How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from PC with or Without Software

Can Permanently Deleted Files Be Recovered

Yes, you can recover permanently deleted files.

Are permanently deleted files gone forever? When you delete a file or folder from your computer, it doesn't simply disappear from existence. Even if you immediately empty the Recycle Bin or the Trash folder, all your deletion does is mark the space that the file takes up on your hard drive as vacant. Thus, your permanently deleted files can be recovered if you know how.

Here are some effective ways to recover permanently deleted files from a PC.

Methods to undo permanent delete	User experience
🔁Restore from Recycle Bin	When you delete files on a PC using common deleting ways like pressing the Delete key or clicking Delete from the context menu. However, you can't restore deleted files with this solution if you remove files completely with the Shift+Delete keys or empty Recycle Bin.
✅Recover with file recovery software	This most efficient solution uses advanced and specialized deleted files recovery software to scan your hard disk and retrieve permanently deleted files. It is effective in most scenarios, and the recovery rate is very high compared with other approaches.
📀Restore from Backup	If you have created a backup of the files that were deleted, you can restore them from the backup. This method only works when you have a recent backup. You may lose your data permanently if you haven't backed up files beforehand.

How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files from Recycle Bin

How to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin? To recover deleted files in Windows 10 from the Recycle Bin on a PC or laptop:

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin by right-clicking its icon on your desktop.

Step 2. Select "Open" from the menu to view deleted files.

Step 3. Check the box to the left of the filename you want to restore.

Step 4. Right-click on the selected file and choose "Restore" to recover the file to its original location on Windows 10.

Have you tried the above method for restoring the Recycle Bin? If it's helpful, share it on your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

What if you find that the Recycle Bin is empty? What if the files you want to restore are unavailable in the Recycle Bin? How do you recover permanently deleted files from the Recycle Bin in these cases? The methods outlined below will help you out.

Check the video tutorial to restore permanently deleted files:

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from PC with Software

Support: recover permanently deleted files from a PC or laptop running Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or XP without backup. 

Most data recovery methods, including the ones built into Windows 10, require that you have a backup to restore your files. If you haven't got any backups, one of the options you can try is to use a data recovery program. There are many such programs on the market, and you can try the one that you think is good.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is one of those programs, and it's been in the market for several years.

• Recover lost or deleted files, documents, photos, audio, music, and emails effectively
• Recover deleted files from hard drive, emptied recycle bin, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders
• Support data recovery for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attacks, and system crashes under different situations

Now, download this data recovery tool and then follow the guide below to restore permanently deleted files on your PC with simple steps.

Step 1. Select a location and start scanning

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored. Click "Scan" to find lost files.

Step 2. Select the files you want to recover

When the scanning has finished, select the deleted files you want to recover. You can click on the filter to display only the file types you want. If you remember the file name, you can also search in the "Search files or folders" box, which is the fastest way to find the target file. 

Step 3. Preview and recover deleted files

Preview the recoverable files. Then, select files you want to restore and click "Recover" to store the files at a new storage locations instead of the disk where the data was previously lost.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files Free

EaseUS free data recovery software allows you to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10/8/7 for free as long as the data you lose is less than 2GB. If you want to recover more than 2GB or unlimited data, you need to go for EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro.

Hi Lola, if you can get hold of it try a software called EaseUS Data Recovery. In the past I was able to recover files that I permanently deleted from my computer by accident

— RICH (@RICH__UTD) July 23, 2021

How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files Without Software

If the deleted file recovery software is not your first preference, you can try File History to recover permanently deleted files. This method won't work if you don't have a data backup.

Recover Permanently Deleted Files on PC from Previous Versions

Support: Undo permanent file loss with File History backup. This method doesn't work without a backup.

If you enabled File History before getting your files deleted, you can use that feature to restore the deleted files on your computer. This method should work even if you deleted your files using the Shift + Delete method that removes your files for good. Do not attempt to use this method if you didn’t enable it before losing the files.

For Windows 11/10/8.1/8 users:

Step 1. Open the Start menu. 

Step 2. Type restore files and hit Enter on your keyboard.

Step 3. Look for the folder where your deleted files were stored.

Step 4. Select the "Restore" button in the middle to undelete Windows 10 files to their original location.

If the computer warns you that it already contains a file or folder with the same name, select "Replace the file in the destination" to return your permanently deleted files or folder.

For Windows 7 and older OS users:

This method may or may not work, but you can give it a shot to see if it helps you recover your permanently deleted files on Windows 7 and earlier.

Step 1. Create a new file or folder on the desktop and name it the same as the deleted file or folder.

