How to Recover Files & Folders That Were Deleted

Some deleted folders may be able to be recovered.

If you have accidentally deleted files or folders from your computer's hard drive that you need to get back, it may be possible to recover those files or folders. If files or folders were not permanently deleted, or were automatically backed up by the system, copies of those files or folders should still be stored on the computer's hard drive. With just a little effort, you can recover the files and folders, rescuing the information contained in them.

Instructions

1. Close all programs to display the desktop of your computer. Double-click the "Recycle Bin" icon on the desktop to open a window showing all of the recycle bin's contents. If the file or folder that you want to recover appears in the recycle bin window, right-click the file and choose "Restore" from the menu to return the file or folder to its original position on the hard drive.

2. Check the location or folder where the file or folder would most likely save by default for a copy of the file or folder. On Windows systems, for instance, documents, such as those created in Microsoft Word, default save to the "Documents" folder on the "C:" drive and audio files default save to the "Music" folder on the "C:" drive. To view the "Documents" or "Music" folders, go to the "Start" menu and click on "Documents" or "Music" from the menu.

3. Launch the search feature on the computer. To bring up the search feature, click on "Start" and then "Search" in the "Start" menu, or just use the search box directly in the "Start" menu.

4. Enter the file or folder name, or part of the file or folder name, and press the "Enter" key to search the computer for all files containing the file or folder name or partial file or folder name. If the file or folder comes up in the list, double-click the file or folder to open it.

5. Use the search feature to search for temporary or backup copies on the computer. To find temporary files through a search, type "*.tmp" into the search box and press "Enter." To search for backup copies, type the extension used for backups in the program that the deleted file was created in, such as ".wbk" for Microsoft Word, ".xlk" for Microsoft Excel or "bkf" for folders. Press "Enter."

Tips & Warnings

• If you cannot find the deleted files or folders that you are trying to recover on your computer, you can try running a data recovery application. A few free recovery applications are available online (see Resources.)

References

• Microsoft Support: Data Recovery
• Microsoft: Recover Lost or Deleted Files

Resources

• CNET: Data Recovery Application