How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 11

Method 1: Check the Recycle Bin (30 seconds)

Sounds too obvious, right? But the Recycle Bin is where the overwhelming majority of “deleted” files get found. A normal Delete key press or right-click > Delete sends files here — only Shift + Delete skips it, along with files deleted from USB drives and network locations. In my experience, this is where the story ends for most people — including me, the time I “lost” a folder of client invoices that was sitting in the Bin the whole time.

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop. (No icon? Search for Recycle Bin in the Start menu.)
2. Use the search box in the top-right to find the file by name, or sort by Date deleted to see what went recently.
3. Right-click the file and choose Restore. It pops right back to its original location.
4. Got several? Select them with Ctrl + click, then right-click > Restore.

Still not there? Check whether the Bin was emptied recently — right-click the Recycle Bin icon and look at Properties for the maximum size setting. If someone emptied it, it’s time for Method 2.

Method 2: Restore from File History (if it was turned on)

File History is Windows 11’s built-in automatic backup — it quietly saves copies of files in your Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and other library folders to an external drive or network location. Plenty of people have it on without ever realizing it.

1. Open the folder where the deleted file used to live (say, Documents).
2. Right-click inside the folder (not on a file) and pick Show more options > Restore previous versions. You can also search the Start menu for Restore your files with File History to open the full browser.
3. You’ll see snapshots stamped with dates. Browse back to the day before you deleted the file.
4. Select the file (or the whole folder) and hit the green Restore button. Want to play it safe? Right-click and choose Restore to instead, so you pick a different destination and don’t overwrite the current folder contents.

If the Previous Versions tab says “There are no previous versions available,” File History wasn’t switched on for that location. Don’t beat yourself up — most people discover this too late. That’s exactly what the heavy-duty option below is for.

Method 3: Scan the drive with Windows File Recovery

When the file isn’t in the Bin and there’s no backup, Microsoft’s free Windows File Recovery tool (grab it from the Microsoft Store) can scan the raw drive for deleted file data. It’s command-line only — no friendly interface — but it genuinely works, especially if you move fast.

1. Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. Heads-up: if the deleted file was on your C: drive, every new install risks overwriting it — but this tool is tiny, and the risk is worth it. If the file was on a different drive (D:, E:, USB), install without worry.
2. Decide where recovered files will go: you need a different drive as the destination (say, recover from C: to a USB stick or your D: drive). Never recover files onto the same drive you’re scanning.
3. Open Terminal or Command Prompt and run a scan. The basic syntax looks like this:

   winfr C: E:Recovered /regular /n UsersYourNameDocumentsreport.docx

   Swap in your real source drive for C:, your destination folder for E:Recovered, and the file’s original location after /n — using your actual Windows username.

4. Don’t know the exact path? Search by file type instead:

   winfr C: E:Recovered /regular /n *.docx /n *.pdf

   That pulls back every deleted Word document and PDF it can find.

5. For the tough cases (formatted drive, corrupted file system), swap /regular for /extensive — it’s slower, but it digs much deeper:

   winfr C: E:Recovered /extensive /n *.jpg

6. When it asks “Continue? (y/n)”, press y. When it finishes, check the destination folder — recovered files keep their original names when the tool can manage it.

Set realistic expectations: files deleted recently, on a drive that hasn’t seen much use since, usually come back clean. Files deleted weeks ago — or on a drive that’s been filled and reused since — may come back corrupted or not at all. And SSDs with TRIM enabled are harder to recover from than old spinning hard drives. Yet another reason speed matters. Oh, and one rookie mistake to avoid: the first time I ran this, I set the destination to the same drive I was scanning. Don’t be like me — pick a different drive.

Prevention: make the next accident a non-event

• Turn on File History right now. Plug in an external drive, go to Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options, and add the drive under Back up using File History. Next time, a deletion becomes a two-click restore.
• Back up important folders to OneDrive or another cloud service. Files synced to the cloud get their own 30-day recycle bin at onedrive.com — a second safety net that doesn’t depend on your PC at all.
• Give the Recycle Bin more room. Right-click the Recycle Bin > Properties and make sure “Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin” is unchecked. Consider raising the maximum size too, so large files don’t get permanently deleted automatically.
• Pause before Shift + Delete. That shortcut skips the Bin completely. For anything you might want back, stick with a normal delete.

Can I recover deleted files on Windows 11 after emptying the Recycle Bin?

Yes — to recover deleted files on Windows 11 after emptying the bin, try File History first, then Microsoft’s free Windows File Recovery tool. Stop using the drive immediately to avoid overwriting. Microsoft’s official recovery guide: Microsoft Support.