While cleaning the memory on your PC, did you accidentally delete files that are important to you, like a document with your Woo Casino login or photos from your last vacation? You still have a chance to get them back. Here’s how to recover deleted files with Windows tools and third-party programs.
Can Files Always Be Recovered
Not always.
You will 100% be able to recover files that you have deleted to the Recycle Bin and look there first.
Sometimes files are deleted by bypassing the Bin (e.g. by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Del), and the Bin itself is cleared. Sometimes you don’t remember at all who, what, and how exactly deleted the file, but just see that it is neither in place nor in the recycle garbage can. In such cases, the possibility of recovery depends on several factors:
- 1. If you have backed up your lost files or set up automatic backups in advance, you are very likely to recover them (see the next section).
- 2. If you don’t have a backup, you can try to recover your deleted files using special programs – there is no built-in Windows tool. There is no guarantee of recovery either: there are several circumstances that affect the probability of getting back the lost information.
If you have lost files, they aren’t in the Bin, and you have not set up a backup, try to do the least amount of activity on your computer until the recovery procedure is complete. Don’t install or uninstall programs, or copy or delete files.
How to Restore Deleted Files From Your Computer From a Backup
Windows, starting with version 8.1, provides a recovery option – file history backup. To use it, set up data archiving on your hard drive, internal or external.
Turning on the backup won’t help if the files have already been deleted. Manual or automatic backups need to be set up in advance so that you have something to restore your information with.
Backups take up a lot of space if you back up everything. However, we recommend backing up at least the most important data for you – documents, photos, and computer game saves.
The Best Programs
Many programs allow you to find and recover erased files. Including those that you deleted a long time ago. There are important nuances.
Every file on your PC takes up physical space on the disk. If you erase a file, it frees up space. So, you can restore a file if the space it was occupying is not overwritten by another file. That’s why you should limit any activity with your PC as soon as you discover a missing file. Don’t delete other files to the trash, don’t copy, install or uninstall programs – first try to recover what is lost. If the file was deleted a long time ago, there is a high probability that its place has already been taken – there is no way to restore such a file for sure.
At least once a month defragment your computer’s disks. Firstly, it will speed up your computer a little, and secondly, it will increase the chances of recovering deleted files, if necessary.
If your PC doesn’t have a file recovery program, you will have to download and install it. It’s good if the developers suggest downloading a version that doesn’t require installation (portable version) – download it and save it to a flash drive, not to the built-in disk of your PC. From the flash drive and run.
Here are some good programs, that all work on a similar principle:
- 1. Recuva is a free product with both manual and automatic search capabilities. The interface is simple and clear, and the available functionality allows you to recover 8 out of 10 previously deleted files. The availability of the Russian language significantly simplifies the work, and the advanced mode capabilities allow you to optimally adjust the search to your personal needs.
- 2. Saver is another free app for working with a variety of drives. The integrated assistant significantly simplifies interaction with the program, and flexible settings allow you to search using several algorithms at once.
- 3. R-studio is a premium product. It utilizes special analysis technologies and can search a wide variety of file systems. It’s capable of recovering data even from severely damaged HDDs. Many useful tools have been implemented, but you will have to pay about $80 for their use.
- 4. GetDataBack is another paid product with excellent functionality. This app can be used to efficiently recover files of various types. And even on drives with a corrupted boot area. In its work, the program uses a three-step format to search for deleted information, and its seamless interaction is implemented with various media and file systems. The product costs $79. For this money, the user gets access to all versions of GetDataBack.
This is just a short list of all available apps. Each has its features, and the ineffectiveness of one product doesn’t deprive the chances of successful recovery of the required objects at all. If necessary, you can turn to specialists for professional recovery. But even in this case, no one will guarantee a positive result. Therefore, it’s better to regularly copy important data to the “cloud” or removable media.
Also Read More:- Top 5 Free Programs for Remote Computer Management
