How to Recover Deleted Wordpad Documents

WordPad is word-processing software shipped with the Windows operating system. WordPad allows basic edit operations and document printing. This editor uses primarily the rich text document format (.rtf) but can also work with plain text files. WordPad has fewer functions than Microsoft Word and cannot read Word (.doc) document files. Restore accidentally deleted WordPad files using the Windows recycle bin.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Windows operating system

Instructions

1. Log in to your user account in Windows XP or Vista.

2. Double-click on the "Recycle bin" icon that is located on your Desktop.

3. Click the menu "View" and select "Details."

4. Click on the column "Type" to sort files in the Recycle bin accordingly to their types.

5. Scroll down the file list and locate the file group having the type "Rich Text Format." Find a previously deleted WordPad document within that group.

6. Right-click on the WordPad file you wish to recover and choose "Restore" from the pop-up menu. The file will appear in the original folder from where it was deleted.

References

• "Using WordPad", Windows Vista Help.
• "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual," David Pogue, 2006