How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Your Computer with or Without Software

Can permanently deleted files be recovered?

Yes, you can recover files that have been permanently deleted.

When you delete a file or folder, it doesn't disappear from the world immediately. Even if you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash right away, your deletion simply marks the space that the file took up on your hard drive as available. As such, it's possible to recover files that you've permanently deleted, provided you know how.

Here are some effective ways to recover permanently deleted files from your computer.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from the Recycling Bin

How do I recover deleted files from the recycle bin? To restore deleted files on a computer or laptop from the recycle bin, follow these steps if you're using Windows 10:

Step 1: Click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select “Open” from the contextual menu.

Step 2. Choose “Open” from the menu to view the deleted files.

Step 3: Check the box to the left of the filename you want to restore.

Step 4. Right-click the selected file, and choose Restore to restore it to its original location on Windows 10.

Have you tried the methods above to recover files from Recycle Bin? If they were helpful, feel free to share on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or your preferred platform.

If you find your recycle bin empty or the file you need is not in the recycle bin, how can you recover permanently deleted files from recycle bin? The following methods may help you.

Watch a video tutorial on how to recover permanently deleted files:

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files From Your Computer Using Software

Supports: Recover permanently deleted files from PCs or laptops running Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or XP without a backup.

Most data recovery methods, including those built into Windows 10, require you to have a backup to restore your files from. If you don't have any backups, you can try using a data recovery program. There are many of these programs available, so choose one that you feel is reputable and give it a try.

Data Recovery Wizard Pro is one such program, and it has been around for several years.

• Efficiently recovers lost or deleted files, documents, photos, audio, music, and emails
• Restore deleted files from hard drive, as well as files emptied from Recycle Bin, memory cards, USB drives, digital cameras, and camcorders
• Supports data recovery in various scenarios, including accidental deletion, formatting, hard drive failure, virus attacks, and system crashes

Now, download the data recovery tool and follow the simple guide below to retrieve your permanently deleted files from the computer.

Step one: Choose a location and start scanning.

Run the Data Recovery Wizard and hover the mouse over the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored. Click on “Scan” to look for lost files.

Step 2: Choose the files you want to recover

Once the scan is finished, select the deleted files you want to recover. You can click on the Filter to display only the file type you want. If you remember the name of the file, you can also search for it in the “Search for files or folders” box – this is the fastest way to locate your target file.

Step 3: Preview and recover the deleted files

Preview the recoverable files, then select the ones you want to restore and click “Recover” to save them to a new location that's different from where the lost data was originally.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files for Free

Free data recovery software allows you to recover permanently deleted files for free on Windows 10/8/7, as long as the data you lost is less than 2GB. If you want to recover more than 2GB or an unlimited amount of data, you'll need to use the Data Recovery Wizard Pro tool.

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How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files Without Software

If file recovery software isn't your first choice, you can try using File History to restore permanently deleted files. This method won't work if you don't have a data backup.

Recover Permanently Deleted Files from PC Using 'Previous Versions'

Solution: Restore permanently deleted files with File History. This option won't be available if you don't have a backup.

If you had File History enabled before the file was deleted, you can use this feature to restore deleted files from your computer. This works even if you used the "Shift + Delete" shortcut to bypass the Recycle Bin. However, if you didn't have File History enabled before you lost the file, this method won't work.

For Windows 11/10/8.1/8 users:

Step 1: Open the Start menu.

Step 2: Type Recover File, and then press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Step 3. Look for the folder where you previously stored the deleted file.

Step 4. Click the “Recover” button in the middle to restore the deleted Windows 10 files back to their original places.

If prompted that a file or folder with the same name already exists, choose “Replace the file in the destination” to restore your permanently deleted files or folders.

For users of Windows 7 and earlier:

This may or may not work, but it's worth a shot if you're trying to recover files that were permanently deleted in Windows 7 or earlier.

Step 1: Create a new file or folder on your desktop and give it the same name as the deleted file or folder.

2. Right-click the new file or folder, then select "Restore previous versions." Windows will search for and list previous versions of the same-named file or folder, along with their corresponding times.

Step 3. Select the latest version, then click “Restore” to get back your deleted file or folder.

Here's the full method Microsoft recommends to recover permanently deleted files from a backup or previous version of Windows 10. To recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11, click the link below.

Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11

Lost data in the new Windows 11 and don't know how to get it back? Learn three effective ways to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11.

Restore Permanently Deleted Files Through Backup and Recovery

Solution: Restore lost files from a backup of your files or folders that you created earlier. This won't work if you didn't create a backup before you lost the file.

If you have been backing up all your important files and folders to an external drive, you can effectively recover lost files from the backup. Alternatively, if you have Windows Backup enabled, you might still be in luck.

Here's how to restore deleted files and folders from a Windows backup:

Step 1: Open the Start menu.

Step 2: Type backup, then press Enter on your keyboard.

Step 3: Under Restore your files with File History, click the link to Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 4: Click the “Choose another backup to restore files from” option, and then choose your backup.

5. Click “Next” and follow the instructions to complete the recovery process.

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The bottom line?

If you had file backup or Windows Backup enabled before you lost the files, those are the recovery methods you should try first to restore permanently deleted files. If you don't have backups, don't panic; you can still recover the files.

There are many data recovery tools available that can help, and Data Recovery Wizard is as good a place as any to start if you don't have another solution in mind.

We've listed different methods to recover deleted files from your PC or laptop so you can choose one that suits your needs:

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How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files - Frequently Asked Questions

With these methods, you can easily recover permanently deleted files and folders from your computer. If you're still having trouble restoring permanently removed items on your Mac, iPhone, Android, or Google Drive, follow these guides instead:

Where do permanently deleted files go?

When you permanently delete a file, you're simply removing the entry for that file, not the file itself. The file is removed from the file system table, but it isn't actually erased. It still physically exists on your hard drive.

Ideally, you should stop using the hard drive and scan it with a data recovery program to restore your lost files. The sooner you attempt data recovery after deleting a file, the more likely it is to be recovered.

How do I recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive?

Take Google Drive, for example.

Step 1: Go to drive.google.com/drive/trash.

Step 2: Right-click the file you want to recover and select “Restore.”

However, if you chose “Permanently delete” from the trash, it can be difficult to recover files from Google Drive's trash. You can also read more about it here: How to recover permanently deleted files from Google Drive

How can I recover permanently deleted files for free?

There are many free software programs that can help you recover deleted files from your device. Start with something like the "Data Recovery Wizard Free" and see how it fares in bringing back your lost files. Such tools usually work with all modern versions of Windows, including Windows 10, 8, and 7.

Using these tools typically involves the following steps:

Step 1: Launch the free data recovery tool on your computer and scan the drive where you lost the files.

Step 2: Look at the list of files that the tool can recover for you.

Step 3. Select the files you want to recover and click the “Recover” button.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on an Android Device

You can also recover photos and videos from an Android through your computer using the program MobilSaver for Android. Follow this guide to recover permanently deleted files from Android trash: How to Retrieve Permanently Deleted Files from Android Recycle Bin.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on an iPhone

You might be wondering if you can recover deleted photos, videos, or files from your iPhone. The good news is that in many cases, you can. However, if an image is not in the Photos app, it might be gone for good.

However, there's hope. You can try to recover deleted folders or files from your iPhone 14/13/12/11/11 Pro/XS/XS Max/XR with iOS data recovery software tools, compatible with iOS versions ranging from iOS 8 to iOS 15. Here's how you can proceed:

Step 1: Download and run the MobiSaver app.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to the computer. Click on “Restore from iOS Device” on the left and hit “Start.”

Step 3: MobiSaver will scan your device automatically and find the lost data. Wait for the scan to finish.

Step 4: Select the lost data that you wish to recover, such as photos, videos, contacts, messages, notes, voicemail, and save them to another location.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on a Mac

If you're on a Mac, you can also restore permanently deleted Mac files with either Time Machine or Terminal. Terminal will only work if the file is still in the Trash. If the file is still in the Trash, use this method. Time Machine requires that you have a Time Machine backup to restore the file from.

If all else fails, you can also try using a data recovery tool. In that case, the free Data Recovery Wizard for Mac might be able to help you get your lost files back.

Step 1. Select the device location from where you deleted your files. Click on the “Scan” button to locate the permanently deleted files.

Step 2: Data Recovery Wizard for Mac lists the files it finds in the left-hand pane.

Step 3. Preview the items you want to retrieve and then click the “Recover Now” button to restore permanently deleted files on Mac.