When a file is deleted from your laptop, it may seem like it’s gone forever. However, with the right tools and techniques, you can often recover deleted files easily. Here are some tips on how to find and restore deleted files on a laptop.
Check the Recycle Bin
The first place to check when a file goes missing is the Recycle Bin in Windows or Trash in Mac OS. When you delete a file, it gets moved here unless you permanently delete it by shift-deleting. To check the Recycle Bin in Windows, open it from the desktop or File Explorer. On a Mac, look in the Trash folder. If the file you need is there, simply restore it to its original location.
Use File Recovery Software
If the file isn’t in the Recycle Bin, your next step should be to use data recovery software. Applications like Recuva, TestDisk, PhotoRec, and EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard scan your hard drive to find files that have been deleted. Here are some tips when using file recovery software:
- Install the software on another drive, not the one the files were deleted from. This prevents overwriting the deleted data.
- Scan the drive thoroughly – a quick scan may not find all deleted files.
- Look in less obvious folder locations where the deleted files may have been saved.
- Sort through the list of found files carefully based on name and file size.
Restore from Backup
Another way to retrieve deleted files is to restore them from a backup. If you regularly back up your laptop to an external drive or cloud storage, you should be able to find previous versions of missing files. Connect your backup drive, open the backup software, and look for the lost file in the file tree. Restore it back to its original location on your laptop.
Recover from the Cloud
If you use cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, check there for copies of the deleted files. Most cloud services save previous versions of files and allow you to restore them. Log into your cloud account and browse for the file – if it was synced before deletion, you should find a copy to download back to your laptop.
Check Your Email
Another place to look for deleted files is your email. If you emailed the file to someone or attached it to an email draft, you may still have a copy in your email account. Search through your sent items, drafts, and any inbox folders for the missing file. With Gmail, you can search specifically for attachments and recover files you thought were gone.
Use System Restore
Windows has a System Restore feature that lets you roll back system files, settings, and programs to an earlier restore point. If you created a restore point before the file was deleted, you may be able to get it back by restoring to that point. Open the System Restore utility and pick a date before the file was deleted to initiate the restore process.
Recover from iCloud
For Mac users, iCloud is another source to recover deleted files. Open the iCloud website and see if the missing file is in your iCloud Drive or Photos library. Files deleted from your Mac may still be in the cloud if they were synced. You can download the files back to your laptop from iCloud.
Use Time Machine
Macs running Time Machine automatically back up files periodically to an external drive. Connect the Time Machine backup drive to your Mac, enter Time Machine, and browse for earlier versions of the deleted files. Select a version to restore from before the deletion occurred.
Check the Trash Folder
On a Mac, deleted files get moved to the Trash folder. Open the Trash folder and see if the missing file is still there. You can right click on files in the Trash and select “Put Back” to restore them to their original location. However, the Trash gets emptied periodically so don’t count on finding deleted files there.
Scan with Data Recovery Software
If a file was permanently deleted from the Trash or wasn’t moved there, use data recovery software like Disk Drill to scan for it. This will scan your hard drive and external drives to find files marked for deletion. Make sure to install and run the software from another drive, not the one you are scanning.
Restore Deleted Photos
If you use iCloud Photos, deleted pictures may still be in your iCloud storage. Open the Photos app on your Mac, click Photos > Preferences > iCloud and see if the deleted photos are still in the cloud. You can download them back to your Mac from there. Check the “Recently Deleted” folder too.
Restore Previous Versions
Microsoft Office apps like Word and Excel save auto-recovery versions of files, so you may find previous copies there. On Windows, look in C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. On Mac, go to ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.[OfficeApp]/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery.
Use Shadow Explorer
Shadow Explorer is a forensic tool that can find deleted files on an NTFS file system by scanning shadow copies. Shadow copies are created by Windows as part of System Restore. Install Shadow Explorer, scan your system, and see if it can find traces of the deleted files.
Send the Drive to a Lab
As a last resort, you can remove the hard drive from the laptop and send it to a data recovery lab. They have specialized forensic tools to thoroughly scan drives and recover even permanently deleted files. This costs hundreds of dollars but may be worth it for critical, irreplaceable files.
Prevent File Deletion
While it’s possible to recover deleted files in many cases, prevention is always better than trying to recover them later. Here are some tips:
- Be careful when deleting files – always check the Recycle Bin afterwards.
- Backup regularly to both a local drive and cloud storage.
- Use versioning in cloud services like Google Drive.
- Enable automatic file recovery in Office.
- Turn on System Restore and create regular restore points.
Following good backup practices will help minimize how often you need to restore deleted files. But if a file does disappear, use the methods outlined here to get it back. With the right tools and techniques, you can often recover accidentally deleted files, even if they weren’t backed up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can files be recovered after emptying Recycle Bin?
Yes, it’s often possible to restore files even after emptying the Recycle Bin. Recovery software can scan the hard drive and find traces of the deleted data. Just don’t save anything new to the drive, as this overwrites deleted file fragments.
Is it possible to recover permanently deleted files?
Usually it’s possible to recover even permanently deleted files, unless they have been completely overwritten by new data saved to the drive. Recovery software looks for file fragments that were marked for deletion but still exist on the hard drive.
Can you recover deleted files after a system restore?
System Restore erases all files and changes made after the restore point. So files deleted after the restore point was made will be gone. However, you may be able to recover them from a backup or with file recovery software.
What’s the best free deleted file recovery software?
Some good free options include Recuva, TestDisk, PhotoRec, and EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free. Each has different strengths – Recuva is one of the easiest to use while TestDisk works well with lost partitions.
When deleted files are recovered, can they be restored to original location?
Most file recovery tools allow you to specify a folder location to save the recovered files to. Typically you’ll want to save them to a different location than where they were originally stored. But yes, you can choose to restore them to the same folder if desired.
Conclusion
While accidentally deleting files can be frustrating, there are many ways to get them back. Always start by checking less obvious places like the Recycle Bin, email, and cloud storage. If that fails, use recovery software to scan for deleted file fragments. With the right tools, there’s a good chance of restoring lost files and avoiding data loss disaster. Just make sure to backup regularly so you never have to rely on recovery.
