How to Recover a Deleted File on Windows 11

Don't Panic — Recovery Is Often Possible

When you delete a file in Windows, it usually isn't gone immediately. The data remains on your drive until it gets overwritten by something else. Act quickly, stop saving new files to that drive, and work through these methods in order.

Method 1 — Check the Recycle Bin

This sounds obvious, but always start here. Double-click the Recycle Bin on your desktop, find the file, right-click it, and choose Restore. The file goes back to its original location. If you've already emptied the Recycle Bin, move to the next method.

Method 2 — Restore from File History

If File History was enabled, it automatically backs up your files at regular intervals. To check:

• Go to Control Panel → System and Security → File History
• Click Restore personal files
• Browse to the folder that contained your file, use the arrows to navigate to an earlier backup, and click the green Restore button

File History must have been set up before the deletion — it won't help if it was never turned on.

Method 3 — Use Previous Versions (Shadow Copies)

Windows automatically creates shadow copies (restore points) that often include earlier versions of your files. Right-click the folder that contained the deleted file, choose Properties → Previous Versions, and look for a snapshot from before the deletion. Click Open to browse it or Restore to recover the whole folder.

Method 4 — Use a Free Recovery Tool

If none of the above work, a dedicated recovery tool can scan for deleted data on the drive. Recuva (by Piriform, free) is the most trusted option for Windows:

• Download and install Recuva — do not install it to the same drive you're recovering from
• Run the Wizard, select the file type and drive, and scan
• Files shown in green are fully recoverable; red means overwritten
• Select your files and click Recover — save them to a different drive

Preventing Future Loss

Set up File History now: go to Settings → System → Storage → Advanced storage settings → Backup options and point it at an external drive. Windows will automatically save hourly copies of your files going forward.

Recovery Method Summary

• Recycle Bin — first stop, restore in seconds
• File History — hourly backups if previously configured
• Previous Versions — shadow copies from restore points
• Recuva — free undelete tool for anything else