Act fast, and stop using the drive
When you delete a file, the space it used is marked as free, but the data often remains until something else overwrites it. Every file you save, download or install after the deletion can overwrite it. So the first rule is simple: stop using that drive or phone for anything non-essential until you have looked.
Then check these places in order. Most files turn up in the first two.
1. The recycle bin or trash
| Device | Where to look | How long items stay |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Recycle Bin on the desktop | Until emptied, or until the bin reaches its size limit |
| Mac | Trash in the Dock | Until emptied, or 30 days if set to auto-empty |
| iPhone | Photos > Recently Deleted; Files > Recently Deleted | About 30 days |
| Android | Google Photos > Library > Bin; Files by Google > Trash | 30 to 60 days, by app |
| Samsung | Gallery > Recycle bin; My Files > Recycle bin | 30 days |
Right-click (or tap) the file and choose Restore. It returns to its original location.
2. Cloud storage bins
If the folder was synced, the cloud service probably kept a copy:
- OneDrive: sign in at onedrive.com and open Recycle bin. Personal accounts keep items for 30 days.
- Google Drive: open Trash in Drive. Items are deleted permanently after 30 days.
- iCloud Drive: on icloud.com, open Drive > Recently Deleted, or Data Recovery in account settings for older files.
- Dropbox: open Deleted files. The retention period depends on your plan.
Cloud services also keep version history, which can rescue a file you saved over by mistake.
3. Backups and previous versions
Windows:
- File History: if it was turned on, right-click the folder that held the file, choose Properties > Previous Versions (Windows 10) or search for Restore your files with File History.
- System restore points do not restore personal files. They only roll back system settings and apps.
Mac:
- Time Machine: open the folder where the file was, then open Time Machine from the menu bar, go back to a date before the deletion, select the file and click Restore.
Phones:
- An iCloud or Google backup can restore deleted data, but restoring a whole backup usually means resetting the phone. It is a last resort. If you are changing phones, our guide to switching between iPhone and Android covers backing up before you wipe the old one.
4. Recovery software
If the file is not in any bin or backup, recovery software can scan the drive for data that has not been overwritten yet.
- Windows File Recovery is a free command-line tool from Microsoft, available in the Microsoft Store.
- Several well-known paid tools offer free scans that show what can be recovered before you pay.
Rules that matter more than the choice of tool:
- Install the software on a different drive, or on another computer, and connect the affected drive to it.
- Recover files to a different drive, never to the one you are scanning.
- Expect partial results: file names may be lost, and large files may be damaged.
Why SSDs are harder to recover from
Most laptops now use solid-state drives (SSDs). To keep them fast, the system uses a command called TRIM that tells the drive which blocks are no longer needed, and the drive wipes them in the background. Once that happens, the data is gone for good.
So on an SSD, recovery software often finds little after the bin is emptied. Backups are the real protection, not recovery tools. Traditional spinning hard drives, USB sticks and SD cards are generally better candidates for recovery.
Memory cards and USB drives
Files deleted from camera cards and USB sticks bypass the bin. Stop using the card immediately (take it out of the camera), then scan it with recovery software on a computer. Photo recovery from memory cards has a good success rate if nothing new has been written.
Preventing the next loss
- Turn on File History (Windows) or Time Machine (Mac) with an external drive.
- Sync important folders to a cloud service, which adds a bin and version history.
- Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two kinds of storage, one kept off-site or in the cloud.
If you are locked out of Windows rather than missing files, see how to reset a forgotten Windows password.
Key takeaways
- Stop using the drive, then check the bin, then the cloud, then backups.
- Recovery software works best on hard drives and memory cards, and poorly on SSDs.
- Install and recover to a different drive.
- A backup routine is the only reliable fix.