First: stop using the drive

When Windows deletes a file it only marks the space as free. The data stays on the disk until something new is written over it. Every download, program install or browser cache update can overwrite your file, so the less you use that drive, the better your chances.

Do not install recovery software or save recovered files on the same drive you lost the files from. Use a USB stick or a second disk.

Step 1: Check the Recycle Bin

Files deleted with the normal Delete key go to the Recycle Bin first.

  1. Double-click Recycle Bin on the desktop.
  2. Sort by Date Deleted to find recent files quickly.
  3. Right-click the file and choose Restore. It returns to its original folder.

Emptied the Recycle Bin already? Read how to recover files after emptying the Recycle Bin.

Step 2: Try File History and Previous Versions

If File History or System Protection was turned on, Windows may have kept older copies.

  1. Open the folder where the file used to be.
  2. Right-click inside the folder and choose Properties » Previous Versions.
  3. Pick a version from before the deletion and click Open to copy the file out, or Restore.

On Windows 11 you can also search the Start menu for File History (Control Panel) and browse your backups.

Step 3: Check OneDrive and other cloud folders

If the file was inside a OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox folder, the online version usually has its own recycle bin. For OneDrive, open onedrive.com and click Recycle bin in the left menu. Deleted items are normally kept there for about 30 days.

Step 4: Scan the drive with recovery software

If none of the above helped, a recovery program can read the deleted file records directly from the disk. With TEA-disk:

  1. Get the free TEA-disk download and run it (it asks for Administrator rights because it reads the drive directly).
  2. In Step 1, choose the folder where the file was, or pick the whole drive.
  3. Click Scan for deleted files. A quick scan usually takes seconds to a few minutes.
  4. Use the search box to find your file. Files marked Good have the best chance of opening.
  5. In Step 3, choose a folder on another drive and click Recover.
Nothing found? Tick Whole drive and scan again. If the drive was formatted, turn on Deep scan as well.

What affects your chances

  • Time: the sooner you recover, the better.
  • Drive type: hard disks, pendrives and SD cards are much easier than SSDs – see our SSD and TRIM article.
  • Activity: a busy system drive (C:) overwrites free space faster than a data drive.

Frequently asked questions

Can I recover files deleted with Shift+Delete?

Yes, often. Shift+Delete skips the Recycle Bin, but the data stays on the disk until it is overwritten. Scan the drive with recovery software as soon as possible.

Is it safe to run recovery software?

A read-only tool like TEA-disk does not write to the drive it scans. Just save the recovered files to a different drive.

Get your files back with TEA-disk

Free, read-only recovery for hard disks, SSDs, pendrives and memory cards.

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