How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Files in Windows 10 (Complete Guide)

Accidentally deleted an important file in Windows 10? It happens more often than you think. Office documents, Excel sheets, GST reports, project files — one wrong click and everything disappears.

The good news is: in many cases, deleted files can be recovered.

Method 1 – Restore from Recycle Bin

When you delete a file normally, Windows sends it to the Recycle Bin.

• Open Recycle Bin
• Find your deleted file
• Right-click → Click Restore

The file will return to its original location.

Limitation: If you used Shift + Delete or emptied the Recycle Bin, this method will not work.

Method 2 – Restore Using File History

If File History was enabled earlier:

• Go to the original folder
• Right click → Restore previous versions
• Choose an older version
• Click Restore

Most users never enable File History before deletion. If it wasn't enabled, recovery is not possible.

Method 3 – Use Data Recovery Software

There are recovery tools that scan your hard drive to retrieve deleted files. However:

• Recovery is not guaranteed
• Overwritten files usually cannot be restored
• The more you use the PC after deletion, the less chance of success

The Bigger Problem – Accidental Overwrite

Deletion is one issue. But overwriting is worse.

Example: You open an Excel file, make unwanted changes, click save. The original version is gone. Recycle Bin cannot help. Most recovery tools cannot help either.

Smarter Approach – Prevent File Loss Before It Happens

Instead of recovering files after deletion, the smarter approach is real-time file protection.

A protection tool keeps local snapshots of your important folders. If accidental deletion or overwrite happens, you can instantly restore the file.