How to Find Recently Deleted Files on Windows: Your Comprehensive Guide to Recovery

Accidentally deleting an important file is a common and frustrating experience. One moment your crucial document, photo, or video is there; the next, it's gone with just a few clicks. Panic might set in, especially if that file was irreplaceable. However, losing a file doesn't always mean it's gone forever. Windows operating systems offer several built-in methods to help you recover lost data, and when those fail, powerful third-party tools can often come to the rescue.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through exactly how to find recently deleted files on Windows, exploring various techniques from the simplest to the more advanced, ensuring you have the knowledge to tackle data loss head-on.

Reading tips: Understanding File Deletion on Windows

Before we dive into the recovery methods, it's helpful to understand what happens when you "delete" a file on Windows.

Standard Deletion (To Recycle Bin): When you right-click a file and select "Delete," or press the Delete key, the file is typically moved to the Recycle Bin. It's not immediately erased from your hard drive. Instead, Windows marks its location on the disk as free space, but the actual data remains there until new data overwrites it. The Recycle Bin acts as a safety net, allowing for easy restoration.

Permanent Deletion (Bypassing Recycle Bin): If you press Shift + Delete, empty the Recycle Bin, or delete files from external drives, the file often bypasses the Recycle Bin. In this case, Windows immediately marks the space as free, and the pointers to the file's data are removed from the file system index. While the data might still physically exist on the drive, it's much harder for the operating system to locate it without the original file system information. This is when knowing how to find recently deleted files becomes more complex.

The key takeaway here is that the longer you wait and the more you use your computer after deletion, the higher the chance that the space occupied by the deleted file will be overwritten, making recovery more difficult or impossible. Therefore, acting quickly is crucial when finding recently deleted files on Windows.

Where to Find Recently Deleted Files on Windows: The First Stop (Recycle Bin)

The very first place you should look for any recently deleted file is the Recycle Bin. This is the most common destination for files deleted using the standard methods.

Checking the Recycle Bin is a simple and often successful step in learning where to find recently deleted files on Windows. If your file is there, recovery is straightforward.

1. Locate the Recycle Bin: Find the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and double-click it to open.
2. Browse or Search: Look through the list of deleted files. You can sort files by name, date deleted, original location, or size to help you find the file you're looking for. If you know the file name, you can use the search bar in the top-right corner of the Recycle Bin window.

If you can't find your file in the Recycle Bin, it means the file was either permanently deleted (using Shift+Delete, emptying the Recycle Bin, etc.) or deleted from a location like a network drive or USB flash drive that doesn't use the Recycle Bin in the same way. In these cases, you'll need to explore other methods to find recently deleted files on Windows.

How to Find Recently Deleted Files on Windows: Beyond the Recycle Bin

When the Recycle Bin is empty or the file wasn't sent there, you need to look for alternative ways to recover your data. This section details several methods available within Windows that can help you how to find recently deleted files even after they've been permanently removed from the Recycle Bin.

Part 1: Recovering Deleted Files in Windows Without Third-Party Software

Windows offers several built-in features designed to help users recover lost or deleted files under certain conditions. Learning how to find recently deleted files using these methods can save you from needing external tools, provided you had the necessary configurations set up beforehand.

Way 1. Using the Command Prompt (Attrib Command)

Step 1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Click the Start button, type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2. Navigate to the Drive: Type the drive letter where the files were deleted, followed by a colon (e.g., D:) and press Enter.

Step 3. Run the Attrib Command: Type the following command and press Enter: attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.*

-h: Clears the Hidden file attribute.
-r: Clears the Read-only file attribute.
-s: Clears the System file attribute.
/s: Processes matching files in the current folder and all subfolders.
/d: Includes directories in the processing.
*.*: Matches all files and folders.

Step 4. Check the Drive: After the command executes, navigate to the drive in File Explorer and see if any files or folders that were previously invisible are now accessible.

Way 2. Restoring via Backup and Restore

If you previously used this tool to create system images or file backups, you might be able to find recently deleted files by restoring from a saved backup. This method requires proactive preparation by setting up backups before the files are lost.

Step 1. Open Backup and Restore: Type Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in the Start search bar and open the control panel item.

Step 2. Click the "Restore my files" button.

Step 3. Browse for Files/Folders: Use the "Browse for files" or "Browse for folders" options to navigate through the content of your backup and locate the deleted files or folders.

Step 4. Choose where you want to restore the files (either their original location or a different location).

