[Solved] How to Recover or restore Deleted Files, Photos, Documents, and Recycle Bin Files

So you deleted some files you shouldn't have huh? Deleting an important file by accident can feel like a disaster — especially when it’s a school assignment, family photo, work document, or video project. The good news is that deleted files are often recoverable if you act quickly and use the right method.

This guide walks you through several common ways to recover deleted files, step by step, from the easiest fixes to more advanced recovery tools. Enough of the talk, let's resurrect some files!

If your files were just deleted, the first place you might want to check is the Recycle Bin or Trash since files deleted are temporarily stored here. Both Window, Mac, and Linux have one.

1. Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac)

What This Method Is Best For

• Files deleted recently
• Accidentally deleted documents, photos, videos
• Quick recovery without software

On Windows

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. Look for the deleted file.
3. Right-click the file.
4. Click Restore.
5. The file returns to its original folder.

If you deleted many files, use the search bar inside Recycle Bin to find them faster.

On Mac

1. Open the Trash from the Dock.
2. Find your deleted file.
3. Right-click it.
4. Select Put Back.
5. The file returns to its original location.

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2. Use Undo Delete Immediately

Sometimes the fastest recovery method is simply undoing the deletion. However, you shouldn't leave the location of the file.

Windows Shortcut

Press:

Ctrl+Z

Mac Shortcut

Press:

Command+Z

1. Stay in the folder where the file was deleted.
2. Press the shortcut immediately after deletion.
3. The file may instantly reappear.

This only works if you haven’t done many actions afterward.

3. Recover Files Using File History (Windows)

Windows includes a backup feature called File History that can restore older versions of files and folders.

Best For

• Documents edited or deleted days ago
• Users who enabled backups previously

1. Open the folder where the file used to be.
2. Right-click inside the folder.
3. "Show More Options" for Windows 11 only
4. Choose Restore previous versions.
5. Select a version from the list.
6. Click Restore.

This only works if File History or System Protection was enabled before deletion. For a more comprehensive guide on how to set automatic backup up, READ THIS ARTICLE.

4. Recover Files Using Time Machine (Mac)

Mac users can recover deleted files using Apple’s built-in backup system called Time Machine.

Best For

• Mac users with external backup drives
• Recovering older versions of files

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive.
2. Open the folder where the file was located.
3. Click the Time Machine icon.
4. Enter Time Machine.
5. Use the timeline to go back in time.
6. Select the file.
7. Click Restore.

CLICK HERE to read a full article on setting up Time Machine on Mac.

You could also watch the following video;

5. Use File Recovery Software

If the file is not in the Recycle Bin or backups, recovery software may still retrieve it.

When files are deleted, the data often remains on the drive until new data overwrites it.

• GetDataBack Pro Runtime
• Recuva
• Disk Drill
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
• PhotoRec

We'll provide step-by-step guide to recover files using the first three options listed above.

Method A: Recover Using GetDataBack Pro Runtime

This option is most likely the best you'll find to get the job done.  GetDataBack Pro is a professional file recovery tool designed to recover deleted or lost files from hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, and memory cards. It works even in cases where partitions are damaged or drives become inaccessible.

It’s especially useful when:

• Files were permanently deleted
• The Recycle Bin was emptied
• A drive was formatted
• A partition disappeared
• Windows says the drive must be formatted before use

Before we look at the steps, GetDataBack Pro can be complicated. Hence, here's a video to assist you;

Step 1: Install GetDataBack Pro

• Download and install GetDataBack Pro.
• If possible, install it on a different drive from the one containing deleted files. Because installing the software on the same drive can overwrite recoverable data.

Step 2: Launch the Program

Open GetDataBack Pro. The software will display available drives and partitions. You may see: Internal hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards.

Step 3: Select the Drive

• Right-click the drive where the deleted files were originally stored.
• Click "Recover".
• Select sophistication level. Higher levels take longer to complete but recovers more files.
• Click level to start the scan.

Photos by aiseesoft.com

Photos by tenforums.com

Photo by runtime.org

GetDataBack Pro will:

• Analyze the file system
• Search for deleted files
• Reconstruct damaged folders
• Detect lost partitions

Photo by fonedog.es

Step 4: Browse Recoverable Files

Once the scan is complete, open folders from the recovery results, browse through documents, photos, videos, music and preview files if available.

Next, select files to recover by checking the files and folders you want back, copy those, and paste them to another drive. Remember, don't recover to the same drive since saving recovered files to the same drive may overwrite other recoverable data.

Method B: Recover Using Recuva (Windows)

Use to the next two methods are pretty straightfoward since both are user friendly.

1. Download and install Recuva.
2. Open the program.
3. Choose the file type:
• Pictures
• Documents
• Videos
• Music
• All files
4. Select the location where the file was deleted.
5. Start the scan.
6. Wait for results.
7. Check the files you want.
8. Click Recover.
9. Save recovered files to a different drive if possible.

Important Tip

Avoid installing recovery software on the same drive where files were deleted. This reduces the risk of overwriting data.

Method C: Recover Using Disk Drill (Windows & Mac)

1. Install Disk Drill.
2. Launch the application.
3. Select the drive with deleted files.
4. Click Search for lost data.
5. Wait for the scan to finish.
6. Preview recoverable files.
7. Select the files.
8. Click Recover.
9. Choose a safe recovery location.

6. Recover Files from Cloud Storage

Many people forget their files may still exist online. Services like  Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft, OneDrive, iCloud often keep deleted files for 30 days or longer.

General Steps

1. Open your cloud storage service.
2. Go to:
• Trash
• Recently Deleted
• Recycle Bin
3. Select the deleted file.
4. Click Restore.

7. Use Windows File Recovery (Advanced)

Microsoft offers a command-line recovery tool called Windows File Recovery. This software can be installed from the Microsoft Store. This method is more technical but very powerful.

Best For

• Permanently deleted files
• Formatted drives
• SSDs and USB devices
• Basic Example

After installing the tool from Microsoft Store:

winfr C: D: /regular /n \Users\YourName\Documents\

What This Means

C: = source drive

D: = recovery destination

/regular = normal recovery mode

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