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How can I recover deleted files from my computer?

Yaffet Meshesha
Computer Specialist
Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a full-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.

Yaffet Meshesha

Computer Specialist

Expert Answer

The first thing you should do is to check the Recycling Bin. You might also see if they're backed up to cloud storage like One Drive or DropBox. If it's not there, you may need to run a data recovery software, or even send your computer to a data recovery company service.

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Question

My file was deleted last month. I've installed things since then. Is there a way to recover my file without installing a recovery program?

Community Answer

Probably not, the space where that program was has been overwritten by these new programs.

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I deleted a file a few hours ago. Can I still get the file back?

Community Answer

Yes, you can; try data recovery using the methods listed above. Your method will depend on your operating system.

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My file was deleted months ago, and I have installed a couple of things since then. Is it too late to recover the file?

Rishabh Upadhye

Community Answer

You can give it a try. If you are not able to recover the file, then it's likely gone.

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My files were saved to an external hard drive, that worked just fine til I went to plug it in one day, it told me there was an I/O Error, my computer didn't recognize the drive. Can they be recovered?

Community Answer

Your computer didn’t recognise it probably because the partition table was destroyed. You may need to use specialized software or even format the drive.

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How do I recover a folder I deleted on my computer?

Community Answer

You can check the Recycle Bin or the Trash. If it is not there, use recovery software or restore from a backup (if you have one). Make sure you do it quickly before your files become overwritten from memory.

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