Recover Deleted Files on Windows - Here are the Most Detailed Steps and Guides
Last Updated on September 20, 2025 by Yulia Ilina
Due to the instability of the system, files are often lost or accidentally deleted. When the Window system is updated, it constantly improves the corresponding shortcomings, but it also attaches great importance to the recovery of deleted files, and the corresponding supporting functions are also constantly launched. According to different Windows system versions, there are different methods for recovering deleted files. This article provides methods for recovering deleted files on different Windows systems. Please read it carefully.
Part 1: Recover Deleted Files on Windows 7
The traditional Windows 7, is already equipped to recover deleted files, and it only needs to be done through Recycle Bin. As a special function, Recycle Bin has a specific partition in the disk to store some deleted files. When you delete some files normally, they will be stored here for some time, but permanently deleted will skip the Recycle Bin and be deleted. However, files stored in Recycle Bin have a certain time effect. When the memory is full, some files will be automatically cleared.
Step 1: Click the Recycle Bin icon on the computer desktop to call out the dialog box of the corresponding program. There will be a lot of deleted files in the dialog. You can directly swipe the page to find the deleted files you want to recover or use the search function to find the files you need.
Step 2: When the file is found, select the file, and you can view various information about the file, such as size, format, and so on. After selecting a file, right-click it and click the Restore button in the pop-up shortcut menu to restore the deleted file to the original storage location.
Part 2: How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 8
To better recover deleted files, Windows 8 introduces a backup function, and File History is one of them. File History is a feature that automatically backs up personal files to external storage devices such as external hard drive storage and network locations. As a continuous backup system, it can provide you with multiple options for recovering deleted files.
Step 1: On Windows 8, click the Start icon to open the start page. Enter File History in the search box on the page, the computer will provide the corresponding file search results, click the Enter key to enter the corresponding dialog box. In it, you can see a lot of backup files.
Step 2: Find the folder where the deleted file backup you want to restore is located, and open it to view a more detailed file recovery page. After confirming that the restored files are correct, select the files and click the Restore button to recover these files to the previous storage location.
Part 3: How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10
As a feature of Windows 10, Previous Versions and File History both can restore deleted files, but the way they work is very different. Previous Versions allows you to restore previous versions of files and folders that were automatically saved by Windows as part of its System Restore feature or when you enable the File History feature.
Step 1: Click the Start icon on Windows 10, enter System Protection on the page that appears, and filter out the corresponding functions. Click to enter the corresponding page, switch to the System Protection tab, and click the Configure button to enter the page for enabling the system protection function.
Step 2: Select Turn on system protection on the page and click the OK button to enable the function. At this point, you can find a lost previous version of the file and need to restore it, right-click it, call out the shortcut menu, click the Restore Previous Version button, and a dialog box will pop up.
Step 3: In the pop-up dialog box, you can see the previous data information of this file, and determine the version you want to restore. Click the Restore button to restore deleted files on Windows 10.
Part 4: Recover Permanently deleted Files on Windows 10
But when the file in Windows cannot be found in Recycle Bin, and cannot be restored in Files History and Previous Version, then the file may be permanently deleted. When a file is permanently deleted and the storage space is in constant use, it is very likely to be overwritten. When the file is permanently deleted and overwritten, it is the most difficult to recover at this time. But it is not impossible, an excellent data recovery software can quickly help you solve these problems. Aiseesoft Data Recovery is capable of scanning and detecting files that have existed in the computer and providing options for recovering deleted files.
1. Recover deleted files from various storage media, including computer hard drives, external drives, and other storage devices.
2. Supports the recovery of various file types, including photos, videos, audio files, documents, emails, and other types.
3. Preview the recoverable files to verify the files' integrity and select the specific files.
4. Deep scan thoroughly searches the storage device for more deeply buried and hard-to-find deleted data.
Step 1: Install Aiseesoft Data Recovery on your computer, after the installation is complete, start the software. On the home page of the software, you can see all recoverable file types, including images, videos, documents, and various other file types. Click the Check All Files Type button to select all files for a comprehensive check.
Step 2: Select the partition where the deleted file is located on the Hard Disk Drive, which can improve the speed of software detection. Click the Scan button to start scanning a specific area. When the quick scan does not show the files you want to recover, click the Deep Scan button to start the deep scan.
Step 3: After scanning, you can view and select a series of files in the sidebar. Select the corresponding file, and the file information will appear in the lower right corner to remind you. After confirming that it is correct, click the Recover button to restore permanently delete the files on Windows 10.
Conclusion
There are many ways to restore files on Windows, including Recycle Bin, Previous Version, and File History, but these methods, as system-supporting files, can only be used for files that have not been completely deleted. When you are faced with the need to recover permanently deleted data, Aiseesoft Data Recovery is a good helper you can't live without.