OneDrive folder.

Files backed up by OneDrive are stored on Microsoft’s servers, and you can recover them from anywhere by following the steps below:

1. Go to: https://onedrive.com/
2. Log in with your Microsoft email address and password.
3. Navigate to the folder where your files were stored.
4. Select all files you want to recover by hovering your mouse cursor over them and clicking on the checkbox that appears in the top-right corner.
5. Click the Download button to retrieve the deleted files to your device.

Microsoft provides its own data recovery software tool, called Windows File Recovery. While not nearly as easy to use or capable as Disk Drill, you should still consider giving Windows File Recovery a try because the software can recover an unlimited amount of data for free, and it works with Windows 10 build 19041 and above.

To recover permanently deleted files using the latest version of Windows File Recovery:

1. Download Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.
2. Open Windows Terminal.
3. Use the following syntax to recover your files:
   winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
4. Wait for Windows File Recovery to finish scanning.

The CTRL + Z keyboard shortcut is used across the entire Windows operating system to undo the last action. While the shortcut won’t help you get back files that were permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin, you can use it to instantly restore an accidentally deleted file in File Explorer or any other file manager. Here’s how:

1. Make sure File Explorer is selected.
2. Press and hold the CTRL key and then press the Z key.
3. Release both keys.

You can repeat the CTRL + Z keyboard shortcut to go further back in the history of your actions. This way, you can get back multiple files or retrieve a file that was deleted not that recently.

Unfortunately, the Windows operating system forgets the history of past actions with every restart, so this method definitely won’t help you if your computer has been restarted since the data loss incident.

Physical hard drive damage

Recycle Bin running out of space

System cleanup

To recover a file from the Recycle Bin use these steps:

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. Locate the deleted files you want to recover. You can use the search bar in the top-right corner.
3. Select the deleted files. You can hold down the control key to select multiple files.
4. Right-click any of the selected files.
5. Choose the Restore option to move them back to their original location.

Use these steps to recover data from an empty Recycle Bin:

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
2. Launch the app and select the disk that contains the Recycle Bin.
3. Click the Search for lost data button to start scanning.
4. Preview found files and choose those to be recovered.
5. Click Recover to restore the files.

Recover deleted files from the Windows 10 Recycle Bin with these steps:

1. Open the Recycle Bin by clicking its icon.
2. Locate the items you wish to recover.
3. Select the files or folders for recovery by highlighting their checkbox.
4. Right-click and choose Restore to recover the data to its original location.

To recover files from the Windows 11 Recycle Bin:

1. Locate the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and double-click it.
2. Select each file you want to recover (you can either click and drag with your mouse or hold the Shift key while clicking on individual files).
3. Either click and drag the selected files to a safe location outside the Recycle Bin or right-click any selected file and choose the Restore option to move the selected files to their original locations.

To recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin without software:

1. Open the Start menu and type "file history".
2. Choose the "Restore your files with File History" option.
3. Сlick the "History" button to show all your backed up folders.
4. Select what files you want to restore and click the "Restore" button.

Yes you can, with Disk Drill data recovery software. Here’s how to do it.

1. Download, install, and launch the free version of Disk Drill.
2. Select the disk that contained the Recycle Bin from the app’s list of available devices.
3. Click the Search for lost data button to start the scanning algorithms.
4. Preview the recoverable data and select the files you want to restore.
5. Click the Recover button to perform the recovery. The free Windows version of Disk Drill lets you restore up to 500 MB for free.

You can undo emptying the Recycle Bin by restoring your lost files through Windows File History. Just follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu and type “file history”.
2. Choose the Restore your files with File History option.
3. Find and select your files from all the backed up folders.
4. Now, click the green Restore button.

If the Recycle Bin icon isn’t showing up on your desktop, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the Start button, then select Settings.
2. Select Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings.
3. Select the Recycle Bin checkbox, then click Apply.

Use this procedure to change the space allocated to the Recycle Bin.

1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin and select Properties.
2. Modify the value in the Custom size field to the amount of space you prefer.
3. Click Apply.

Use these steps to show or unhide the Recycle Bin Icon.

1. Select the Start button, then select Settings.
2. Select Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings.
3. Select the Recycle Bin check box > Apply.

You can stop Windows from instantly deleting files by activating the deletion confirmation dialog box. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin and select properties.
2. Open the General Tab.
3. Check the box next to Display delete confirmation dialog.

MK CHEONG

Very impressive technology. It was very useful after windows program deleted my father's files in the USB drive. Thank you very much.

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pcadvisor.co.uk

«Disk Drill is a free tool for finding and recovering anything from whole partitions to accidentally deleted files» by Mike Williams

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