Deleting files is one of the easiest ways to free up disk space on a computer or any other storage device. Many use the Shift + Delete option to permanently delete files and folders.
However, you may realize that you accidentally deleted a few essential files/folders while deleting.
I am wondering how I can recover deleted files with shift delete. Keep scrolling down to find out about a guaranteed solution.
Table of Contents:
- What Does Shift Delete Actually Do To Your Files?
- Is Shift Deleted File Recovery Possible?
- How To Recover Shift Deleted Files?
What Does Shift Delete Do To Your Files?
To understand shift-deleted file recovery, know the difference between “Delete” and “Shift Delete”:
- Delete: Moves files to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac), where they stay until you empty the bin.
- Shift Delete: Permanently deletes files, bypassing the Recycle Bin or Trash.
Where do shift-deleted files go? They remain on the hard drive but are invisible to you. The operating system marks the file’s space as empty, ready for new data to overwrite it.
For successful shift-deleted file recovery, stop using the drive and system immediately to prevent new data from overwriting the files.
Note – Refer to this article to find out how to recover permanently deleted files on Windows.
Can you Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows?
Yes, you can recover any file or folder from that you have deleted using the Shift and Delete keys. The catch is that you must ensure any new data does not overwrite the deleted files.
How To Recover Shift Delete Files on Windows?
I have tried and tested various methods suggested or recommended by tech experts and normal Windows users.
Here’s a simplified list of guaranteed solutions to recover shift-deleted files (note that each requires specific conditions):
- Recover Shift Deleted Files Using a File Recovery Software (No Strings Attached, Guaranteed to work in all situations).
- Restoring Backup Copies of Deleted Files From The Cloud or External Storage Devices (The ask is a complete and updated Backup).
- Retrieve Shift + Delete Files Using the File History option (Requires Previously Activated Restore Points.
- Recover Shift Deleted Files Using Windows Backup Utility (The chances of this solution working is 50-50).
- Microsoft Windows File Recovery Tool to help you Bring Back Accidentally Deleted Files (You need to have a Good Amount of Patience).
So these are all the solutions I have tried so far. The below section explains the solutions in detail. It also tells you how to use them to get back Shift Deleted files or the files that were deleted but not in the Recycle Bin.
So, without wasting any more time, let’s fire!!!
Method 1: Recover Shift Deleted Files Using a File Recovery Software
Using specialized File Recovery tools is the perfect solution.
Remo Recover is our most advanced data recovery software to date. The tool has been meticulously designed after years of research and rigorous testing.
How does Remo Recover help with shift-deleted file recovery? Its powerful search algorithm scans any drive or partition, identifying over 500 file types.
Still not convinced? Remo offers a free preview of recovered files before saving.
Plus, it’s compatible with all Windows versions, including Windows 11, XP, and Vista. Best of all, Remo is free to download and try—you only pay when satisfied with the recovery results.
Download and try Remo now!!!
How To Use Remo Recover To Recover Shift Deleted Files?
- Download and install Remo File Recovery Tool.
- Open the software, select the drive or folder where files were Shift + Deleted, and click Scan.
- After the Quick Scan, use Dynamic Recovery View to see recovered files.
- When the full scan finishes, view all recovered files. Use the Advanced Filter to sort by file type, author, or date, and choose deleted or lost files.
- Double-click to preview recovered files.
- If satisfied, click Recover, choose a new save location (not the original drive), and save the files.
Suppose you do not want to try any third-party tools. You can also try manual or Do-it-yourself solutions, which are mentioned below.
Note: Do refer to this guide on Recovering Files from Windows, to learn all the possible ways of recovering deleted, lost or missing files on Windows.
Method 2: Restoring Backup Copies or Deleted Files From The Cloud or External Storage Devices
Saving multiple copies of your important files and folders in various locations is the best way to safeguard your data
The saved copies of the original files, known as backup data, can be restored and used in case of data loss.
This method is one of the most sure-shot ways to recover files and the most inexpensive way. Provided you need to have a copy of all the original files.
If you have a backup copy of the missing files, follow the steps below.
Restore Backup copies of Original Files From the Cloud (OneDrive and Google Drive)
1. Sign into your Microsoft OneDrive account with your Credentials.
2. A list of all files and folders saved in the Drive will appear on your screen.
3. Select all the copies and files you want to restore, and click the Download button on the toolbar menu.
If you have a Google Drive Account and are sure you have saved copies of shift deleted files in the G-Drive, then you can follow the steps mentioned below.
1: Sign in to your Google Drive with the help of your Google Account.
2: A complete list of all files and folders saved in your Google Drive will be displayed on your screen.
3: You must now find and select the copies of files and folders. Once done, click on the three vertical dots and click on the Download option from the drop-down menu.
4: The file you selected to Download will be saved in the Downloads folder as a ZIP file.
5: To access those downloaded files, you first need to unzip them, and you are also required to select a location where you want to extract those files.
