It’s common to accidentally delete an important file and hit your face with your palm.
Whether you have erased an important file while on the delete-all-the-junk-files spree or had to format your hard drive completely, it may not be the end of the world.
Yeah, there is still a chance you can recover your lost data if you use the proper tools and follow the right steps.
To retrieve your deleted data, you can use a third-party data recovery tool or even a data recovery service.
So, in this article, we will show you how to recover your lost or deleted files in Windows 10 using two separate methods.
Note that the instructions mentioned below work in all the versions of Windows, not necessarily Windows 10, so you may use them even if you have different versions of Windows.
Why is the Data Recoverable?
You must have thought that all of your data gets deleted as soon as you delete it; in reality, yes, the data is marked ‘deleted’ and makes the OS (operating system) think it is not there anymore.
The data is still valid on the hard drive but gets overridden every second as you add more data.
If it is overwritten, a recovery tool can go the extra mile to extract this data and allow you to recover it.
You might also wonder if this also occurs with your private data. Honestly, yes, that is why you should use file shredder software to delete private data from your computer permanently.
Find the Deleted File
Before we proceed to ” recover” any data, it is better to make sure that it has been deleted and that there are no backups of it anywhere in the system.
The recovery process is harder and riskier, so getting the file by any other means would be better.
Below, we’ve listed some familiar places where your files might lurk.
Check the Recycle bin: It may seem obvious, but some less tech-savvy people still have no idea about the Recycle bin.
When you erase a file from your PC (personal computer), it goes directly into the recycle bin first instead of completely erased from the computer memory.
The Recycle bin should be on the Windows 10 desktop; open the Recycle bin and look for your file there.
If you find it, right-click on it and select “Restore” from the options to restore the file to its original location.
- Check for Backups: If you use Window’s inbuilt backup feature or third-party backup software, check the ‘external backup drive’ and see if you can find any essential files.
- Check Cloud Storage: If your file was stored in a cloud storage folder like Google Drive or One Drive, there’s also a good chance it’s still available in the “Trash” folder. Most cloud storage services keep your deleted file safe for up to 60 days, so you should act fast and check the folder for your file.
- Search for it: You might have misplaced the file, or another user on your PC moved it somewhere else. If that is the case, enter the exact name of the file in the “Search bar,” and Windows 10 will do the rest by showing it to you.
Recover the Deleted File
If you have followed those steps and still haven’t been able to locate the file, it’s obvious you have deleted it for good, and there is no backup anywhere to recover from.
Well, then, let’s start retrieving your important data using a data recovery tool. Recuva is a perfect tool for this purpose only, being very simple and powerful.
It has both a free and paid version but only offers automatic updates, premium customer support, and virtual hard drive support.
There is no restriction on the features of the free version, so we are good.
It is wise to use the free version and recover data (unless you need to retrieve data from a virtual hard drive).
Recuva can be used in two separate ways to retrieve data: quicker and safer.
Things You Should Know Before Recovering Data
Below are some things to keep in mind while recovering data:
- You can only retrieve data from a magnetic hard drive, SSDs completely delete the data and recovery software will never work on them.
- Try not to include additional data to your hard drive to ensure your important file does not get overwritten.
- Recovery software can also recover an overwritten file, so you may still be able to retrieve some parts of the file.
Method 1: Safer Method
If the file you want to recover is vital and you don’t want to take any chances, please shut down your PC and read this post from another device.
The reason is that the more you use your PC, the more data is written on the hard disk.
Even while surfing the net, you add data to the hard drive, such as temporary files, local cache, downloads, etc.
The data is then written randomly, so even if a single portion of your file gets s overwritten, it may corrupt the file.
It is very risky to download the recovery software Recuva directly onto the computer hard drive containing your important file; it may overwrite the file’s data.
Here, you can download Recuva’s portable version to an external drive and use it for recovery.
You can download the Recuva Portable version on another PC and move it to an external drive, like a USB flash drive or an external HDD (but first, you must extract it).
Now, connect the external drive to the PC (personal computer) containing your important file and launch the recovery software (Recuva portable version) from the external drive.
The Recuva wizard will start, guiding you through the recovery process and making it easier to recover data; click on next to start the recovery process.
You must select the file type on the first page, like in the picture above. It is best to opt for the file type category where your file belongs to make it easier and faster for the tool to find it.
Otherwise, you can also select “All Files” here to search for all the files (this is good if there is more than one type of deleted file).
Once you have selected the file type, you can choose the exact location from where you deleted the file.
You can select the Recycle bin, Documents, Drives, and even secondary drives.
If you are unsure of the exact location where you last saw the file, select “I’m not sure” and click on “Next” to proceed to the next phase.
The next page has an option to “Enable Deep Scan” and start the scan. If the quick scan cannot recover the deleted file, it is recommended that you use only “Deep Scan.”
A deep scan takes a lot of time (sometimes hours), so it is better to give a quick scan a try first. (Please make sure your computer has enough power to go through the Deep Scan, as we don’t want a situation where the computer will turn off while the recovery process is still on.)
Without enabling the deep scan, click on “Start,” and Recuva will proceed to scan.
The quick scan will take just a few seconds to complete, and you will see all the recovered files in the Recuva interface.
You will see a circle next to each recovered file indicating whether they can be recovered.
- Green Circle means the file is completely recoverable, and no data was overwritten.
- Orange Circle: This indicates that some of the data has been overwritten, but the file may still be recovered and work fine.
- Red Circle: This means most of the data has been overwritten, and it is doubtful that you can retrieve or use the file after recovery.
You can check the checkbox next to the files you want to recover and click the “Recover” button below to attempt to retrieve them.
If you want more options, click the ‘Switch to advanced mode’ button.
In the Advanced mode, you can search for the file with the name and rescan different locations with full control.
You may also change the basic settings by clicking “Options” in the top right corner.
If the quick scan does not show your deleted file, repeat the process and select “Enable Deep Scan” this time.
As I mentioned earlier, it will take a lot of time, but it will surely show your deleted file (even if it is unable to recover it).
Method 2: Quick Method (but May Overwrite Your Important Data)
If you are not in the mood to go through the long process mentioned in the above method, you may also directly download Recuva and start the recovery process.
In the process, you will surf the web, download Recuva, and install it. If the data from any of these steps overwrites the important file, it might corrupt it.
But the chances are also meager, and if you recently deleted the file, it will most definitely not be overwritten by any data.
I’ve even managed to recover data as old as two years, so there’s a good chance that you will not have any problem, but bear in mind that there’s risk involved.
You should download the Regular Recuva setup file and install it on your computer. Then, launch the Recuva tool, and follow the same steps as in the first method.
Tip: If you cannot recover your file using the above procedure, you can also get help from a data recovery service professional like DriveSavers.
Though they might be costly in most cases, they can recover a file even if it’s completely overwritten.
