How to Recover Deleted PNG Files [5 Direct Methods]

How to Recover Deleted PNG Files

With its lossless compression, PNG files are widely used and a standard image format on most websites. If you're wondering whether you can recover deleted PNG files, the answer is yes. Once you delete a file, the data isn't immediately erased – you just lose the "key" to finding it. Upon discovering the loss of your PNG files, it's best to stop using the storage device or computer.

Before you learn about the recovery methods, you should know that a computer user can lose PNG files in several ways:

• Accidental Deletion. This is the most common reason, and it happens to most computer users.
• Sudden Power Outage. If your laptop is running low on battery, it can shut down abruptly without giving you time to save your files.
• Water Damage. This is a form of physical damage that can cause harm to the internal hard drive, leading to data loss.
• Software Glitch. While using a picture editor, a software glitch might cause the program to crash, resulting in the loss of your PNG file.
• ❌ Formatting. If you format a storage device without a backup, all data, including PNG files, will be erased.

Different scenarios call for different solutions. You can choose the appropriate one from the 5 methods we will introduce later to recover deleted PNG files. The first method is the most recommended and applicable in most PNG photo recovery situations.

Method 1: Recover Deleted PNG Files with Software

Now that you know so many ways to recover deleted PNG files, why do you still need a recovery program? When you delete PNG files on your computer, you still have the chance to recover them from the Windows 10 Recycle Bin. But if you deleted PNG files from a digital camera, you will need a data recovery software because there is no Recycle Bin on the camera.

When you're unsure why your PNG files are missing, sometimes the simplest solution is to download and install a data recovery tool. This will save you a lot of time and prevent permanent data loss, and Data Recovery Wizard is a wise choice.

Step 1: Select the exact location of the file and then click on “Scan” to proceed.

Step 2: Once the scan is over, select the “Deleted Files” and “Other Lost Files” folders on the left. You can then use the “Filter” feature or click on the “Search for a file or folder” button to look for your deleted files.

Step 3: Click the “Recover” button and save the recovered file to another location, preferably different from the original.

Method 2: Recover Deleted PNG Files from the Recycling Bin

Normally, you can find your deleted items in the Windows Recycle Bin, as this folder keeps your removed files for a few days just in case you need to restore them. As a new computer user, you might be asking, “Where is Recycle Bin in Windows 10?” You can easily locate this folder on your desktop. Restoring a PNG file that was deleted from the Recycle Bin won't take much of your time:

Step 1: Locate the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and double-click to open the folder.

All your recently deleted files and folders will be displayed with their deletion date and original location. Right-click on the target PNG file, then click "Restore."

Step 3: You can now go back to where the PNG file was originally and find it.

Note: If you accidentally empty the Recycle Bin, you should perform a Recycle Bin restore as soon as possible. You can find more information on this in the relevant article.

Recover from Recycle Bin | How to Restore Deleted Files from Recycle Bin

How to recover deleted files from the recycle bin? In this article, you can learn various methods to restore lost files.

Method 3: Recover Deleted PNG File Using Undo Option

Windows' File Explorer comes with Redo and Undo options, and you can use the Undo option to reverse the previous action. If you just deleted a PNG file and immediately realized it was a mistake, the Undo option would work.

Using the “Undo” option is very simple, and you have two ways to do it:

Solution 1: In File Explorer, click the three dots and then click Undo.

Solution 2: Use the keyboard shortcut Control+Z (Command+Z on a Mac) to undo the action.

Share this method with more PC users to help them recover deleted PNG files!

Method 4: Restore Deleted PNG Files Using Backup and Recovery

If you have enabled Windows Backup and Restore, it will automatically back up your PNG files. This built-in backup utility can come in handy when you encounter data loss issues on Windows 10/11. Let's see how to use Backup and Restore to recover deleted photos from Windows 11/10.

Step 1. Search for “Control Panel” from the search box to open the Windows Control Panel.

Click to open Control Panel

Step Two: In the Control Panel window, adjust your computer settings, and click “System and Security.”

Click on “System and Security”.

