How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10/11

Accidentally losing your precious files is never a desirable situation. One wrong click and all your important files are gone within seconds. If you haven’t saved a copy of deleted files on an external drive or cloud storage, you aren’t completely out of luck here. Yet, you may wonder how to recover deleted files on Windows 10 and 11. Fortunately, Microsoft and Tenorshare 4DDiG make it quite easy to retrieve them.

Common Reasons for Files Deleted Permanently on Windows 10/11

Not everyone uses cloud storage to store important data and files. Some still prefer the internal hard drives on their PCs. Due to physical damage, corrupt or malicious files, or an accidental click, you may lose relevant files faster than a blink of an eye.

Frequently downloading files and media from unknown sources on the web may affect your PC hard drive with viruses and bogus files. Formatting the drive does fix the problem, but in the process, you end up wiping all the data too. There are a few ways to recover deleted files on Windows 10.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10/11 with Tenorshare 4DDiG

Among all the methods to restore deleted files on Windows 10 and 11, Tenorshare 4DDiG comfortably tops our recommendation list for obvious reasons. It’s easy-to-use, carries an effective user experience design, a long list of features, and works as advertised. Whether you want to restore deleted files from the local disk, external hard drive, Recycle Bin, or a specific folder, Tenorshare 4DDiG works like a charm to get the job done in no time.

The whole process only requires a few clicks. Even an average Joe can navigate and recover deleted files on Windows 10 and 11 without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, 4DDiG is a feature-rich solution that is not limited to only recovering deleted files from local disks, but offers file recovery from an array of storage options. 4DDIG can:

  • Recover data from external hard drives, pen drives, and SD cards.
  • Restore all file types, including images, videos, documents, and audio clips.
  • Recover files from formatted drive.
  • Get back your files from a crashed computer.
  • Works with 1000+ data types to recover on Windows 10/11.

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Download Tenoshare 4DDiG from the official product page and open it.
  2. Select Data Recovery from the left sidebar and check a list of local and external drives connected to your PC. Select a local drive.
  3. 4DDiG will start scanning the selected local drive for missing data and deleted files. You can check deleted files, existing files, lost location, RAW files, and tag files from the Tree View. Switch to the File View to check the same by file type. If you remember the file name, search for it from the top right corner to filter search results.
  4. Preview your deleted files and hit Recover to restore them on your PC. Try to use a different location drive or folder for recovered files to avoid overwriting and permanent data loss.

Open the File Explorer menu, and your recovered files are ready for sharing.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10/11 without Third-party Software

Solution 1: Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin on Windows

If you accidentally deleted some files on your PC, simply type CTRL + Z keys to undo the action. You can also head to Recycle Bin to find all your deleted files.

  1. Open Recycle Bin on your computer.
  2. Select files you want to recover and right-click on them. Select Restore and check the same in the original destination.

If you have emptied the Recycle Bin before then, it won’t be able to restore any deleted files.

Solution 2: Retrieve Deleted Files using Windows PowerShell

If your computer drive is corrupted due to viruses and malicious files, use Command Prompt to run a couple of commands and scan the drive to get back access to files.

  1. Press the Windows key and search for Windows PowerShell to open it.
  2. Type chkdsk X: /f (replace X by drive letter) and hit Enter.
  3. You can also use the attrib command to restore lost files.

attrib -h -r -a -s FILENAME

The trick is only useful to get back corrupted files, and it won’t work with restoring deleted data.

Solution 3: Get Deleted Files Back from Files History & Backup

File History is one of the neat solutions to recover deleted files from an external device.

  1. Press the Windows key and search for File History. Hit Enter.
  2. Check your external drive from the list and select Turn on to save copies of your files so you can get them back if they are lost or damaged.
  3. When you want to recover deleted media files, select Restore personal files from the left sidebar.
  4. Select the Files you want to recover and click the Restore button at the bottom.

File History is only useful when you have an external drive and regularly save copies of your files.

Solution 4: Find Deleted Files Back from Backup and Restore

Once you enable Windows backup, you can recover deleted files from it.

  1. Open Control Panel and select Backup and Restore.
  2. Click Set up backup.
  3. Select a local or external hard drive to backup data and hit Next to complete the process.
  4. When you want to recover lost files, you can head to the same menu, restore the backup, and have your files back.

Backup and Restore trick only works when you take a PC backup to an external or internal drive in the first place.

How to Prevent Files Being Permanently Deleted on Windows 10/11?

You should avoid any physical damage to your PC or external drive. Also, be careful when you empty Recycle Bin on Windows. It’s best to take a quick look before emptying it. When downloading files and apps from the web, stick to the official website to avoid infecting your PC with bogus files.

FAQs:

1. Can You Still Recover Permanently Deleted Files?

While there are several ways to restore deleted files on Windows 10, your best bet is to use Tenorshare 4DDiG to get all your files back.

2. Where Do Files Go When Deleted on Windows 10?

When you delete any file on Windows 10, the system sends it to Recycle Bin.

3. Where Do Permanently Deleted Files Go?

Windows removes permanently deleted files from the Recycle Bin. The file’s original location on the disk is modified or overwritten.

4. How Do I Recover Permanently Deleted Files from My Computer?

You can use Windows Powershell to run commands to get back files access, use File History or Backup and Restore trick, or go with Tenorshare 4DDiG to recover your files.

Recover your precious files!

You don't need to sweat when you accidentally lose important files on Windows. Instead of trying out half-baked built-in Windows solutions, give Tenorshare 4DDiG a try and recover lost files on Windows in no time.

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