How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11/10/8/7 Using CMD

There is no cancel option or Ctrl + Z shortcut to get back the deleted files after you use Shift+Delete or empty the recycle bin. To recover permanently deleted files on Windows PC, you can try the following 3 ways. Choose the right way for yourself.

Quick Navigation

Part 1. Retrieve Deleted Files from Recycle Bin Using Attrib Command Prompt

Part 2. Recover Deleted Files from USB Using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10/8/7

Part 3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files Using Data Recovery Software (100% Effective)

Part 4. Frequently Asked Questions for Restore Deleted Files

Part 1. Retrieve Deleted Files from Recycle Bin Using Attrib Command Prompt

Why need to undelete command in dos? Just think about it what you can do after you empty the recycle bin, then you see nothing you can restore. And while using the computer, it just quit, refuses to reboot. The CMD is a great way to get deleted files back from recycle bin or the attrib command to find files. Here are the steps for how to undelete Command from Windows 11/10/8/7/XP:

1. Press the Windows key and R at the same time to open the dialogue window
2. Type in cmd and press Enter
3. At the prompt type in cd\ and press Enter
4. Next, type in cd $Recycle.bin and press Enter. Different operating systems this command may also be "Recycled", or "Recycler".
5. Then type in attrib -r -s -h *.* and press Enter
6. At last type in dir */s and Enter, Then you will see all deleted files. In this way, you can easily retrieve files using CMD.

After then, you can see there is a list of items like Dc25.url, Dc26. Ink, etc. Actually, the number represents the number of deleted files. "D" means the drive where the Windows operating system is installed. A hidden folder is creating on each volume that has the recycle bin enabled named Recycled. Any deleted files are moved to this folder and renamed to C <original drive letter> <number file deleted> <original extension> and the original full name and path stored in a mapping file Info.

Use the COPY command to get back the files you need. For example: COPY *.DOC C:\Temp to copy all DOC files to C:\Temp. Now you can open these data and find the one(s) that you wanted to CMD recover deleted files.

Part 2. Recover Deleted Files from USB Using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10/8/7

As we all know that while connected an extra device, like a flash drive, or USB drive with a computer, when you delete a file from the device, the deleted files are not put into recycle bin, right? That’s where this Attrib command way is used for. You can use it to find any file in the flash drive/USB drive. Here are the simple steps for how to recover deleted files from pen drive without software or get files back from USB using CMD:

1. Click the start button of your Windows PC at the bottom left and type "cmd" in the dialogue box. End it by pressing Enter.
2. Type in chkdsk E:/f and press Enter(the "E" is your drive letter). If the file for this volume is being used, close it or type Y to force it to be uninstalled.
3. Type in E and hit Enter again
4. Type in attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:*.* and press Enter. This way will help you recover files using CMD.

Note: All the above-mentioned "E" represents the drive letter of your USB drive where you want to get back lost files. After step 5, your lost files will be saved back to your external hard drive/device in a newly created folder. You just need to change the file extensions back to a normal format to make them reusable again.

Part 3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files Using Data Recovery Software

Retrieve deleted files using Command prompt is a little complicated, right? To use undelete command, you’re required to know the basic command line languages. If you prefer an easier way to get back permanently deleted files without Command prompt, I’d like to recommend you using a professional undelete tool – iBeesoft Data Recovery.

iBeesoft Data Recovery is designed for people to restore permanently deleted files from computer and external hard drives, like SD card, USB drive, phone memory and more. With its simple interface, people will know how to use it to recover deleted files in Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows XP. easily. Below are the step-by-step guide for how to use it.

1. Download and install undelete tool

Click the download button to get iBeesoft data recovery software. After downloading it, double-click the .exe file to install on your computer. It is fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. Next, run it right away. Please note that if you’re going to retrieve deleted or lost files from an external hard drive, you need to connect it with your computer via a USB cable first.

2. Select a Location to Scanning

All the disks, external devices, lost partitions will be listed on the interface. please select a location where you delete data from and then click "Scan" button. if the deleted files or folder in Desktop, Libraries, or Documents please system disk/partition.

3. Preview and Recovering Deleted Files

It only takes a few seconds for the tool to scan for deleted or lost files. After the scanning, all found files are displayed in the result window. From there, you can select files to preview them or click "Recover" to save them on your computer.

Using Command to recover deleted files on Windows PC requires at least some computer knowledge. If you know it, you can carry out the command data recovery. For ordinary people, i still recommend using professional data recovery software, like iBeesoft Data Recovery, for help. It allows to preview recoverable files before you really cost a penny on it.

Frequently Asked Questions