How to Restore Permanently Deleted Files on Windows 11

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Learn how to undelete files, even without a backup

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: March 22, 2026 Fact Checked

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Recycle Bin

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File History

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Windows File Recovery

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Video

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Warnings

Did you accidentally delete a file on Windows 11? Whether it was a few seconds ago or a few weeks ago, realizing you needed a file you deleted is a frustrating experience. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways you can recover deleted files on Windows 11. In this article, we'll go over how to restore deleted files using the Recycle Bin, File History, and Windows File Recovery. Read on to learn how.

Recovering Deleted Files on Windows 11

If you just deleted the file, check to see if you can restore the file from the Recycle Bin.
If you have File History set up to back up your files, you can restore deleted files by restoring an older version of the folder that contained them.
If nothing else, try using Windows File Recovery to restore old deleted files, as long as they haven't been overwritten on your hard drive.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Recycle Bin

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1
Open the Recycle Bin. You can do this from the desktop, or by searching recycle bin in the taskbar search bar.
- If you recently deleted a file and haven't cleaned out your Recycle Bin yet, you can find it there.
2
Locate the file. You can sort the Recycle Bin to make it easier to find the file. Just click on one of the columns (such as "Name" or "Date Deleted") to sort the files. You can also use the search bar in the upper-right corner if you remember all or part of the file's name.

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3
Select the file(s) you want to restore. If you have multiple files you want to recover, you can select multiple by holding down Ctrl while clicking on each file.
- If you want to restore everything in the Recycle Bin, click Restore all items at the top of the window.
4
Click Restore the selected items. The files will be returned to the folder they were in before they were deleted. For example, if you deleted something from your Documents folder and you restore it from the Recycle Bin, it will go back into your Documents folder.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

File History

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1
Configure File History. Unfortunately, you must configure File History before you can use it. If you've already deleted your files, File History won't be able to help you restore them. You can try checking the Recycle Bin or using Windows File Recovery instead. Here's how to configure File History:
- Connect an external drive to your computer where you want to save your backups.
  - If you don't have an external hard drive, the only other option is to select a network location. Unfortunately, you cannot use File History if you only have one drive.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Click System and Security.
  - If you don't see this option, change the "View by" selection to Category.
- Click Save backup copies of your files with File History. It's under the "File History" heading.
- Click Turn on to enable File History.
  - To change the drive you save to, click Select drive in the left-hand sidebar.
  - To change which folders are included when saving files, click Exclude folders in the left-hand sidebar. You can add folders to the list by navigating to them, right-clicking them, and choosing Show more options > Include in library.
2
Navigate to the folder that held the deleted file(s). You can do this in File Explorer. File Explorer is pinned to your taskbar by default, and has an icon of a yellow folder.
3
Right-click the folder and select Restore previous versions. If the file was in a top-level folder (such as C:), right-click the drive in the sidebar to find the Restore previous versions option.
4
Choose a previous version of the folder to restore from. Make sure the restoration point captures when the file was in that folder. For example, if you deleted a file today that you created yesterday, you'll want to choose a restoration point from before the deletion, but after the file was created (such as one from earlier in the day).
5
Click Restore. If you don't want to overwrite the current version, click the dropdown next to the Restore button and click Restore to… to select a location to restore that folder to.^{[1]
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- If you choose to replace a folder with an older version to restore a file, any new files you saved to that folder since the restoration point you chose will be deleted, and that deletion can't be undone. If you have new files you want to save, it's best to restore the folder to a different location.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Windows File Recovery

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Once a file is deleted, it's not actually removed from your hard drive, but the space that file takes up is marked as free space. Eventually, it will be overwritten with a new file. If your computer is very full, it may not take long for that space to be overwritten with something new. So, to increase your chances of restoring your files, use your computer as little as possible until you can use Windows File Recovery.
2
Install Windows File Recovery. If you don't already have Windows File Recovery installed, install it now from the Microsoft Store. Follow any and all on-screen instructions during the installation process.
3
Open Windows File Recovery. A command line will open up.
4
Understand the format of the Windows File Recovery command. All commands must be formatted in this way: winfr [source drive] [destination drive] [mode] [switches].
- [source drive] is the drive where the file was deleted from (e.g., the C: drive). Always place a colon (:) after the drive letter.
- [destination drive] is the drive where you want to restore the files to (e.g., the D: drive). Always place a colon (:) after the drive letter. This must be different from the source drive.
- [mode] is the recovery mode. There are two modes: /regular and /extensive. Regular mode is better for simpler commands, and extensive mode is better for more advanced commands. If one mode doesn't work, you can try the other. Always precede the mode type with a forward slash (/).
- [switches] are any additional parameters you want to set. There are many additional parameters, and you can view them all on Microsoft's website. The most common switch is /n, which allows you to search. Always precede switches with a forward slash (/).
5
Construct your command. Below are some examples of how you can construct your command, along with explanations about the switches used. Use these examples to construct your own command, replacing some of the variables with what works for your situation.
- Example #1: You want to restore all the files in your Documents folder on the C: drive to the recovery folder on your D: drive.
  - Command: winfr C: D: /regular /n \Users\[username]\Documents\
    - For this command, start by using regular mode. Use the /n switch, which is used to search, and follow it with the location of your Documents folder. Don't forget to replace [username] with your Windows username, and make sure to include the backslash (\) at the end.
- Example #2: You want to restore any .png and .gif images from the Pictures folder on your C: drive to the recovery folder on your D: drive.
  - Command: winfr C: D: /extensive /n \Users\[username]\Pictures\*.PNG /n \Users\[username]\Pictures\*.GIF
    - This command uses extensive mode because it's more advanced than the previous command. Notice how multiple /n switches can be used in the command to search for multiple file types (.png) and (.gif). Make sure to replace [username] with your Windows username.
    - The asterisk (*) before the file type ending (.PNG and .GIF) means that Windows File Recovery will look for any file that ends in these endings to restore. The asterisk essentially acts as a wildcard that can replace any amount of text.
Press ↵ Enter to run the command. You may be prompted for confirmation to continue; if so, press Y. Depending on the size of your source drive, the command could take a while to run. If you need to stop the process at any time, press Ctrl+C.^{[2]
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Warnings

Don't download any third-party software that claims to restore old files for you. These programs are usually scammy: they require you to pay to use them, and then they may not actually restore your files. Stick to tried-and-true Windows programs to restore your deleted files.

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If your computer is set up to sync with OneDrive, deleted files cannot be retrieved from OneDrive. Likewise, if you delete a file in OneDrive, it will be deleted on your computer as well.

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