How to Recover Lost Files on Windows 11?

Windows 11 is known for its excellent interface and high-speed performance. But you may lose data files no matter how shiny the new OS is. Losing any important file on your Windows 11 device can be an undesirable situation and can put you in trouble. Usually, such data loss issues occur because of manual errors, like accidental deletion, overwriting of files, or any system-related problems.

When any file is deleted for any reason, it is moved to the Recycle Bin, and the space it occupies will be made available for other files. But when you delete any file using Shift + Delete key, it will be permanently removed from your system. Don’t worry; whether your file is temporary or permanently deleted, several professional data recovery methods are available online that you can try to restore your files.

In this article, we will provide some common causes for such data loss issues. Along with the reasons, we will also include how to recover lost files on Windows 11 devices.

What Causes Files Deletion on Windows 11?

Before you proceed with the methods to recover lost files on Windows devices, it is important to know the exact reasons for missing files. Some of the causes that lead to data loss include:

• You should log in to your Windows account adequately. It makes you unable to access all the files stored on your device.
• Windows 11 encounters a low disk space issue, due to which it deletes some files to free up more space.
• Any problem while installing the updates can cause the issue.
• Files or software programs downloaded from an untrusted source can cause such issues on your system.

How do I Recover Files Deleted from Windows 11?

After file loss, getting deleted files back on Windows 11 devices is quick and straightforward. There are several methods available online that you can try to recover data from the dead hard drive or any other storage device. In this part of the blog, we have provided some standard methods that you can apply one by one to restore your files:

Method 01: Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin

Every time when any file is deleted from your Windows device, it is moved to Recycle Bin. The deleted file will remain there for certain days, after which it will be permanently deleted. You need to go through the following steps in order to restore these files if they are still present in the Recycle Bin:

• Locate Recycle Bin folder on your desktop.
• In the Recycle Bin, select the files that you need to restore and click the “Restore the Selected Items” option.

After that, the selected files will be recovered to your original folder on your device.

Method 02: Recover Lost Files Using CMD

You can use the Windows CMD utility tool to restore deleted files. This method best works if the file is deleted due to virus infection, file system corruption, or similar reasons. You can follow the below-given steps to restore deleted files using the CHKDSK command:

• Press Windows and X keys simultaneously and then select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
• Now, type the command: chkdsk #: /r(replace # with your disk letter) and press Enter key.

• You can also use the Attrib command, i.e., attrib -h -r -s /s /d #:*.* to restore lost files (replace # with the disk letter).

Method 03: Recover Deleted Files Using Files History & Backup

File History is the Windows built-in restore tool that you can use on your Windows device to back up all your files and folders. To recover lost files using the File History backup feature, you need to:

• Type CP in the search box located at the bottom-left corner and select Control Panel.
• Now, select “Restore personal files” appearing at the left-navigation pane of your screen.
• You can check the files in the “File History” window as per the backup time. Select the file that you need to restore and then click the green icon.

• Tap the “Save As” button to save those files on your device.

Method 04: Recover Deleted Files with Backup and Restore

If you have created the backup of your files using Backup and Restore, you can use them to restore files from the backup. You need to apply the following steps to restore deleted files using this method:

• First, navigate to Control Panel >System Security. Select “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” and then click on the “Restore my files” option.

• Now, click anyone among the “Search…”, “Browse for files”, and “Browse for folders” buttons to find the deleted files on your device.

• Select where you need to restore the files among the original location or new location options.
• At last, click the Restore option to restore files.

Method 05: Use a Professional Data Recovery Tool

If the above-mentioned manual methods fail to restore your lost files, you can use a professional data recovery software to get the deleted files back. Stellar Data Recovery Professional is all-in-one data recovery software that you can use to restore deleted files in a few simple clicks. You can use this recovery software to restore files deleted from formatted, encrypted, or corrupted drives. Even the software can help you to restore files from completely crashed & unbootable systems.

Check the below given step-by-step instructions to know how to recover lost files on Windows 11 using this tool:

• Download the Stellar Data Recovery Professional tool on your computer. Launch the software and select the data that you need to recover. Click the Next button.

• Then, select the location from where you need to restore files and click the Scan button. The program will then start the scanning process to quickly find the deleted files in the selected location.

• Once the scanning process is completed, select the files you need to restore and click the Recover button to save the recovered data.

Important Tips to Avoid Data Loss on Windows 11 Devices

It would be best to learn essential tips to avoid issues like the sudden deletion of files or folders on Windows 11 devices. It mainly includes:

• It is best practice to avoid saving important data on the desktop, mainly when multiple users use your computer.
• Make sure your confidential folders are not accessible to anyone. Also, keep a strong password for your PC to prevent unauthorized access.
• If any critical data is deleted from SSD, immediately turn off the TRIM option.
• Once you find the data is deleted from your device, avoid saving data on it or even try to avoid using your device till the data is recovered.

Conclusion

Accidental deletion of data files can bother you once you apply proper methods to restore lost files. This article briefly provides several methods to recover lost files on Windows 11 devices. If the manual methods fail to help you, you can use a reliable third-party data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery Professional to recover your files.