Step 2. Right-click the new file or folder and choose "Restore previous versions". Windows will search for and list the previous versions of files or folders with this name along with their associated dates.

Step 3. Choose the latest version and click "Restore" to get your deleted file or folder back. 

Here are the complete methods recommended by Microsoft for recovering permanently deleted files from backup or previous versions on Windows 10 PC. To undelete permanent files in Windows 11, access from the link below.

Restore Permanently Deleted Files via Backup and Restore

Support: Bring lost files back using a previously created file or folder backup. This method won't work if there is no backup generated before.

If you have created a backup of all valuable files and folders on an external hard drive, you could effectively restore the lost files from the backup. Or, if you have turned on Windows Backup, you still have a chance.

Here's how to restore the deleted files and folders from Windows Backup:

Step 1. Open the Start menu. 

Step 2. Type backup and hit Enter on your keyboard.

Step 3. Select the "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" option under Looking for an older backup.

Step 4. Click the "Select another backup to restore files from" option and choose your backup.

Step 5. Click "Next" and follow the instructions to complete the recovery process.

Conclusion

If you enabled File Backup or Windows Backup prior to losing files, those file recovery methods should be your first choice to recover permanently deleted files. If you don't have any backups, don't panic; you can still recover your files. 

There are many data recovery tools on the market to help you out, and if you can't think of anything, start with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

We have listed different solutions to recover deleted files on a PC or laptop so that you can choose a method according to your needs: 

Does this tutorial resolve your problem? Help others discover it by sharing it on your social media.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files FAQs

Using the methods above, you can recover permanently deleted files and folders on your PC with ease. If you still have any issues restoring permanently deleted files on Mac, iPhone, Android, or Google Drive, the following instructions should help you.

1. Where Do Permanently Deleted Files Go?

If you permanently delete a file, you only remove the entry for that file and not the file itself. The file is removed from the file system tables, but it is not wiped off. In fact, it's still physically present on the hard disk.

Ideally, you should stop using the hard drive and then use a data recovery program to scan and recover the lost files. The sooner you do the data recovery after you delete your file, the better the chances of recovery will be.

2. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Cloud Drive?

Take Google Drive as an example:

Step 1. Move to drive.google.com/drive/trash.

Step 2. Right-click the file you want back and choose "Restore".

However, if you click "Deleted Forever" from the trash bin, it is hard to recover files from the trash bin in Google Drive. Read also and get more details: How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Google Drive

3. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files for Free?

There are many free software programs out there to help you recover deleted files on your devices. You can start with something like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free and see how it helps you get your lost files back. Tools like this usually work on all modern Windows versions, including Windows 10/8/7.

The steps to use these tools are usually as follows:

Step 1. Launch the free data recovery tool on your computer and let it scan the drive where your lost files were located.

Step 2. Take a look at the list of files the tool can recover for you.

Step 3. Select the files to be recovered and click the "Recover" button.

4. How to Retrieve Permanently Deleted Files on Android

You can also get back photos or videos from Android with a PC. All you need to do is download EaseUS MobilSaver for Android. Then, refer to this guide: recover permanently deleted files Android.

5. How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files on iPhone

You may be wondering if you can recover deleted photos, videos, or files that the iPhone removed. The good news is, in many cases, you can. But, if you can't locate the image in the Photos app, chances are it's lost forever.

However, all hope is not lost. You can use EaseUS iOS data recovery software to try to recover deleted folders or files on iPhone 14/13/12/11/11 Pro/XS/XS Max/XR with iOS 15-iOS 8. Here's how you do this:

Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS MobiSaver.

Step 2. Connect iPhone to Your PC. Click "Recover from iOS device" on the left and click "Start".

Step 3. EaseUS MobiSaver will automatically scan your devices and find your lost data. Just wait for the scan to complete.

Step 4. You can choose the lost data such as your photos, videos, contacts, SMS, notes, voice mails, and other files you want to recover and save those data to another location.

6. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac

If you are a Mac user, you can also restore permanently deleted Mac files with the software, Time Machine, or Terminal. The Terminal method only works if your deleted files are still in the Trash. Feel free to use this method if you haven't removed your files from Trash yet. As for Time Machine, you're going to need a Time Machine backup to restore your files.

If you don't meet the requirements for the above methods, your last resort is to rely on a data recovery tool. Again, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can potentially bring your lost files back to your Mac.

Step 1. Select the device location where you deleted files. Click the "Scan" button to pinpoint permanently deleted files.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will list the files it finds in the left-hand sidebar.

Step 3. Preview the items you are looking for and click the "Recover Now" button to restore permanently deleted files on Mac.