How to Recover Deleted Files on Different Devices: Proven Methods

This article covers multiple effective data recovery methods that can be used to recover deleted files on different devices. With the methods described below, you will be able to get back all your files without expert knowledge or professional help.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows

From computer viruses to unreliable hardware components, there are many reasons why Windows users lose their data. Fortunately, there are just as many effective solutions, and this entire chapter is dedicated to them.

Method 1: Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin (that Hasn’t Been Emptied)

You may be able to recover recently deleted files from your system’s Recycle Bin if it hasn’t been emptied yet. It’s always worth a look before going on to more elaborate repair efforts.

To manually restore files from the Recycle Bin:

1. Open the Recycle bin by double-clicking or right-clicking and selecting Open.
2. Choose the file or folder you want to recover.
3. Right-click on the files and select Restore.

If the Recycle Bin has been emptied since the files were deleted, you cannot recover with this method. Once a file is gone from the Recycle Bin, data recovery software is your best bet for restoring it.

Method 2: Check the Temporary Storage

The Windows operating system and third-party Windows applications store some files in temporary storage, which is a special folder dedicated to files that are needed only for a limited amount of time. Sometimes, temporary files are stored on the hard drive only for a few seconds, but it’s fairly common for them to remain present on the drive for much longer.

The main temporary storage folder in Windows is C:\Windows\Temp.

Follow these steps to recover deleted files from the temporary storage folder:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to C:\Windows\Temp.
3. Look for your files and select the file you want to recover.
4. Click the Copy to button in the toolbar and choose where you want to copy the file.

It’s worth noting that many applications keep temporary files in their App Data directories. Web browsers store temporary files in cache folders, which are identical in function to temporary storage folders.

Method 3: Recover Files Using Undo Shortcut

There’s one easy solution to many seemingly disastrous data loss situations, and it involves the use of the Undo Shortcut (CTRL+Z).

As you may know, Windows and most applications that are available for the operating system let you reverse your last action to an older state. The Undo Shortcut is commonly used in applications like Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop, but it can also be used in File Explorer to quickly recover a recently deleted file.

All you need to do is press CTRL+Z on your keyboard with File Explorer selected. You may have to press the two keys more than once if you’ve performed multiple actions since you deleted the file.

Warning: Closing File Explorer wipes clean the history of your actions, making it impossible for you to recover your files using the CTRL+Z shortcut.

Method 4: Recover Deleted Data from the Previous Versions

If you have activated the File History feature, you might be able to restore a previous version of your file. To try this method, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the file or folder which contained the files that you wish to recover.
3. Right-click and select Restore previous versions from the menu.
4. Select the version you wish to recover from the list provided by Windows.
5. Click the Restore button to recover your photo.

There needs to be a previous version of the file in order for this procedure to work. Newly created files may not be recoverable with this method.

Method 5: Retrieve Deleted Files Using System Restore

Another way to undo a file deletion is by using Windows System Restore. Unfortunately, this method will not help you recover a personal document or images that you have created. It is used exclusively to restore your operating system to a previous state. If you are missing system files or experiencing OS problems, you can try to roll back to a previous place in time with System Restore.

To recover system files via System Restore:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. In the System and Security window click on System.
4. Click on System Protection link.
5. Click the System Restore button.
6. Select the restore point you want to use.
7. Click Next and follow the prompts to start the restore.

As stated above, this will only affect system files.

Method 6: Recover Deleted Files Using 3rd Party Data Recovery Software

If you haven’t been able to recover your deleted files using the methods described above, it’s time to enter the big league and use 3rd party data recovery software applications capable of recovering even permanently deleted files.

Paid Data Recovery Software: Disk Drill

Disk Drill is a leading data recovery software application for Windows and Mac. It can recover over 400 file formats from all common storage devices, including hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, and others.

Disk Drill exceptionally easy to use, and you don’t need to worry about potentially losing your data just by selecting the wrong option. Disk Drill lets you recover up to 500 MB for free, and you can unlock unlimited recovery with a purchase of a license.

To recover deleted files using Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill for Windows. Don’t use the disk that contained the files you wish to recover.
2. Launch the application.
3. Select the disk or partition from the list provided by the tool.
4. Click the Search for lost data button to start the scanning algorithms that are used to find deleted files.
5. Browse the file list that Disk Drill displays to preview the files which can be recovered by the app.
6. Select the files to be recovered as well as a new storage location where they will be saved. Do not use the original location to avoid possible file corruption.
7. Click the Recover button to recover the deleted data.

That’s all you need to do to recover lost files with this excellent utility. Disk Drill’s advanced Quick and Deep scanning procedures can undo file deletions and recover data that you thought was permanently deleted.

