How to Recover Deleted Files on a Laptop, Smartphone, Flash Drive

Have you ever accidentally deleted some important files? Or maybe your valuable documents suddenly vanished from your laptop or smartphone? No need to panic! The good news is that in many cases, deleted files are not completely gone and can still be recovered.

So, how can you bring back those deleted files?

Don’t worry! We’re here to guide you through various methods of recovering deleted files on smartphone, laptops, and flash drives. By the time you finish reading this article, you will be able to handle emergency situations when important files go missing or get deleted due to other reasons.

Alright, here’s the complete guide!

How to Recover Deleted Files on a Laptop through the Recycle Bin

Have you accidentally deleted an important file on your laptop? No worries, it may not be lost forever! When you delete a file, it actually goes to the Recycle Bin first before being permanently erased from your Windows operating system. As long as you haven’t emptied the Recycle Bin, you still have a great chance to easily recover those files.

Let’s go through the simple steps to restore files from the Recycle Bin:

1. Look for the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop or find it in the Start menu and open it.
   
2. Inside the Recycle Bin window, you’ll find a list of deleted files. You can either use the search feature or browse through the files manually to find the one you want to recover.
3. Once you’ve located the file, right-click on it and select “Restore“.
   
4. Voila! Your file will be returned to its original location before it was deleted. Double-check the intended folder to find it.

Remember, this method works similarly for Mac and Linux operating systems too, but they may have different names for the feature. On a Mac, deleted files are moved to the Trash, while on Linux, you’ll find a similar feature called Trash or Rubbish Bin.

How to Recover Deleted Files on a Computer using CMD

Did you know that you can use Command Prompt (CMD) to recover deleted files on your computer? It’s a handy method when you want to restore files that have been permanently deleted or if the Recycle Bin isn’t working properly.

Here’s a guide on how to recover permanently deleted files on your laptop using CMD:

1. Open the Command Prompt application through the Start menu. You can also quickly access it by pressing the Windows key + R, typing “cmd,” and pressing Enter.
   
2. In the Command Prompt window, you’ll need to navigate to the folder where your deleted file was located. Don’t worry, it’s easy! You can use the “cd” command to change directories. For example, if your file was in the Documents folder on drive D, just type the following command:cd /d D:\Documents
   
3. Once you’re in the correct directory, it’s time to run CMD command that will restore your deleted file. attrib -h -r -s /s /d .
   
4. Now, all you have to do is wait for the process to finish. CMD will work and automatically restore the attributes of the deleted files.

Remember, using CMD may require a bit of technical knowledge, so take your time and follow the steps carefully. Soon, your deleted files will be back where they belong!

How to Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 using the File History Feature

Windows 10 has a feature called File History that can help you recover deleted files or restore previous versions of your files? So, if your file is no longer in the Recycle Bin or you want to go back to an earlier version of it, give this feature a try.

Follow these steps to recover your deleted files using File History:

1. Open the Start menu and click on “Settings,” or simply press the Windows key + I to open the Settings directly.
2. In the Settings window, select “Update & Security,” and then choose “Backup” from the left panel
   .
3. Look for the option that says “Add a drive” and click on it. This allows you to select an external drive where File History will save your backups. Make sure the drive is connected to your computer.
   
4. Once you’ve chosen the destination drive, make sure to turn on the “Automatically back up my files” feature if it’s not already activated. This ensures your files are backed up regularly.
   
5. To recover your deleted files, go back to the Backup page and click on “More options” at the bottom.
   
6. On the Backup options page, click on “Restore files from a current backup.”
   
7. A window called File History will appear, displaying all your backed-up files. Now, it’s time to find the folder and file you want to recover.
   
8. Once you’ve located the file you want to bring back to life, right-click on it and press the green “Restore” button. Watch as your file is whisked away and restored to its original location.

There you have it! By following these steps, you can easily recover your deleted files using the amazing File History feature in Windows 10.

How to Recover Deleted Files using Restore Previous Version

The next method to recover deleted data is by utilizing the Restore Previous Version feature. This built-in Windows feature can restore deleted files as long as you haven’t shut down your computer after the incident.

To recover deleted files using Restore Previous Version, follow these steps:

1. First, let’s navigate to the folder where your file was residing before it vanished. For example, if it was in the Documents folder, go ahead and find your way there.
2. Right-click on the folder and select the “Restore previous versions” option.
   
3. A Previous Versions pop-up will appear, displaying a list of versions of the folder or file in question. Please select the version you wish to restore.
   
4. Once you’ve chosen the desired version, click the Restore button to recover that version

How to Recover Deleted Files from a Flash Drive using Recuva

Recuva is a popular and free data recovery software that can be used to recover deleted files from flash drives and other storage media.

Here’s how to use Recuva to recover deleted data from a flash drive:

1. Download and install Recuva on your computer from its official website.
   
2. Connect the flash drive to your computer and ensure that it is detected.
3. Open Recuva, and you will see several recovery options. Choose the “All Files” option if you want to recover all types of deleted files. Alternatively, you can select specific file types such as photos or documents.
   
4. In the “File location” section, select the location where you deleted the files, in this case, the flash drive.
   
5. Click the “Start” button to initiate the scanning process with Recuva.
   
6. Once the scanning is complete, Recuva will display a list of deleted files that it has found. You can use the filtering options or manually search for the files you want to recover.
7. Select the files you wish to recover by checking the box next to each file. Then, click the “Recover” button to start the file recovery process.
   
8. Wait for the recovery process to complete. Once finished, you can find the recovered files at the specified storage location.

Remember, it’s important not to save any new data to your flash drive before performing the recovery. This way, we maximize the chances of successfully recovering your deleted files.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Your Android Phone

Oops! Did you accidentally delete some important files on your Android phone? No worries, we’ve got you covered! Just like on a computer, those files aren’t gone forever. They’re just hanging out in temporary storage, waiting to be rescued.

Here’s how to recover deleted files on an Android phone:

1. Open the Files app on your Android device.
   
2. In the main menu, look for and open the Clean submenu.
   
3. Tap on the arrow icon indicating the amount of memory or storage used.
   
4. Next, locate and select the Trash option.
   
5. You will see a list of deleted files. Choose the files you want to recover and click on Restore.
6. The deleted files on your Android phone will be restored to their previous folder.

How to Recover Deleted Files on iPhone with iCloud

If you’re using an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad, you can utilize iCloud to recover deleted files on your phone. iCloud is a cloud storage application designed specifically for Apple devices.

Here’s how to recover deleted files on your iPhone using iCloud:

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone. It’s the one that looks like a folder.
2. Next, access the “Locations” tab and select the “Recently Deleted” option.
   
3. Once you’re there, choose the file you want to recover.
   
4. Finally, tap on “Recover” to restore the selected file.
   

Do you feel confident now in understanding how to recover deleted files?

Just keep in mind that the success of file recovery depends on a few factors, like the device you’re using, the operating system, the time that has passed since deletion, and how much storage has been used since then.

To minimize the risk of losing files permanently, it’s always a good idea to take some precautions. Remember to back up your files regularly, keep your devices clean and secure, and be extra careful when deleting files.

So, next time you accidentally bid farewell to an important file, you’ll know exactly how to bring it back. Stay tech-savvy and keep those files safe!