Windows: recovering deleted files from the Recycle Bin

Follow these steps to recover a deleted file from the Recycle Bin:

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.

2. Double-click to open a File Explorer window that shows the contents of the Recycle Bin.

If you're using the latest version of Windows, the question of how to prevent files from being deleted immediately is no longer a concern. By default, Windows now moves deleted files to the Recycle Bin and does not permanently delete them right away. However, you still have the option of deleting files immediately. We’ll show you how to do this below. If data on your PC is immediately deleted without being moved to Recycle Bin first, the default setting may have been unintentionally changed. In that case, these tips will also help you undo this setting.

Windows can delete files instantly without putting them in the Recycle Bin. You can do this for a single file or make it the default setting for all files.

1. If you want to delete a file immediately in Windows without using the Recycle Bin, select the file in File Explorer and click on the small arrow under the ‘Delete’ icon in the ‘Home’ tab of the ribbon.
2. In the drop-down menu that appears, you’ll see the ‘Permanently delete’ option. If you choose this option, the file will be deleted immediately instead of being moved to the Recycle Bin.

3. An even faster method is to select a file and click the ‘Delete’ button while holding down the Shift key. Choose ‘YES’ to confirm and the file will be permanently deleted.
4. If you always want to permanently delete files without moving them to Recycle Bin, open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking the desktop icon and clicking ‘Recycle bin properties’ on the ‘Recycle bin tools’ tab on the ribbon. Select ‘Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted’. You can define this setting differently for each drive. Save your changes by choosing ‘OK’. Now all files on the selected drive will be immediately and permanently removed when you delete them.

Very few users empty the Recycle Bin on a regular basis to free up disk space. Windows 10 offers the option of automatically deleting files that have been in the Recycle Bin for a long time. This frees up space on the hard drive.

1. In the Windows 10 Settings app select ‘System’ -> ‘Storage’ and enable Storage Sense. The quickest way to open the Windows Settings app is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key + I.
2. Click on ‘Configure Storage Sense or run it now’.

If you delete a folder in Windows, it is sent to the Recycle Bin. From there, you can easily restore the entire folder just as you would recover a single file. However, the Windows user interface does not have an option for restoring a single file from a deleted folder in the Recycle Bin. The easiest method is to completely restore the folder in the recycle bin, move the desired file to another directory, and then delete the folder with the remaining files.

You can also use Command Prompt commands to retrieve a single file from a folder that has already been deleted. Before doing this, familiarise yourself with the directory structure of the Windows Recycle Bin and hidden folders.

1. First, open a Command Prompt window
2. Go to the $recycle.bin folder: cd \$recycle.bin
3. View the contents of this folder including its sub-folders: dir /s