Can You Recover Deleted Files From File Explore: 5 Proven Free Methods

Can You Recover Deleted Files from File Explorer?

Accidentally deleting important files from File Explorer can be stressful, but in many cases, recovery is possible. Whether you simply pressed Delete or used Shift+Delete to permanently remove files, several methods exist to retrieve your lost documents, photos, and other data.

How to Recover Deleted Files or Folders from File Explorer?

When you delete files normally, Windows sends them to the Recycle Bin as a safety net. However, files deleted with Shift+Delete bypass this protection, and emptied Recycle Bin files appear permanently gone. Yet, the data often remains on your drive until overwritten by new content, and can be recovered with right methods. No matter how you lose your important files from Windows File Explorer, you can find the way in this section.

Method 1: Undo Delete (For Immediate Recovery)

Best for: When you've just accidentally deleted files and haven't performed any other operations yet.

1. Right-click in any empty space within File Explorer

2. Select "Undo Delete" from the context menu (or simply press Ctrl+Z)

3. The deleted files will instantly return to their original location

This method only works immediately after deletion and won't recover files from an emptied Recycle Bin.

Method 2: Restore from Recycle Bin (For Standard Deletions)

Best for: Recovering files deleted normally (without using Shift+Delete).

The Recycle Bin serves as Windows' built-in safety net for file deletions. When you delete files normally (without using Shift+Delete), Windows doesn't immediately erase them. Instead, deleted files will be moved to the Recycle Bin and stored temporarily, so that you have a recovery chance. The Recycle Bin typically retains files until it reaches its storage capacity or until you manually empty it.

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop

2. Locate your files using the search bar or by browsing manually

3. Right-click the target file(s) and select "Restore".

Files will automatically return to their original locations

If you have emptied the Recycle Bin, or used the delete+ shift combination to permanently removed them, you'll need to try alternative methods.

Method 3. Use File History Backup (For Prepared Users)

Best for: Users who previously enabled Windows File History backup feature.

File History is Windows' built-in backup solution that automatically saves versions of your files to an external drive or network location. Unlike the Recycle Bin, it maintains multiple versions of files over time, allowing you to recover not just deleted files but also previous versions of existing files. This feature must be manually set up before data loss occurs, making it a proactive rather than reactive solution.

1. Open Control Panel and select "File History".

2. In the “Files Backup”section, click "More options" under "Back up using File History".

3. Then click "Restore from a current backup" at the bottom of the window.

4. Navigate through timeline to find your backup point. Select desired files/folders and click "Restore".

Method 4. Try Windows File Recovery Tool (For Tech-Savvy Users)

Best for: Advanced users comfortable with command-line tools.

Windows File Recovery is Microsoft's official command-line utility designed for advanced file recovery scenarios. Unlike simpler graphical tools, it offers powerful deep-scan capabilities that can recover files even after Recycle Bin has been emptied or when files were permanently deleted. This tool works at the system level to scan storage drives for residual file signatures, making it particularly useful when other methods failto recover permanently deleted files from File Explorer.

1. Download Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.

2. Run Command Prompt as administrator.

3. Enter the recovery commands: winfr H:D:\test /regular

This command will scan the H: drive for all recently deleted files and recover them to D: test folder. Replace the source and destination drive based on your actual situation. To recover formatted data, replace "regular" with "extensive".

Method 5. Use Professional Recovery Software (For All Users)

If you permanently delete files from File Explorer, empty the Recycle Bin, or not backup set up before deletion, the method 4 is a nice choice. However, it seems like to be a little complicated for beginners without any command line knowledge. In such cases, professional data recovery software may be your ultimate solution. Today, we recommend MyRecover. Why use it to recover deleted files from File Explorer?

★Key Features:

User-Friendly Interface – Easy-to-follow recovery process for both beginners and experts.

No Backup Required– Recovers files even without prior backup. 

Comprehensive Data Loss Solutions – Handles deletion (Shift+Delete), emptied Recycle Bin, formatting, RAW/corrupted drives, partition loss, virus attacks, power failures, and system crashes.

Multi-Device Support – Works with HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, SD cards, memory cards, and more.

Wide OS & File System Compatibility – Supports Windows (11/10/8.1/8/7 & Server editions) and file systems (FAT, NTFS, exFAT).

All File Types Recoverable– Retrieves images, videos, audios, documents, archives, emails (MSG/HTML/EML), and more.

Steps to recover permanently deleted files from File Explorer

1. Download & Install MyRecover – Get the software from the official website and install it on your Windows PC.

2. Launch & Select Drive – Open MyRecover and choose the drive where your deleted files from Windows File Explorer were stored.

3. Start Scanning – Click "Scan" to let the software search for lost files (quick scan for recent deletions, deep scan for formatted/long-lost data). If the normal scan does not find deleted files from File Explore, perform "Deep Scan" instead.

4. Preview & Select Files – Browse recoverable files, and tick the ones you want to restore. Click "Recover".

5. Save – Choose a safe location (not the original drive), and save your files.

To Conclude

Losing important files can be distressing, but as shown above, recovery is often possible with the right approach. Whether through simple undo commands, Recycle Bin restoration, backups, or professional software like MyRecover, multiple solutions exist to retrieve deleted files from File Explorer.

As a top data recovery tool, MyRecover can handle complex data loss cases. Besides, its advanced versions (Profesisonal and Technician) offer more amazing features. Those include recovering unlimited data in each time or in total, creating a bootable media to recover data from unbootable computer, previewing files before recovery.