Recover Deleted Files from Your Computer

If you’ve deleted a critical file, it may seem at first that it’s gone forever. If you act quickly, though, you may be able to recover that file and return it to its rightful place on your hard drive. Recover deleted files from your computer by restoring them from the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac); when that isn't an option, you can also use recovery software to restore deleted files for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

Steps

Windows

  1. Check your recycle bin for the file. The Recycle Bin will hold files before deleting them, allowing you to restore them to your computer if you change your mind. To restore a file, open the Recycle Bin, right-click on the file, and select Restore. The file will be returned to its original location on the hard drive.
    • Large files may be permanently deleted instead of being sent to the Recycle Bin.
  2. Immediately stop accessing the drive. If your files are not found in the Recycle Bin, don’t save or delete anything from your computer. Your chances of recovering the file are much higher if you don’t save anything new. This is because when a file is deleted, it is actually just set to be overwritten. If no new data has overwritten the original file, then it can usually be recovered.
  3. Download a data recovery program on another computer, or a different drive. Make sure that you don’t save it to the drive that you need to recover a file from, or you may overwrite the file you need to recover. Some of the more popular free programs include:
    • Recuva
    • Restoration
    • Glary Undelete
    • Puran File Recovery
    • Download a portable version of the recovery program if possible, so that you can run it directly from a USB drive without needing to install it. Not all file recovery programs offer portable versions.[1]
  4. Run the recovery program. While every program is different, they all follow the same basic steps. Make sure that you don’t install the program to the same drive that you are trying to recover from.
  5. Specify what you are looking for. Point the recovery program at the disk that the file was on when it was deleted. You can also recover files from a USB drive this way. Most recovery programs will ask what type of file you are searching for. You can also specify the file name, or get a list of all recoverable files to browse through.[2]
  6. Perform a deep scan. Some programs will give you the option to perform a deep scan while looking for files. This will take significantly longer, but may result in more files found.
  7. Browse for the file you want. Once the scan has returned results, look through the list to see if your file was recovered. Different programs will have different methods for recovery, but in general you just need to select your file and click the Restore button.
    • Not all files will be 100% recoverable. This is because files are often stored in multiple parts of your hard drive, and one part of the file may have been overwritten.
    • Some programs restore the file to its original location, others will restore it to a Recovery folder.

Mac OS X

  1. Check your Mac’s Trash. The Trash section of your Mac holds files before they are permanently deleted. If you find the file in your Trash, you can restore it to its original location or drag it to somewhere else on your computer.
  2. Immediately stop accessing the drive. If your files are not found in the Trash, don’t save or delete anything from your computer. Your chances of recovering the file are much higher if you don’t save anything new. This is because when a file is deleted, it is actually just set to be overwritten. If no new data has overwritten the original file, then it can usually be recovered.
  3. Download a data recovery program. Do not download or install the program to the same disk that you are trying to recover files from. There are a variety of programs available for Mac OS X that will allow you to search for deleted files. Some of the more popular programs include:
    • Data Rescue
    • FileSalvage
    • Boomerang
    • There are very few free options when it comes to OS X data recovery software.
  4. Boot from your recovery software image. Some data recovery programs come with a bootable image that bypasses the OS X operating system. Booting from this image may allow your data recovery software to find more files.
    • Insert the bootable disc into your Mac.
    • Restart the computer while holding the C key.
    • Hold the C key until the Apple logo appears. Your computer will load directly into the data recovery program.
  5. Connect a recovery drive. In order for Mac recovery software to work, you will need to attach a USB drive, or designate a separate internal drive. If you are connecting an external drive, make sure that it is at least a USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or Firewire device, as USB 1.0 will result in much slower processing.
    • The connected drive should have at least 2% of the target drive’s storage space.
  6. Specify your scan settings. You will be asked to choose where you want to scan for files, so be sure to choose the hard drive that the files were originally located on. You will also typically be given an option between a Quick scan or a Deep/Full scan.
    • A Quick scan will find most of the files that can be recovered, and the process is usually fairly quick. It is recommended that you try a Quick scan first.
    • A Deep scan will find more files than a Quick scan, but takes significantly longer to perform. For large hard drives and slow computers, a Deep scan could take over a day to complete.
  7. Select the files you want to recover. Once the scan is finished running, you will be presented with a list of files that can be recovered. Use the Preview option to ensure that the file is completely intact before marking it for Recovery.
    • File names will often be changed from their original because their filer structure was destroyed during the delete process.
    • Many files will not be recoverable, because parts of the file have been overwritten.
  8. Recover your files. If you are attempting to recover a large number of files, try recovering only the most essential files first. This will help ensure that your most important files stay uncorrupted. The recovered files will be copied to the recovery drive that you plugged in before starting. [3]

Linux

  1. Immediately stop accessing the drive. Your chances of recovering the file are much higher if you don’t save anything new. This is because when a file is deleted, it is actually just set to be overwritten. If no new data has overwritten the original file, then it has a much higher chance of being recovered.
  2. Download a data recovery program to a separate drive. The most popular program on Linux for recovering specific files is PhotRec. It is open-source and available to download for free from the developer.
    • You may need to download TestDisk in order to use PhotoRec.
  3. Run PhotoRec. Run PhotoRec as root from the command line. Use the “sudo” command to gain root access when running the program.
  4. Select the disk and partition. Once PhotRec has started, you will be asked to select the disk and partition that you want to scan. Use the arrow keys to select the location that the file originally existed in. Select Search and press Enter to continue.
  5. Designate the file system. PhotRec will need to know what format the target drive is. Choose the correct format from the list. Linux-specific drives will be EXT2/EXT3, while all others will be in the Other category.
  6. Choose a location to save the recovered files. PhotRec will need a location to store recovered files. Make sure that it is not on the same disk as the target disk, otherwise you may overwrite files that could have been recovered.
  7. Choose which file types you want to recover. A large list of file types will be displayed, and you can check each one that you want to try to recover. Highlight Next and press Enter to switch to the next page of file types.
  8. Wait for the recovery process to finish. Depending on the size of your drive and the speed of your computer, the recovery process could take several hours. Once the recovery process is complete, you can access the recovered files in the location that you specified.[4]
    • Many files will not be recoverable, or may only be partially recovered, because parts of the file have been overwritten.

Tips

  • Always backup your personal data to an External Hard Drive, CD/DVD or other kind of media to prevent this kind of problem.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
  2. ↑ http://www.piriform.com/docs/recuva/using-recuva/wizard-mode/using-the-recuva-wizard-wizard-mode
  3. ↑ http://www.cultofmac.com/67472/how-to-undelete-files-in-mac-os-x-macrx/
  4. ↑ http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec_Step_By_Step
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