Does deleting files on your computer actually delete them? 4 Ways to Restore them.
What happens when you delete a file from your computer?
Ways to recover deleted files on your computer
1-Recover Deleted Files from the Recycle Bin
2-Recover Deleted File using Free Software
3-Deleted Files Recovery Without Software
4-Recover Deleted Files Using Command Prompt
Jet Data: Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Any Storage Device
Delete files permanently for good without being Recovered
Our laptop or PC contains some data that we cannot afford to lose. But sometimes, while doing multiple tasks, we accidentally delete any important file on the PC. This article will discuss does deleting files on your computer actually delete them and how to recover deleted files for free.
So, let’s get started.
What happens when you delete a file from your computer?
Operating systems such as Windows keep track of file location on the hard drive through specific pointers. Each file has a pointer indicating where the file’s data begins and ends. Windows also remove the pointer to that file when a user deletes a file and marks the previously occupied sector as available.
The hard drive has its copy, although data is not visible to you on the file location. Data is recoverable until Windows writes data over the sector containing contents of the previous file.
Ways to recover files deleted on your computer
The following are some ways to recover deleted files on your computer.
1-Recover Files from the Recycle Bin
If you have simply deleted the file and did not click on “Empty Recycle Bin” afterwards, it is effortless to recover deleted files. The following are steps to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin.
Step 1: Open Recycle Bin and select the file you want to recover.
Step 2: Right-click on the file and select “Restore.”
Step 3: It will retrieve the deleted file to its original location. You can then access the file from that location.
2-Recover Deleted or Lost File using Free Software
If you have emptied Recycle Bin, you can recover files using data recovery software. There are two well-reputed and free to use data recovery software available, which are as follows.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS is a free data recovery software that is easy to use with its user-friendly interface.
The following are the steps to recover data using EaseUS.
- Download EaseUS software for free and install it.
- Launch the software and select the file location to recover data. Click the “Scan” button to continue.
- After scanning, select the “Deleted Files” and “Other Lost Files” folders in the left panel. Apply the “Filter” feature or click the “Search files or folders” to find your desired deleted files.
- Once located, click the “Recover” button and save the restored files.
Note: Do not save recovered files to the partition it was lost to avoid overwriting the file.
Recuva Data Recovery Software
Recuva is a free to use software to help recover accidentally deleted or lost files from a computer. It supports multiple formats for recovery from memory cards, external hard drive, USB and more. Moreover, it can also help recover data from damaged or newly formatted drives. Follow the given steps to recover data using Recuva.
- Download and install Recuva.
- When you launch the app, it guides you through the recovery process.
- Next, choose the file types you want to restore. If not sure, click on Other to show all supported file formats and select one type.
- Select the location of the file where it was initially located. You can also choose “I’m not sure” to make the software search everywhere on the computer.
- Wait until the completion of the scan for deleted files.
- After completion, it will show the files with a red and green dot showing the probability of restoring them without any damage.
- Select “Recover” to restore files.
You can also use Recuva’s Deep Scan option to search thoroughly. But it takes more time than usual depending upon the computer’s speed.
Note: It may not work with corrupted, overwritten or securely deleted files. However, the best practice is to recover data as soon as you find out that a file has been deleted.
3-Files Recovery After Deleting Without Software
Through Backup available in your laptop’s Windows, you can restore files. If you have clicked on “Empty Recycle Bin” and do not want to use any third-party software to recover deleted files from your PC, this method is for you. Follow the given steps to recover lost or deleted files without using any software.
- Open Control Panel.
- Go to “File History” and then “Restore personal files.”
- You can use navigation keys to select the desired files.
- Click the green “Restore” button to restore deleted files to their original location.
Note: If your laptop shows that the destination already has a file named warning, select Replace the file in the destination” option to recover files.
4-Recover Deleted or Lost Files Using Command Prompt
Another method to recover files that you have accidentally deleted is through a command prompt by following the given steps.
- Write cmd in the Start menu search bar.
- Choose Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator.
- Type chkdsk #: /f in the command prompt window. Replace # with your hard drive name letter and hit Enter.
- Now type ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /F F:*.* and replace the letter F with your hard drive letter. Press Enter again.
- The recovery process will start immediately after it.
- Wait until the entire process completes, and then check the file in a location where it was deleted.
Jet Data: Recover Permanently Deleted or Lost Files from Any Storage Device
Suppose you have tried the methods mentioned above to restore files from your computer and, unfortunately, none of them works for you, or your data is not worthy of applying any DIY. In that case, the best and only option is to connect with professionals immediately.
Jet Data provides excellent service via its team of experienced and professional data recovery specialists. The team helps recover data from damaged or failing hard drives, SSDs, or other storage devices. They utilize the best tools and equipment to provide the highest chances of successful data recovery service. Jet Data Recovery service also offers RAID and other data recovery requirements. You can also rest assured that your data’s privacy will be wholly maintained while specialists handle your storage devices.
Jet Data has thousands of happy customers, ensuring the quality service provided by the platform.
Contact the Jet Data Recovery team today to recover your precious lost data from any storage device with 100% customer satisfaction.
Start your data recovery journey with Jet Data Here.
Delete files permanently for good without being Recovered
Sometimes you may have confidential data such as financial documents or any other personal data that you may be worried that someone could recover if you delete the file, and you want to prevent the file recovery.
In that case, you can use software such as CCleaner to automatically wipe the free space of your hard drive by writing over the free space. In this way, all deleted files will be permanently erased from the computer.
You can also use a disk wiping software DBAN. It will remove everything from your computer, including the Operating System, by overwriting with dummy data. This method is helpful if you are getting rid of your laptop and want to make sure all files are deleted forever. You will have to use a CD and boot from it to do so.
You can also watch this video to recover deleted or lost data from your laptop or PC.