Almost every computer user will encounter data loss issues, and most users will lose files and folders because of accidental deletion. Is it possible to recover deleted folders on their computers? The answer is yes, and we will introduce five different methods to help you recover lost folders.
Before that, you should know that accidental deletion is not the only reason you lost folders. Many other reasons can cause data loss:
Now, let us focus on recovering deleted folders on Windows! Check the following 5 methods and detailed tutorial to recover deleted folders on Windows 10/11.
The first and most recommended method to recover deleted folders on Windows is by applying data recovery software. No matter if you have lost your folders because of accidental deletion, sudden power off, system crashes, internal hard drive corruption, or other situations. You can use Deep Data Recovery to recover deleted folders quickly.
After launching Qiling Dat Recovery Wizard, check this guide to recover deleted folders on Windows.
Step 1. Select a folder to scan for lost files
Launch Deep Data Recovery. Click the the location where you lost the folder and click "Scan" to scan the lost folder.
Step 2. Find and preview found files in the lost folder
If you remember the folder name, type the folder name in search box to quickly find the lost files. Then, open the found folder and double-click to preview scanned files. Or you can use the Filter feature to find a certain type of files.
Step 3. Recover and save the lost folder
Last, select the folder and files you need, click "Recover" and choose a new & secure location on your PC or cloud storage like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox to keep the recovered data.
If you delete your folders using the right-click on Windows 10, you can find Recycle Bin on Windows 10 and restore your deleted folders.
Step 1. Ensure you have not deleted the folders with the Shift + Delete shortcut, and you should know the differences between shift delete and delete. You cannot find a shift-deleted folder in the Recycle Bin.
Step 2. The Recycle Bin will be found on the desktop by default, and the icon looks like a trash can.
Step 3. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon will enter the Recycle Bin folder. Find the deleted folder and right-click it. Then, choose "Restore" to put it back.
If you have Windows restore points, you can restore Windows 10/11 to a previous version, and the previous version sometimes is called shadow copy. How to restore deleted folders with Windows system restore point? Keep reading to find out:
Step 1. Open the File Explorer on Windows 11/10. If you encounter File Explorer not responding, you can restart it to fix the problem.
Step 2. Navigate to the upper folder of the deleted one.
Step 3. If the deleted folder was the top folder of a drive, right-click the drive and choose the option to restore prior versions.
Step 4. To restore a deleted folder, choose the most recent version that contains it, and click "Restore".
If you haven't created any backups manually, you'd better check Windows Backup and Restore to take a chance. Windows Backup and Restore is a built-in backup utility that can rescue lost folders with system backups. Check this tutorial to restore deleted folders:
Step 1. Open the control panel on Windows 10/11 using the search box.
Step 2. Click "System and Security", and you will see many options.
Step 3. Put the pointer on Back Up and Restore (Windows 7), then click it.
Step 4. Click "Restore my files", then you can search for lost folders by clicking "Browse for folders".
Step 5. Then, you can find the lost folder and follow the prompt to restore it.
Don't forget to share this passage to help more Windows users to recover deleted folders!
The last method to recover deleted folders on Windows is using File History. The program regularly copies the files in your Favorites and Contacts directories, Desktop, and Libraries. It is not difficult to use File History to recover deleted folders:
Step 1. You can access the File History option by opening the control panel > System and Security > File History.
Step 2. Select the folder which contains your deleted folders, and choose the right record which contains your deleted data.
Step 3. Click on the Restore button, and the selection will come back once you press the Restore button in the center.
We believe you have recovered deleted folder using the five methods we recommend. While using Windows 10 or 11, you can find many useful tools to help you out of data loss. If you don't have any useful backups on your computer and Windows Backup and Restore is not activated, you should try Qiling data recovery software.
If you have more questions about recovering deleted folders on Windows, don't leave this page. You can check four frequently asked questions to learn more:
1. How to recover permanently deleted files on Windows?
You will need Deep Data Recovery to recover permanently deleted files on Windows:
2. Why a deleted folder is not in the Recycle Bin?
The deleted files might have been permanently removed if they were not in the Recycle Bin. When this occurs, the files' space will be designated as empty and can be overwritten by new information. It is also possible that you have not really deleted the folder and you just moved it to another partition.
3. Where can I find recently deleted folders?
You can find recently deleted folders in the Recycle Bin on Windows. If you deleted files and folders on Windows, they would move the files and folder to the Recycle Bin by default. If you want to recover these folders, right-click in the Recycle Bin and choose 'Restore'.
4. What is the best folder recovery program?
The following recovery software will help you recover lost folders on Windows: