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Accidentally deleted a file and it's not in the Recycle Bin. How to recover?

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Anonymous
2024-04-17T13:09:09+00:00

I was trying to clean up my Desktop and deleted an important file by accident. I didn't notice this immediately, so I emptied the Recycle Bin after deleting the rest of the files on my Desktop. Once I realized what happened I confirmed that the Recycle Bin had indeed been emptied and I would no longer be able to restore the file I needed. This all happened just this morning and I don't have System Restore set up. How do I get my file back?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-04-17T13:14:20+00:00

    Since you only lost the file this morning, you have a decent chance of getting it back. Just make sure you don't save or download any new files until you've recovered the lost file. There are several options available to you depending on how your computer is set up (even if you don't have a system restore point):

    Check OneDrive files – If you use OneDrive on your PC, your file may have a backup copy on the server. It also has a feature called "Restore your OneDrive", which allows you to undo any changes made to your OneDrive in the last 30 days. Log in to the OneDrive website, then click the gear icon at the top of the page > Options.

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    Restore Windows backups – Aside from System Restore, you can also check File History (Control Panel > System and Security) and Backup and Restore (Windows 7) (Control Panel > System and Security). Despite its name, the latter tool works on Windows 11 (and 10) just fine.

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    Use data recovery software – Data recovery software is a type of software tool that can restore lost files from a computer or storage device. For beginners, I recommend <removed> or Recuva. If you're willing to brave a small learning curve, try PhotoRec or Windows File Recovery.

    <removed by Moderator>

    Warning! If you delete files from your system drive and you don't have a cloud or local backup, you need to shut down your computer right away. Then, scan your system drive by connecting it to another computer or booting from an external drive to look for deleted files.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-04-17T14:00:53+00:00

    In that case, the only option is to try recovering the file with some 3rd party recovery tool like the free version of Recuva.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-04-17T13:53:28+00:00

    Thank you for such a comprehensive reply, I will try to follow your advice

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-04-17T13:42:16+00:00

    Hi, I am Dave, I will help you with this.

    A System Restore does not recovery users files, that just restores Windows system files and the registry.

    There is no native method in Windows to recover deleted files, you will need to use some 3rd party recovery utility to try to undelete and recover the file

    Another option, if you use OneDrive or some other cloud service would be to log into it online to see if that file is available there.

    OneDrive:

    https://onedrive.live.com/

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