Deleted Files/Folders Keep Reappearing in Windows 10/8/7

Why do deleted files reappear after being removed?

"Hello, I'm using Windows 10. I did an update recently; I'm not sure if that's the cause of the problem I'm about to describe. Starting yesterday, when I delete some files, they keep coming back, usually audio files and images. This usually happens after I refresh or restart my computer. I've tried emptying the recycle bin, even formatting the partition, but to no avail. Files and folders in Windows 10 keep recovering. How do I fix this?"

Isn't it frustrating? It's supposed to be easy to get rid of unwanted files on your computer – just hit the Delete key or press Shift + Delete to permanently remove a file or folder. So why do deleted files keep coming back in Windows 10? On this page, you'll find four solutions to fix the issue of files reappearing after deletion. Jump straight to the fix that interests you the most:

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How to Fix Deleted Files/Folders Persistently Showing in Windows 10/8/7

We've uncovered some leads that could be causing the deletion issue in Windows 10, and hopefully, your scenario falls under one of them. Depending on your specific situation, you might need to try different solutions to address this problem.

Fix 1: Repair the corrupted Recycle Bin

If the files and folders in the Recycle Bin continue to show up even after refreshing, it's likely that there's an issue with the Recycle Bin application itself. To prevent files from reappearing after emptying the Recycle Bin, you'll need to use Command Prompt to fix a corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10 with administrator privileges.

2. Type rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin and press “Enter.”

Step 3: Type exit to close the Command Prompt window.

Fix 2: Check Permissions

How can you successfully remove a file or folder from your computer if the system won't let you change it? So first, check your system permissions. (These steps are for Windows 10.)

Step 1: Right-click on the file/folder you wish to delete and select “Properties.”

Step Two: Click the “Security” tab, then choose “Advanced” at the bottom.

Step 3: Click the “Change” link next to “Owner.”

Step 4. Type everyone in the dialog box, and click OK.

Step 5: Go back to the “Security” tab and click “Edit” to change the permissions.

Step 6: Under "Permissions for SYSTEM," select "Allow" for all permissions.

Fix 3: Run a Microsoft Safety Scanner

The reappearance of deleted files or folders might be due to a virus or malware. The Microsoft Safety Scanner is an anti-malware tool that can scan your system for viruses or other types of malicious software and then remove them. Running the Microsoft Safety Scanner can therefore effectively address the issue of files/folders returning after deletion.

The Microsoft Safety Scanner is not a built-in Windows tool, so you'll need to download it from Microsoft's website first.

Step 2: Run the tool and select the type of scan you want to perform: Quick Scan, Full Scan, or Custom Scan. Then click Next.

Step 3: Wait for the scan to complete. When it's done, your antivirus will tell you that it found no viruses, or that it removed any deleted viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted programs. If malware was removed, click “View detailed scan results” for more information.

If infected files and folders are detected, Microsoft Safety Scanner will remove them, which may result in data loss. In this case, you need to use Data Recovery Wizard - a powerful Data Recovery Tool to get your precious data back.

Fix 4: Remove/Disable Sync Services

Are you using any cloud syncing services? If so, that might be the culprit. Whether it's Windows 10's built-in cloud storage or a third-party cloud syncing app, they might use SharpShell to control the context menu. You don't need to know exactly how SharpShell affects your system – just uninstall the cloud storage service or disable syncing, and the missing feature should return without your files and folders reappearing.

Additional Tip - How to Recover Deleted Files in Windows 11/10/8/7

What should you do if you accidentally delete files you didn't mean to after emptying the recycle bin? You'll need a data recovery tool. This file recovery utility is great at restoring lost files from hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, and more.

Step 1: Choose a location and start scanning

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard. Hover the mouse over the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored and click “Scan” to look for lost files.

Step 2. Select the files you want to recover

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

Select the files to recover

Step 3: Preview and recover the deleted files

Preview recoverable files, select the ones you want to restore, and click “Recover” to save them to a new location instead of the disk where data was lost.

Bottom line

Normally, when files persist after deletion, the usual suggestion is to format the problematic hard drive partition. This works only if the disk is damaged and causing errors.

However, you should avoid formatting the drive as it will lead to the loss of all data. If you have already tried this approach without success, unfortunately, all your data will be lost and needs to be recovered. In such cases, you can download a hard drive recovery software tool to easily recover formatted hard drive.