Can you recover deleted files?
Yes, in many cases it is possible to recover deleted files. When you delete a file, the operating system does not immediately wipe the data from your storage device. Instead, it marks the space taken up by the deleted file as available to be overwritten. As long as new data hasn’t yet overwritten the deleted file’s data, recovery is often possible.
How are deleted files recovered?
There are a few different ways to attempt recovery of deleted files:
Restore from backup
If you have a backup of your files, you can simply restore the deleted file from your backup. This is the easiest way to recover lost data. Make sure you regularly backup your important files.
Use file recovery software
Special file recovery software can scan your device’s storage and look for files that have been marked as deleted but not yet overwritten. Popular recovery programs include Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Stellar Data Recovery, and TestDisk.
Recover from the Recycle Bin (Windows)
On Windows computers, deleted files get sent to the Recycle Bin by default. As long as you haven’t emptied the Recycle Bin, you can often recover deleted files easily by looking in the Recycle Bin and restoring them to their original location.
What affects the chances of recovery success?
Several factors influence whether a deleted file can be recovered:
How long ago was the file deleted?
The sooner you attempt to recover a deleted file, the higher your chances of success. The longer you wait, the more likely the operating system has overwritten the data.
Has new data been saved?
If you or apps have created new files to fill up disk space, the new data may have overwritten the old deleted data. Less disk activity improves recovery odds.
Was the file fully written to disk?
Files that were in the process of being copied, downloaded, uploaded, or edited may not have been fully written to disk before deletion, making recovery difficult.
What storage medium is involved?
Deleted files are easier to recover from traditional hard drives compared to solid-state drives. SSDs can transparently overwrite deleted data faster.
How can you avoid needing file recovery?
Some best practices to avoid needing deleted file recovery include:
- Be extra careful when deleting files to avoid mistakes.
- Back up important files regularly.
- Use version history/file recovery built into apps like Microsoft Office.
- Redirect the Recycle Bin to another disk.
- Disable automatic emptying of the Recycle Bin.
Following a careful file deletion and backup process will minimize situations where you need to resort to file recovery software or services.
Can you recover permanently deleted files?
Files deleted from solid-state drives or using a program to securely delete files are much harder to recover. Secure deletion overwrites the file’s data to prevent recovery. However, traces of the old data may remain and specialized data recovery firms claim to recover even some securely deleted files. This costs hundreds or thousands of dollars and there’s no guarantee of success. Generally, securely deleted files are considered unrecoverable.
How do file recovery services work?
File recovery services employ data recovery experts with specialized equipment and software to attempt recovering lost files, even from storage devices that won’t boot. They first make a clone of your device to avoid any risk of overwriting the deleted data. Then they use proprietary recovery methods and tools to salvage deleted files from the disk clone, minimizing damage to the original. If successful, you’ll be provided copies of the recovered files.
How can you recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin?
If you’ve deleted files on your Windows computer, first check the Recycle Bin. Unless you’ve specifically emptied the Recycle Bin, deleted files are often still recoverable from there:
- Open the Recycle Bin from the desktop icon or from File Explorer.
- Look for your deleted files listed inside.
- Select the file(s) you want to recover.
- Choose Restore the selected items from the Manage tab or ribbon.
This will restore the deleted files back to their original location. However, the Recycle Bin does have limited storage quota so older deleted files will get purged over time.
Can you recover deleted files after emptying the Recycle Bin?
If you have emptied the Recycle Bin, deleting files completely from your PC, there is still hope for file recovery. The data is not immediately gone from the hard drive. File recovery software can often salvage deleted files from your system if they haven’t yet been overwritten.
Follow these steps:
- Avoid creating new files that could overwrite the deleted data.
- Download and install a file recovery app like Recuva.
- Scan your disk drives for recoverable files.
- Preview found files to identify the ones you want to restore.
- Recover the deleted files to a safe location.
Just don’t save the recovered files back to the same disk location, as this risks overwriting the deleted data for good.
Can you recover deleted files after a hard drive format?
Formatting a hard drive erases all its data, which makes recovering deleted files after a format much harder. But not necessarily impossible.
This is because formatting doesn’t directly overwrite existing files, but rather resets the file system’s structure. File data still physically resides on the disk until overwritten.
A format data recovery process involves:
- Don’t use the newly formatted drive to avoid overwrites.
- Attach the formatted drive to another computer if needed.
- Run professional format recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery.
- Let the deep scan recover old file data fragments.
- Save recovered files to another safe drive.
Formatting deletes file system structure, not the raw file data itself. But don’t wait too long as recovering files after format becomes less likely over time.
Can files be recovered after reinstalling Windows?
Reinstalling Windows or resetting your PC to factory condition also removes access to your files. This does not immediately delete them from the hard disk. File recovery software can restore lost files after Windows reinstallation as long as the data remains intact.
Follow these steps:
- After reinstall, don’t save anything new to the disk.
- Connect the hard drive to another working computer if needed.
- Use a tool like Recuva or TestDisk to scan and recover orphaned files.
- Browse the recovered files and copy important ones to safe storage.
Again, it’s a race against time before older deleted data gets overwritten by new operating system files.