Step Three: Choose “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).” If you have a backup, click “Restore my files.” If not, the system will prompt you to set one up.

Step 4. Select “Browse File/Folder” to recover the deleted PNG file.

Click on "Browse Files" to restore deleted PNG files

Step 5: You can choose to restore the PNG file to its original location or a new location of your choice.

Method 5: Recover Deleted PNG Files Using File History (for Windows Users) If you're a Windows user and had File History enabled before deleting the PNG files, you can attempt to recover them using these steps: 1. **Connect the Backup Drive**: Ensure that the external hard drive or network location with the File History backup is connected. 2. **Open File History**: Press `Win+X`, choose "Control Panel" (or search for "File History" in the search bar), and then click "File History." 3. **Restore the File**: In the File History window, click the arrow next to "Restore all versions," find the point in time when your deleted PNG file was still present, and click on that point to preview the file. Select the PNG file you need, and then click the "Restore" button to save it to your chosen location. 4. **Check the File**: After recovery, go to the saved location to verify if the PNG file has been successfully restored. Keep in mind that this method will not work if File History was not enabled or if there is no available backup.

And welcome to the last method to recover deleted PNG files, where we'll be using the File History tool. This is another built-in backup utility in the Windows operating system, which you can also find under Settings, System, and then Backup.

Step 1. Open the Control Panel on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer.

Step 2. Click on “System and Security,” and you'll see “File History” next to “Backup and Restore.”

Step 3. Click the “Restore your files with File History” button. You'll see backups created at different points in time. Select a version that contains the lost PNG file.

Step 4. After selecting the right backup and PNG file, click on the green button to restore the deleted PNG file using File History.

Abstract

By now, we believe you have retrieved your deleted PNG files using any of the 5 recommended methods. It's pretty straightforward and doesn't take long to recover deleted PNG files with Data Recovery Wizard. By the way, this recovery tool can also fix corrupted PNG/JPEG files. If your PNG images won't open all of a sudden, you can use this recovery tool to fix them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Recovering Deleted PNG Files

Check the following questions for more information on recovering deleted PNG files:

How do I fix the problem of PNG files not opening on Windows 10?

If your PNG file won't open on Windows 10, you can try fixing the issue with these five solutions:

1. Repair Windows Photo Viewer
2. Fix PNG files with Data Recovery Wizard tool
3. De-encrypt the PNG file
4. Update the Photo Viewer
5. Convert the PNG file to another format

**What is the best PNG file recovery software?** There are numerous excellent data recovery tools that can help you restore deleted PNG files. Here are some recommended recovery utilities: 1. **Recuva**: Recuva is a free data recovery software developed by CCleaner, suitable for Windows users. It can recover various types of files, including PNGs. 2. **tools Data Recovery Wizard**: This is a powerful data recovery tool supporting both Windows and Mac OS. It features a user-friendly interface and effectively retrieves lost or deleted PNG files. 3. **Disk Drill**: Disk Drill is a data recovery solution available for both Mac and Windows, offering both free and paid versions. It can recover multiple file types, including PNGs. 4. **Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery**: This software works on both Windows and Mac, providing comprehensive data recovery solutions, including the restoration of PNG files. 5. **TestDisk & PhotoRec**: This is an open-source project offering free data recovery tools compatible with various operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac. Before using any data recovery software, make sure to avoid writing to the affected storage device to prevent overwriting the deleted files. Start with free options and consider purchasing the professional version if more advanced features are required.

Here are five great PNG repair tools:

1. Tool: Data Recovery Wizard 2. Recuva 3. PhotoRec 4. Remo Recover 5. Stellar Data Recovery

How do I recover a PNG file from the recycle bin?

Recovering PNG files from the Recycling Bin is simple:

1. Open the Recycle Bin.
2. Select the PNG file you want to recover.
3. Right-click the PNG file, then choose "Restore."

4. Will a permanently deleted PNG file be gone forever?

When you delete a PNG file on Windows and empty the Recycle Bin, the files aren't immediately erased unless you write new data to the hard drive. The deletion merely removes the “pointer” to where the file is located, and the data can be recovered with specialized software.