Ultimate Guide to Windows Restore Files: Recovering Your Lost Data

It's a heart-sinking moment for any Windows user: realizing that an important file, or perhaps a whole folder, has vanished. Whether it's due to an accidental click, a software glitch, or an unexpected system shutdown, the need to Windows restore files is a common and often stressful experience.

Many users wonder if their data is gone for good, especially when dealing with seemingly permanent deletions. This guide will walk you through various methods to recover your lost information, covering everything from built-in Windows utilities for tasks like trying to restore deleted files from Windows 10 to advanced third-party solutions. We'll explore how these tools work and provide step-by-step instructions to help you reclaim your valuable data.

Can Windows restore files deleted?

The short answer is often yes, Windows can help restore deleted files, but the success rate depends on several factors. When you delete a file in Windows, it usually goes to the Recycle Bin. From there, recovery is straightforward.

However, if you've emptied the Recycle Bin or used Shift + Delete, the files are considered "permanently deleted." Even then, the data isn't immediately erased from your hard drive. Instead, the space occupied by the deleted file is marked as available for new data. Until this space is overwritten by new files, there's a good chance you can restore permanently deleted files Windows 11 or 10. The key is to act quickly and avoid writing new data to the drive where the files were lost.

This section will delve into the mechanisms behind file deletion and the possibilities for recovery. Understanding this can significantly improve your chances when you need to perform a Windows restore deleted files operation.

How to recover permanently deleted files from Windows tools

When files are no longer in the Recycle Bin, you might think they are gone forever. However, Windows itself provides a couple of built-in utilities that can help you restore permanently deleted files Windows 11 and 10, provided certain features were enabled beforehand or you're comfortable with command-line interfaces.

These native tools can be your first line of defense before turning to specialized software. We will explore how to leverage File History and the Windows File Recovery tool to attempt a Windows restore files process.

Way 1. Using File History to Restore Deleted Files Windows 10 and 11

File History is a fantastic backup feature in Windows that, if enabled, regularly saves copies of your files in selected folders to an external drive or network location. This makes it a reliable option to restore deleted files Windows 10 and even find older versions of existing files.

Step 1. Ensure File History is Active

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

Step 2. Access File History

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

Step 3. Locate Your Files

Click the "Restore personal files" button.

Step 4. Preview and Restore

If you directly click "Restore", the deleted Excel files will be sent to their original location. If you right-click "Restore", you can save them in your specific location.

Way 2. Leveraging Windows File Recovery for Windows Restore Deleted Files

For users who need to attempt to restore permanently deleted files windows 11 or 10 and didn't have File History enabled, or if the files weren't in a monitored folder, Microsoft offers a command-line tool called Windows File Recovery. It's a more technical option but can be quite powerful.

Step 1. Install Windows File Recovery.

Open the Microsoft Store app on your Windows 10 (version 2004 or newer) or Windows 11 PC. Search for "Windows File Recovery." Click "Get" to download and install the tool.

Step 2. Understand the Basics.

Windows File Recovery uses the winfr command. The basic syntax is

winfr source-drive: destination-drive: /switches.

• source-drive: The drive where the files were lost (e.g., C:).
• destination-drive: A different drive where recovered files will be saved (e.g., D:). Never restore files to the same drive they were lost from, as this can overwrite data.

Choose a Mode: Windows File Recovery offers several modes:
▍Default mode: Uses the Master File Table (MFT) to locate lost files. Best for recently deleted files on NTFS formatted drives.
Eg: winfr C: D: /n Users\\Documents\MyFile.docx (to recover a specific file)
Eg: winfr C: D: /n Users\\Pictures\*.PNG /n Users\\Pictures\*.JPG (to recover all PNG and JPG files from Pictures folder)
▍Segment mode (/r): Recovers files using file record segments. Slower than Default mode but more thorough.
Eg: winfr C: D: /r /n *.pdf (to recover all PDF files from drive C:)
▍Signature mode (/x): Recovers files by looking for specific file types. Useful for recovering files from non-NTFS drives or when other modes fail. It supports various file types like JPG, PNG, PDF, DOCX, MP3, MP4, etc.
Eg: winfr C: D: /x /y:PDF,JPEG (recovers all PDF and JPEG files from drive C:)

Step 3. Run the Command

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as an administrator. Type your winfr command based on your situation and press Enter. The tool will scan the drive and attempt to recover the files to the specified destination. This can take a significant amount of time depending on the drive size and the mode used.

Step 4. Review Recovered Files

Once the process is complete, navigate to the recovery folder on your destination drive to check the recovered files.

Way 3. Recovering Files from Previous Versions (Shadow Copies)

Beyond File History, Windows also has a feature called "Previous Versions" which comes from restore points or shadow copies that your system may automatically create. This can sometimes help you restore deleted files Windows 10 or 11, or revert a folder to an earlier state.

Step 1. Navigate to the Folder

Open File Explorer and go to the folder where the deleted file(s) were located.

Step 2. Access Properties

Right-click on the folder (or the parent folder if the specific folder was deleted).

Step 3. Select "Previous Versions"

In the context menu, click on "Restore previous versions" or "Properties" and then navigate to the "Previous Versions" tab.

Step 4. Browse Versions

You will see a list of available previous versions of the folder, along with the dates they were backed up. Select a version that predates the deletion of your files.

Step 5. Restore or Copy

You can click "Open" or "Open in File History" to view the contents of the folder then and manually copy the files you need to a safe location. Alternatively, you can click "Restore." Be cautious with this option, as it will revert the entire folder to its state at that selected time, potentially overwriting any changes made since then. It's often safer to open and copy individual files.

This method is most effective if System Protection is turned on for the drive in question, as this feature is responsible for creating restore points and shadow copies. 

Easily perform Windows restore files via third-party data recovery

While Windows offers some native tools, they might not always be sufficient, especially for complex data loss scenarios or if you're looking for a more user-friendly interface. This is where third-party data recovery software comes into play, offering a more comprehensive and often easier way to restore permanently deleted files Windows 11 and 10.

One highly recommended solution in this category is AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery, which includes a robust data recovery solution. This section will introduce this software and guide you through using it to effectively windows restore files.

💪🏼 A comprehensive toolkit designed for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server data recovery.
⭕ It's specifically built to retrieve lost or deleted files from various storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards.
✨ Available for various cases such as accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes, virus attacks, or partition loss, this tool offers a high chance of recovery.
🔎 Advanced scanning algorithms to thoroughly search the selected drive for recoverable files, supporting over 2000 file types, including photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and archives.
🧐 Users can preview recoverable files before committing to the recovery process, ensuring they retrieve the correct data.

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. Thus, the answer to where to find recently deleted files on Windows depends on the path you choose to store while recovering.

To sum up

Losing important files can be a distressing experience, but as this guide has shown, there are numerous ways to approach Windows to restore files. Windows built-in options can be effective first steps.

For more challenging recovery scenarios or users seeking a more intuitive and powerful solution AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery provides a comprehensive, user-friendly method to scan for and retrieve lost files from various storage devices.