Can you recover files after a system crash?
An operating system crash or boot failure can lead to files seeming to vanish from your hard drive. The files themselves are still physically stored on the disk, but the directories pointing to them may have corrupted.
Recovery in this scenario involves:
- Troubleshoot the crashed system to recover bootability if possible.
- Alternatively, connect the drive as secondary storage on another system.
- Use recovery software to scan disk sectors and rebuild file directories.
- Repair corrupted system files using SFC and DISM tools.
This can reconstruct lost files by rebuilding file tables from raw sector data. Assumes the crash did not physically damage the disk drive hardware.
How can you recover deleted files from the cloud?
If you use cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, deleted files may be recoverable from the cloud. Most cloud services use versioning and keep file history for a time after deletion.
To restore deleted cloud files:
- Log into your cloud account online.
- Check the “Recycle Bin” or “Trash” for your files.
- Alternatively, browse file version history to find deleted copies.
- Restore or copy the files back to your synced folders.
Recovering files from the cloud is usually easier than traditional file recovery from a disk. But cloud version history still expires eventually, requiring timely action.
Can you recover deleted files from a USB drive?
USB flash drives use flash memory rather than magnetic hard disks. This makes recovery slightly different after deleting files from a USB drive.
Possible recovery methods include:
- Using recovery software to scan and restore recently deleted files.
- Attaching the USB drive to another device to access the raw storage.
- Repairing corrupted flash drive partitions to make files accessible again.
- Taking extreme measures like specialized chip-off recovery for unique files.
Flash memory is quick to overwrite deleted data. So recover lost USB files immediately before they’re gone for good.
How can you increase chances of successful file recovery?
Some tips to maximize your chances of recovering deleted files successfully:
- Act quickly before deleted data is overwritten with new files.
- Avoid writing anything new to the storage device involved.
- Use read-only disk cloning tools for highest fidelity.
- Handle storage devices carefully to prevent physical damage.
- Store recovered files separately from originals.
- Use reputable file recovery apps from vendors like Recuva, Stellar, EaseUS, etc.
The sooner you attempt file recovery, the better. Don’t install recovery software or save recovered files back to the same drive as this can worsen instead of help recovery chances.
Can deleted files be recovered after a factory reset?
Resetting a phone or other device back to factory default settings wipes user data. Your photos, messages, downloads, and other personal files seem to vanish.
Professional recovery companies claim it may still be possible to restore lost files after a factory reset by:
- Leaving the reset device completely untouched to avoid further data loss.
- Cloning the device’s internal flash storage chip bit-for-bit.
- Scanning the complete memory dump for leftover file fragments.
- Reassembling pieces of fragmented files back into usable form.
This requires advanced expertise and specialized tools. Average users are unlikely to recover lost files themselves after a factory reset.
Can you recover deleted photos?
Yes, deleted photos can often be recovered. Photos are typically large files so the data is often still present on disk even after deletion. To recover deleted photos:
- Avoid taking new photos that could overwrite the deleted ones.
- Use a photo recovery app like Stellar Photo Recovery.
- Let the program scan storage devices for recoverable image files.
- Preview and restore the deleted photos you want to keep.
Follow prompt action with photo recovery software for the best results. The same principles apply as recovering any other files after deletion.
Can you recover permanently deleted photos?
If you used a secure deletion tool to permanently destroy photos, they are likely unrecoverable. However, some traces of image data may still remain allowing partial recovery.
Specialized data recovery firms may be able to reconstruct some permanently deleted photos using techniques like:
- Reading magnetic remnants on HDD platters.
- Extracting flash storage chip contents at the transistor level.
- Mathematical recovery of fragmented JPEG blocks.
This is an expensive, lengthy process with no guarantee of success. Average users cannot typically recover permanently deleted photos on their own.
How can you recover deleted photos from the cloud?
If you stored photos on a cloud service like Google Photos before deletion, check whether they are recoverable:
- Log into your cloud account online.
- Navigate to the “Trash” or recovery tool.
- Search and browse for your deleted photos.
- Restore the images back to your account.
Most cloud services keep deleted file versions for a limited time. But eventually cloud storage will also permanently purge deleted data, requiring prompt action.
How do data recovery services work?
Data recovery services employ experts with custom tools and techniques to recover lost files. The general process goes like:
- You ship your damaged media like drives or phones to the company.
- They carefully extract the memory chips or platters.
- Devices are dissembled in a dust-free cleanroom.
- The storage contents are cloned bit-for-bit.
- File recovery software scans the full clone for lost data.
- Recovered files are copied to new storage media.
- The recovered data is shipped back to you.
This is for recovery cases too complex for average users to tackle on their own. Expect high costs but recovery success is never guaranteed.
Conclusion
While accidentally deleting files can be devastating, there are often multiple options for getting them back through file and data recovery techniques. Acting quickly before the lost files’ storage sectors get overwritten with new data is the primary factor for increasing your chances of successful recovery. Keep regular file backups, use recycle bins cautiously, install recovery software in advance, and consider enlisting professional recovery services for complex cases. With some effort, restoring accidentally deleted files is possible in many deletion scenarios. Just don’t wait too long before acting.