How to Recover Deleted Files from Hard Drive With/Without Software

Updated to Home > HowTos > File Recovery Tips by Robert on Apr 24, 2024 | Approved by Nancy

The hard drive is often overlooked and underappreciated, despite being an essential part of our digital lives. It's the unsung hero of the digital world, silently working in the background to ensure our computers are functioning correctly and able to store all our valuable data. However, even with the best organization, accidental file deletions may happen. If you're one of the unfortunate victims of data loss, fret not! This article will provide tips and tricks to recover deleted files from hard drive in Windows 10/11 and Mac, giving you peace of mind.

Quick Navigation
Part 1. Can I Get Files from a Hard Disk After Deleting Them?
Part 2. How to Restore Deleted Files from Hard Drive Without Software
Part 3. How to Recover Deleted Files from Hard Drive With Software
Part 4. How to Avoid Data Loss on Hard Drive
Part 5. FAQs

Can I Get Files from a Hard Disk After Deleting Them?

We've all been there – accidentally deleting important files from our hard disk. But don't panic just yet, because recovering deleted files from a hard drive is possible. Even if you use Shift + Deleted or empty the Recycle Bin, the removed item doesn't actually disappear entirely from your hard drive immediately. The file is often just marked as "deleted" or "recyclable," and the space it occupies on your hard disk is considered "free." As long as you haven't written any new data to your hard disk yet, your deleted files may still be recoverable. So if you've accidentally deleted important files, don't give up hope – Next, we will show you various ways to undelete files from hard drive with/without software.

How to Restore Deleted Files from Hard Drive Without Software

Losing important files is always a frustrating experience - whether it's a sentimental photo or important work documents. But before you panic, knowing there are ways to recover files deleted from hard drive without any software is essential. While it may seem overwhelming, a few simple techniques can often retrieve those lost files. They are:

Ways 1. Check Your Computer's Recycle Bin

If you don't use the Shift + Delete keys to remove files stored on your computer's internal hard drive, they will be placed in the Recycle Bin, where you can easily find them. If it is an external drive, you can also go here to recover deleted files from external hard drive.

  1. Find the "Recycle Bin" icon on your PC desktop and double-click to open it.
  2. Find your recently deleted item in the file list.
  3. After selecting the target file, click the "Restore the selected items" option on the top menu.
  4. Go to the original location of the deleted files to view them.

Ways 2. From Your Cloud Services

In today's digital age, having a reliable backup system for all your important data is essential. With cloud services becoming increasingly popular, storing your files securely and accessing them from anywhere with an internet connection is easy. One of the most significant benefits of using cloud storage is avoiding the loss of essential files. Suppose you accidentally delete something from your local hard disk that you need. No problem! Log in to your cloud storage and download the file again. It's a simple and hassle-free undelete hard drive solution that can relieve headaches.

Ways 3. Recover Deleted Files from Hard Drive using CMD

The undelete command only works in specific cases so that you can try your luck.

  1. Click the Windows key on the keyboard and scroll down to find "Windows System" > "Command Prompt."
  2. After opening it, type "chkdsk C:/f" > "attrib -h -r -s /s /d C:*.*" (C is the drive letter of the deleted file)
  3. After opening the hard disk, check if the disappeared files are displayed.

Ways 4. From File History

This method of recovering deleted files from a hard drive only applies if you enable File History.

  1. After pressing the "Windows + R" key at the same time, type "control" and Enter.
  2. In the opened window, click "System and Security."
  3. Click "Restore your files with File History."
  4. Click the left and right arrows at the bottom of the page to find accidentally deleted files.
  5. After finding the target file, click the green button to save it.

Ways 5. Find Deleted Files from Hard Disk Use Backup and Restore

This option requires you to have selected the target drive/partition when creating the system restore. NOTE: This option may convert other files to a previous version. To do this, you can copy them to another location.

  1. Connect the backup drive to the computer.
  2. Open the Control Panel and go to "System and Security" > "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)."
  3. Choose "Select another backup to restore files from" and follow the wizard to complete the restore task.

The above solutions can help you

  • recover HDD data
  • without software, but they all require specific conditions. Don't worry if you don't have it. You can also use professional data recovery software to help you. As long as you do not save new files after accidentally deleting items, you can get them back.

    How to Recover Deleted Files from Hard Drive With Software

    When you accidentally delete an important file without a backup and are desperate to get it back. That's where file recovery software comes in, offering a solution to this frustrating problem. For this, here we will provide two tools and guide you to retrieve permanently deleted files from hard drive on Mac or Windows 11/10/7.

    Ways 1. Use iBeesoft Data Recovery

    Losing important data is never fun, but luckily, iBeesoft Data Recovery is here to save the day! With two scanning modes and a user-friendly interface, finding removed files has never been easier. Even if your data is damaged during recovery, iBeesoft can still repair it. No matter what operating system you are using, this program is an excellent choice to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11, 10, and Mac. Here are the detailed steps on how to use it to undelete files.

    Download for Windows Download for macOS
    1. Choose to download the corresponding installation package according to your system and install it.
    2. After running it, you can click "Go to settings" to filter file types to speed up the process.
    3. Click "Select Folder" to select the location of deleted files to start scanning.
    4. After completing the data extraction, select the found file and click "Recover" to save it.

    Ways 2. Use TestDisk

    Are you struggling to recover deleted files from hard drive fee? TestDisk may be the solution you're looking for. This open-source program is 100% free and can help you find lost data quickly. Even though it lacks a user interface and preview option, don't be intimidated. Following a few simple steps, you can soon get your deleted items.

    1. Download TestDisk and unzip the archive you get.
    2. Double-click testdisk_win/mac.exe to open it.
    3. Navigate to Append > Your Disk > Drive Types > Advanced > Select the Volume > Undelete.
    4. After finishing the scan, you will get a list of found files, select the ones you need and click "C" to save.

    How to Avoid Data Loss on Hard Drive

    No one wants to experience the sinking feeling of losing important data - whether it's cherished personal photos, work documents, or financial information. Luckily, you can take steps to avoid data loss on your hard disk.

    Following these tips can prevent data loss and protect your essential files.

    FAQs

    Conclusion

    In today's technology-driven world, we rely heavily on our computers and hard drives to store important files and data. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and we may mistakenly delete files we later realize we need. But thankfully, this article provides various methods to help you recover deleted files from hard drive in Windows 11, 10, and macOS with/without software; I hope they can help you.