Can Shift Deleted Files Be Recovered? Free Recovery in Windows 11/10/8/7

Does Shift Delete Permanently Deleted Files?

What is Shift + Delete? Different from a regular "Delete" key press, which moves files or folders to the Recycle Bin for easy restoration, the “Shift + Delete”key combination will permanently delete the selected item, bypassing the Recycle Bin. When you perform such an operation, a confirmation prompt appears, stating: "Are you sure you want to permanently delete this folder?" This provides a quick way to remove files or folders entirely from your system.

Can Shift-Deleted Files Be Recovered?

Although Windows indicates that the files will be permanently deleted, there is still a chance to recover them—as long as the data has not been overwritten by new files.

How to Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows?

If you accidentally use "Shift + Delete" and lost important data, you can follow our guide to recover shift deleted files in Windows 11, 10 , 8 and 7. Considering that some users may have backups while others do not, we have categorized the recovery methods accordingly. All methods are free.

Recover Shift Deleted Files (Backup Available)

The Windows system itself provides several backup solutions, allowing users to back up and quickly restore important data, including System Image, File History and cloud backup (primarily the OneDrive). If you have enabled one of them before permanently deleting files by Shift+ Delete, check thestepwise guidebelow.

1. System Image Recovery

A system image is a complete backup of the entire system, including the operating system, applications, settings, and personal files(different from “System Restore”, which focuses on recovering system files and settings, not the personal files or applications. ). When the system encounters serious issues, you can use the system image to restore it to the state at the time of the backup.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Click "Restart now" under "Advanced startup".

Step 2. Select "Troubleshoot" in the "Choose an Option"window.

Step 3. Click on "Advanced options".

Step 4. Choose "System Image Recovery".

Step 5. Windows will automatically detect the latest system image backup. You can also choose a specific one if you have made multiple backups.

When the target system image is chosen, click on “Next”and folow the prompts to restore your computer.

2. File History Recovery

File History is an another incremental backup tool provided by Windows for backing up files in user folders (e.g., documents, pictures, videos). It regularly backs up files and allows users to restore them to a specific point in time.

Step 1. Open the Control Panel and navigate to "File History", or seach it in the Windows search bar and click “Open”. If File History is active, click on "Restore personal files" to open the File History interface.

Step 2. In the Files Backupwindow, click on “More Options.”

Step 3. Scroll down the page and click on "Restore files from a current backup."

Step 4. Browse through your backed-up files and folders. Once you locate the file or folder you need, select it and click the green "Restore" button to recover it to its original location.

3. Cloud Backup

Since OneDrive is pre-installed in Windows 10 and Windows 11 computer, this part we will focus on how to recover shift deleted files from OneDrive cloud backup. If you have chosen a local folder to sync to OneDrive, it will automatically back up files to the cloud.

When you delete a file locally using Shift + Delete, the change syncs to OneDrive, removing the file from the cloud as well. Fortunately, it is moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin. Simply restore the file from there, and it will be recovered both in OneDrive and on your local device.

Step 1. Openone ofyour web browsersand navigate to the OneDrive website. Log in with your Microsoft account credentials to access your cloud storage.

Step 2. Once logged in, navigate to the Recycle Bin, browse all deleted files including those you delete by Shift+ Delete.

Step 3. Locating and tickingthe targetfiles, click the "Restore" button to return them to their original location in your OneDriveand localfolder.

Recover Shift Deleted Files (Backup Not Available)

If you have permanently deleted files using Shift + Delete and do not have a backup available, recovery can be challenging but not impossible. Here are twomethods you can try:

1. Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool developed by Microsoft to help users recover lost or deleted files from their storage devices. It is particularly useful when files are permanently deletedand cannot be restored from the Recycle Bin or backups.

Step 1. Download the tool from Microsoft store and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Click on the Windows Start menu, find the Windows File Recovery app, right-click on it and choose “Run as administor.”

https://www.myrecover.com/screenshots/en/windows/run-wfr-as-administrator.png

Step 3. Then the Command Prompt window will open, in the window, input the following command and hit on Enter on your keyboard.

winfr H:D:\test /regular(recovers recently deleted files from H: drive to D:\test folder.)

If it fails, you can try "winfr H:D:\test /extensive", which will start a deep scan to search for the lost files.

2. MyRecover- Free Windows Data Recovery Software

The Windows File Recovery tool requires familiarity with Command Prompt commands.If you are not excellent at that, consider some GUI data recovery software, such as MyRecover. This tool is designed to recover 1000+ types of files (images, documents, videos, audios, archives, etc) from 500+ devices, including HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card, camera, PS4/5, drone, CCTV, music/video players, etc.

Compatible with all Windows operating systems (11, 10, 8.1, 8 and 7) and Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012. Recover data from 500+ different scenarios: delete, shift+delete, format, emptied Recycle Bin, virus attack, system crash and more. Download the freeware and follow the steps to recover Shift Deleted files from Windows computer.

Step 1. Run the software and select the drive where the deleted files were saved before.

Step 2. Click on "Scan" to start a quick scan on the selected drive.

Step 3. Once the scanning process completes, choose the files you want to recover, click on “Recover.”

Step 4. Select another drive to save the recovered files.

Step 5. Then wait for the recovery process to be done.

If you have more than 500MB of data to recover, you have to upgrade to Professional edition. Apart from the unlimited data recovery quato, it also allows you to preview the files before clicking on “recover.”

To Conclude

Can shift deleted files be recovered? Absolutely, you can recover files deleted by “Shift+Delete”combination with proper methods. No matter you have made a backup or not before deleting the files, there is a way to help finish the file recovery in this guide.