Losing important files can be frustrating, but Windows 10 provides a powerful tool to help recover them: Windows File Recovery. Whether you accidentally deleted files or they disappeared due to other reasons, this guide will walk you through the steps to recover them using Windows File Recovery.
PREFACE:
Stop Using the Drive Immediately: When files are deleted, they aren't necessarily erased immediately. Continuing to use the drive could overwrite the deleted data, making recovery more difficult or even impossible.
Disconnect or Power Down the Drive: If possible, disconnect the drive from your computer or power it down to prevent any further writes to the disk. This step is crucial in preserving the deleted files.
Perform Recovery on Another Computer: To minimize the risk of overwriting deleted data, connect the affected drive to a different computer as an external drive. This allows you to perform recovery operations without the operating system potentially writing new data to the disk.
Avoid Saving Recovered Files to the Same Drive: Once recovered, save the files to a different location than the original drive to avoid overwriting any remaining deleted data.
Step 1: Download and Install Windows File Recovery
Access the Microsoft Store on your Windows 10 device.
Search for "Windows File Recovery" and download the app.
Step 2: Prepare for Recovery
Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
Press the Windows key, type "Command Prompt," right-click on it, and select "Run as administrator."
In the Command Prompt window, use the following structure:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: /mode /switches
Replace source-drive with the drive letter of where files were lost (e.g., C:) and destination-drive with where you want to recover them (e.g., E:).
Step 3: Choose Recovery Mode
Regular Mode:
Use for recent deletions on NTFS drives.
Example: winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\<username>\Documents\
Extensive Mode:
Use for older deletions, formatted disks, corrupted disks, or non-NTFS drives.
Example: winfr C: E: /extensive /n \Users\<username>\Pictures\*.JPEG /n \Users\<username>\Pictures\*.PNG
Step 4: Customize Recovery with Filters (if needed)
Add /n followed by specific filters like file types (*.pdf, *.docx), filenames, or paths to narrow down recovery.
Step 5: Start and Monitor Recovery
Initiate Recovery:
Press Enter after entering your command in Command Prompt.
Confirm by entering Y when prompted.
Monitor Progress:
Depending on the drive size, recovery may take time. Monitor progress in the Command Prompt window.
Step 6: Check Recovered Files
Locate Recovery Folder:
Windows File Recovery automatically creates a folder named Recovery_<date and time> on the destination drive.
Review Results:
Navigate to the recovery folder to check if your files have been successfully recovered.
Tips for Successful Recovery
Ensure your Windows 10 version is 19041 or later.
Minimize computer usage after file loss to maximize recovery chances.
Use Extensive Mode for non-NTFS file systems.
By following these steps, you can effectively recover lost files using Windows File Recovery on Windows 10. Don’t panic if you accidentally delete files—this guide may be able to help.
credit to Microsoft for their tool and here is a link to their page on the subject: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recover-lost-files-on-windows-10-61f5b28a-f5b8-3cc2-0f8e-a63cb4e1d4c4#:~:text=Press%20the%20Windows%20key%2C%20enter,to%20your%20device%2C%20select%20Yes.&text=There%20are%202%20basic%20modes,recover%20files%3A%20Regular%20and%20Extensive.