Free Data Recovery Software: PhotoRec

PhotoRec is arguably the best free data recovery software for Windows (it also supports Linux, FreeBDS, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Sun Solaris, and macOS). It’s completely free and open source, so you can use it to recover an unlimited amount of data from any storage device.

Since this is a free software application, it probably won’t surprise you that it not nearly as easy to use as Disk Drill. In fact, PhotoRec is a command-line application that’s intended to be controlled using the keyboard. If you can get over this hurdle, PhotoRec can deliver surprisingly great results.

To recover deleted files with PhotoRec:

1. Download and install the PhotoRec. Don’t use the disk that contained the files you wish to recover.
2. Extract the downloaded file archive.
3. Launch the application by clicking on photorec_win.exe.
4. Select the storage device you wish the scan using the arrow keys. Press Enter on your keyboard to proceed.
5. Select the partition you wish to scan using the arrow keys. Press Enter to scan it.
6. Select the right file system and press Enter. In most cases, PhotoRec automatically suggests the right option.
7. Choose if you want to scan only unallocated space or the whole partition.
8. Select a destination to save the recovered files to. Press C on your keyboard when done.

There’s also a version of PhotoRec with a graphical user interface, called QPhotoRec, but it has some bugs that are not present in PhotoRec, which is why we don’t recommend it. If you need a graphical user interface to recover your lost files on Windows, use Disk Drill instead.

What Is System Image and How Can It Help Restore Your Data?

A system image is a copy of the hard disk required for Windows to run (typically the C drive), and Microsoft explains how to create it here.

You can use a system image to restore your computer and your data if your hard drive fails. The biggest downside of restoring data from a system image is that you can’t choose individual items to restore.

To restore data using a system image in Windows:

1. Open Start menu, type “settings,” and hit Enter on your keyboard.
2. Select Update & Security and choose Recovery from the list of options on the left.
3. Save your work and click the Restart now button under Advanced startup.
4. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > See more recovery option > System Image Recovery.
5. Select a System Image backup file and click Next.
6. Choose additional restore options and click Next.
7. Review the system image details and click Finish to begin the restore process.

Keep in mind that restoring deleted data from a system image file can take a lot of time, and you won’t be able to use your computer during the process.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac

Macs are known for their reliability and ease of use, but that doesn’t their users are immune to data loss. Fortunately, there are many ways to recover deleted files on a Mac.

Method 1: Recover Files from Trash (that Hasn’t Been Emptied)

Whenever you accidentally delete an important file, the first place where you should look for it is Trash, a temporary storage area for deleted files on macOS.

To recover deleted files from Trash:

1. Open Trash by clicking on its icon, located on the right side or bottom of the Dock.
2. Go through Trash and look for the files you want to undelete.
3. Select the files you want to recover by pressing and holding the command key and then clicking the files or holding the left mouse click and dragging the cursor around them.
4. Click on any of the selected files, hold the click, and drag your mouse to another folder or your desktop. As soon as you release the mouse, the files will be moved to the destination.

While not the most convenient data recovery method, Mac users can recover deleted files from Trash using Terminal. We recommend you use this method only if your Mac is unbootable, and you can’t recover deleted files from Trash the traditional way.

To recover deleted files from Trash using Terminal:

1. Launch the Terminal app.
2. Type cd .Trash and hit Enter. This command will take you to the Trash folder.
3. Type ls and hit Enter. This command will display all files inside the Trash folder.
4. Type mv <filename> <destination> to move the file to another location.
5. Quit the Terminal app.

This method works only if you haven’t emptied Trash since deleting your files. If you have, you need to try other methods described in this article.

Method 2: Check the Temporary Folder

There are multiple temporary folders on macOS used by the operating system and various applications to store files for a limited amount of time. These folders are not intended to be readily accessed by users, but knowing how to do so can be useful for data recovery purposes.

To check the temporary folder on macOS:

1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Type: open $TMPDIR
3. Hit Enter on your keyboard.
4. Go through the temporary folder and look for the deleted files. You can also use the Search feature if you remember the name of the deleted file.
5. Copy any files you want to recover from the temporary folder to your desktop or any other suitable folder.

Other temporary folders on macOS that you should check include /tmp and ~/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/.

Method 3: Recover files using Time Machine Backup

Since 2008, all Macs come with a useful data backup tool called Time Machine, which is capable of creating incremental backups of files that can be restored at a later date. If you’ve activated Time Machine in the past, you’re in luck because it takes just a few clicks to recover deleted files with it. If not, we highly recommend you activate Time Machine now because it’s better to do it late than never.

To recover files using a Time Machine backup:

1. Connect your Time Machine backup disk to your Mac.
2. Open the folder that contained the deleted files.
3. Click the Time Machine icon located in the Menu Bar and choose Enter Time Machine.
4. Locate the files you want to recover using the timeline on the right edge of the screen.
5. Click Restore to restore the selected file.

Time Machine keeps creating backups until the backup disk runs out of available storage space, which is when it deletes the oldest weekly backup.

Method 4: Use Data Recovery Software

No luck yet? Then you need to use third-party data recovery software. We recommend Disk Drill for Mac because of its native user interface, powerful data recovery algorithms, and one-click approach to data recovery. With Disk Drill for Mac, you can preview all recoverable files for free and get them back without any expert knowledge.

To recover deleted files using Disk Drill for Mac:

1. Download and install Disk Drill for Mac. Don’t use the disk that contained the files you wish to recover.
2. Launch the application.
3. Click the Search for lost data button next to the drive on which your files were stored prior to deletion.
4. Wait until Disk Drill finishes analyzing the drive.
5. Look inside the recovery folders and locate the deleted files with the help of the preview feature.
6. Select each file you want to recover and click the Recover button.
7. Specify where you want Disk Drill to recover the deleted files and click Choose.

Included with Disk Drill for Mac are useful data backup tools that you can use to avoid losing important files ever again.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Android

Losing important files on Android isn’t the end of the world because deleted files on Android devices are not truly gone until they are overwritten. What’s more, Android users can take advantage of many backup solutions to prevent data loss in the first place.

Option 1: Google Photos Backup

Android users can safely backup their photos using Google Photos, a photo sharing and storage service developed by Google. When you activate the backup feature in Google Photos, the app will automatically back up all photos on your Android device to Google’s servers, allowing you to access and recover them from any device.

To recover deleted photos on Android using Google Photos:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Android device.
2. Select the deleted photos.
3. Tap More (three dots) and select Save to device.

Still looking for your photos? Tap Menu > Trash in the top-left corner and select the photo you want to recover. Click Restore to get it back. Keep in mind that deleted photos only stay in Trash for 60 days.

Option 2: Android Recovery Software

If you need to recover other data besides photos, Google Photos won’t be able to help you. What you need is a full-fledged Android recovery software application like Disk Drill.

To recover deleted files on Android using Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
2. Connect your Android device to your Mac computer.
3. Enable Mass Storage mode on your Android device.
4. Launch Disk Drill and click Search for lost data button.
5. Select which files you wish to recover and save them to your computer.

If your Android device doesn’t support Mass Storage Mode, you will need to root it before your lost data can be retrieved.

How to Recover Deleted Files on iPhone

Recovering deleted files on an iPhone isn’t nearly as big of a challenge as it may seem considering Apple’s walled-garden philosophy.

Option 1: iPhone Backup

Backing up important data on a regular basis pays off. If you’ve been diligently creating local backups of your iPhone, you can easily recover it straight from Finder.

To recover deleted files from an iPhone backup:

1. Launch Finder.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
3. Select your iPhone from the list of locations on the left.
4. Click the Restore iPhone button located in the General tab.
5. Click the Restore button to confirm that you’re ready to restore your iPhone from a backup.

These instructions are intended only for macOS Catalina and newer. If you still use an older version of macOS, you can recover your data from an iTunes backup, and the process is mostly the same.

Option 2: iPhone Recovery Software

If you don’t have a backup of your iPhone, don’t despair! You can still recover your data using iPhone recovery software like Disk Drill.

To recover deleted files from an iPhone using Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
2. Connect your iPhone to a Mac. Select “Yes” and enter the unlocking code if asked if you want to trust the computer.
3. Launch Disk Drill and click Search for lost data.
4. Enter the iPhone’s encryption password if asked for it.
5. Review the found files and select what data you want to restore.
6. Either click the Recover button in the top-right corner or click Mount found items as disk in the bottom-left corner.

When Does It Make Sense to Visit an Offline Data Recovery Service?

As we’ve hinted at in the paragraph above, offline data recovery services make sense when you need to recover data from a mechanically damaged storage device.

Such device may be unreadable due to a head crash, electrical failure, or the ingress of water or dust. To repair the damage and make them readable again, it’s necessary to have access to clean room and professional equipment—neither of which is something regular home users have at their disposal.

What’s more, most storage device repair jobs require a lot of precision and experience, since even the smallest mistake can easily cause permanent loss of all data on the device. Even if you’re skilled and know what you’re doing, performing a DIY repair would void the original warranty and potentially cost you money down the road.

If you decide to go this route, we recommend you select a trusted data recovery service with many years of experience and positive online reviews, such as CleverFiles Data Recovery Service or Data recovery services by Ontrack.

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