Inace if you had lost users from OneDrive, try admin center access to recover them.
Restore Backup Copies of Original Files From External Storage Devices
If you have saved an extra copy of the files in any external storage device, such as an external hard, SSD, or USB, you must first connect it to your system. Then, you can manually copy and paste or drag and drop the files from the drive to the local folder.
Method 3: Retrieve Shift + Delete Files Using the File History option
In Windows, you will find a utility called File History that will help you recover deleted files from Windows 11 and other versions. However, it is only possible if you had enabled it earlier and set up restore points.
Note: If you missed this feature, this is the right time to enable it for future use.
Step 1: Go to the Search space in the Taskbar and write File History.
Step 2: Find and click “Restore your files with File History” in the search results.
Step 3: If not enabled, it will show you “No file history was found.” Please enable it by clicking on Configure File History settings.
Step 4: Select the drive to which you want to save the copies of the files and click on Turn On.
Step 5: If you have enabled it earlier for the drive from where you have accidentally deleted the files, a file history will be visible to you.
Step 6: Right-click on the file you want to retrieve and click the Restore button > Restore To. Select the file that needs to be restored and hit the green restore button. Then, select the new location where you want to save the file.
This feature backs up the files only in the user folder, which is backed up every hour. However, enabling the file history feature can kill your extra disk space, which is why this feature is not enabled by default in Windows.
Moreover, it is not guaranteed that this method will always help you in recovering deleted files after shift delete.
Method 4: Recover Shift Deleted Files Using Windows Backup Utility
The backup and Restore function can help restore lost data. If you’ve created a manual backup or configured it to update your files automatically.
You can recover the deleted files lost after a shift del using Windows Backup and RestoreUtility. Follow the below-mentioned steps:
1: Go to Search on Windows PC.
2: Type Control Panel
3: Click on System Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in the Control Panel.
4: Hit the Restore my files option in the bottom right corner. You can also browse for more backups if they are available.
5: Select Browse for folders to see which files can be restored to their previous condition.
6: Click on the folder you want to restore and select Add folder.
7: Click Next to locate where you wish to recover your files.
8: Click on Restore to undo shift delete in Windows.
If you don’t have a backup or use the latest Windows OS, Windows 10, and Windows 11, we recommend you try the next solution.
Method 5: Microsoft Windows File Recovery Tool to help you Bring Back Shift Deleted Files
For those who don’t know, Microsoft has its command line data recovery tool, Microsoft Windows File Recovery Tool.
The tool is only available on the latest version of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
First, download the Microsoft Windows File Recovery Utility from the Microsoft App Store.
Once done, you can follow the steps mentioned below.
Step 1: Launch the Windows File Recovery software. When prompted with “Allow the app to make changes to your device,” select Yes.
Use the command format:
winfr source-drive: destination-folder: [/mode] [/switches]
Source drive: The location of the shift-deleted files.
Destination drive: Where recovered files will be saved.
/mode: The recovery mode for shift-deleted files.
I recommend using Regular Mode or Extensive Mode for recovering data, especially from corrupted or formatted disks.
Step 2: Enter the command to recover shift-deleted files.
For example, to recover shift-deleted Excel (.xls) and PowerPoint (.ppt) files from the D: drive and save them to the S: drive, use:
winfr D: S: /regular /n *.xls /n *.ppt
Press the “Y” key to confirm and start the shift-deleted file recovery process.
Step 3: Once the recovery is complete, press Ctrl + C to end the task.
Note: Still using Windows 10 in 2024? Find out how to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for free.
Conclusion:
This concludes our discussion on recovering shift-deleted files from Windows.
The methods outlined in this article are effective but require prerequisites like backups, restore points, or specific commands. If manual methods aren’t your preference, specialized tools like Remo File Recovery software can handle the task.
We’re confident you’ve successfully recovered your shift-deleted files and folders by now.
Share in the comment section below which method you found most helpful, and feel free to ask any additional questions
Frequently Asked Questions on Shift Deleted File Recovery
Shift-deleted files are not permanently erased from the computer. Whenever you use Shift, delete to remove files or delete a file from the Recycle Bin. The OS removes the file name entry from the folder. The storage space occupied by the Shift Deleted files becomes ready to be overwritten. However, the part of the disk previously occupied by the file has not been modified or overwritten yet. It still contains the file data but is no longer linked to a file name. Thus, you can still recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin or removed using shift-delete.
To recover shift deleted files on Windows 10:
a) Download Remo Recover software on Windows 10
b) Launch the software and select the drive from which you want to recover Shift deleted files
c) Click on Scan. Once the scanning is completed, all your deleted files will be listed under Deleted Folder. Also, you can find additional files in Lost and Found Files under Deep Scan
d) Now, select the files which you want to restore and click on the Recover button
You can quickly recover and shift deleted files and folders without using software. All you need is an updated and complete backup of the original files, or else you can also use free tools like Microsoft File Recovery tool or other freeware tools.