Step 6. Click "Restore" to begin the process.

Way 3. Leveraging the Windows File Recovery Tool

Windows File Recovery is a command-line utility released by Microsoft for Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) and Windows 11. It's designed to recover files that have been permanently deleted from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards. It's a more advanced tool and requires using the Command Prompt, which can be a barrier for some users looking for how to find recently deleted files in a simpler way.

Windows File Recovery offers different modes for recovery depending on the file system (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, ReFS) and the data loss scenario.

Step 1. Install Windows File Recovery: Download and install it from the Microsoft Store. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Search for cmd, right-click, and "Run as administrator."

Step 2. The basic syntax is winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]. You need to specify the source drive (where files were lost) and a different destination drive for recovery.

Step 3. Construct and execute the command based on your situation. For example, to recover deleted .jpg files from drive C: to drive D: using Extensive mode: winfr C: D: /extensive /n *.jpg

Way 4. Utilizing File History

File History is a backup feature introduced in Windows 8 and available in Windows 10 and 11. It automatically backs up versions of your files located in Libraries, Desktop, Contacts, and Favorites to an external drive or network location. If File History was enabled before your files were deleted, you can easily restore previous versions. This is an excellent method for users who regularly backup and want to know how to find recently deleted files quickly.

Step 1. Open "Control Panel" by typing it in the search bar and then click "System and Security".

Step 2. Select "Restore your files with File History" under the "File History" tab.

Step 3. Click the "Restore personal files" button.

Step 4. If you directly click "Restore", the deleted Excel files will be sent to their original location. Then, you can find the files there.

Way 5. Exploring the Restore Previous Versions Feature

The "Restore previous versions" feature is based on System Protection, which creates restore points and copies of files and folders (called shadow copies) as part of those restore points. If System Protection was enabled for the drive where your files were deleted, you might be able to restore a previous version of the folder containing the lost files. 

Step 1. Navigate to the folder where the deleted file was originally stored. Right-click on the folder and select "Properties." Click on the "Previous Versions" tab.

Step 2. A list of available previous versions of the folder will be displayed, along with dates and times. Select a version from before you deleted the file.

Step 3. View, Copy, or Restore:

Click "Open" to view the contents of the folder at that specific time and manually copy the file out.

Click "Copy" to copy the folder version to a new location.

Click "Restore" to replace the current version of the folder with the selected previous version (use with caution, as this will overwrite the current state of the folder).

Part 2. How to Find Recently Deleted Files via Third-Party Data Recovery Tool

While Windows provides several useful built-in tools, their effectiveness for recovering permanently deleted files is often limited by factors like prior backup setup, the complexity of command-line interfaces, or whether the data has been overwritten. For comprehensive and user-friendly data recovery, especially for files not found in the Recycle Bin and without prior backups, a dedicated third-party data recovery tool is often the most reliable solution to find recently deleted files on Windows.

AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies complex disk operations, including the often daunting task of data recovery. It's built to handle a wide range of scenarios, making it a versatile tool for anyone managing their Windows computer's storage. Its inclusion of a powerful data recovery feature means you don't necessarily need separate software for basic disk management and file recovery – it offers a consolidated solution.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

Tips for Preventing Future Data Loss

While knowing how to find recently deleted files on Windows is essential, preventing data loss in the first place is always the best approach. Here are a few quick tips:

Regular Backups: Implement a consistent backup strategy using File History, Backup and Restore, cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox), or dedicated backup software.

Use the Recycle Bin: Don't bypass the Recycle Bin unnecessarily (avoid Shift + Delete) so you have a chance to restore files easily.

Save Frequently: Get into the habit of saving your work often, especially when working on important documents.

Be Cautious with Deletion: Double-check files before permanently deleting them or emptying the Recycle Bin.

Install Antivirus Software: Protect your system from malware that could corrupt or delete files.

Ending

Losing important files can be a stressful experience, but as this guide demonstrates, you have several options available to help you how to find recently deleted files on Windows. While Windows' native tools can be effective under specific conditions, they often require prior setup or involve complex interfaces. AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery offers a more reliable and user-friendly solution to find recently deleted files. Its comprehensive scanning capabilities and intuitive interface make it an excellent option for both novice and experienced users facing data loss.

By understanding the different methods available and acting quickly when a file is deleted, you significantly increase your chances of successful recovery. Implementing regular backup practices is also key to minimizing the impact of future data loss incidents.