How to Recover Deleted Folders on Windows 10/11 [5 Quick Ways]

Overview of Restoring Deleted Folders

Almost every computer user encounters the problem of data loss, and most of them lose files and folders due to accidental deletion. Is it possible to recover deleted folders on your computer? The answer is yes, and we will introduce you to five different methods to help you restore lost folders.

Before we proceed, you should know that file loss isn't always caused by accidental deletion. There are many other reasons that can lead to data loss:

• Human error. Your files and folders could be lost if your laptop or computer is stolen, or drops and gets damaged.
• ⚡ Threats from viruses and malware. This can easily happen if you're not careful while using your computer. Viruses and malware can force the deletion of your files and folders.
• ⚔️ Software conflicts. Certain applications might cause conflicts, and when that happens, you might lose time trying to save your work.
• ？Hard drive failure. Hard drive failure is unpredictable, and when it does occur, you could lose important data stored on it.
• ？Accidental formatting. You should know that formatting a hard drive without a backup will result in the loss of all files and folders on it.

Now, let's focus on how to recover deleted folders on Windows! Check out the 5 methods and detailed tutorials below to restore deleted folders on Windows 10/11.

Method 1: How to Recover a Deleted Folder with Software

The preferred and recommended way to recover deleted folders on Windows is by using data recovery software. Whether your folder was lost due to accidental deletion, sudden power outage, system crash, internal hard drive failure, or any other reason, you can quickly restore deleted folders with the help of the Data Recovery Wizard tool.

• Recover deleted files from desktop on Windows 10, also retrieve folders from the Windows Recycle Bin.
• Restore deleted folders from internal hard drives, USB flash drives, external hard drives, and other storage devices.
• Suit your needs when repairing a corrupted external hard drive or recovering files and folders after formatting HDD/SSD.
• Guarantee the recovery of deleted folders, including videos, photos, emails, documents, and audio files.

After launching the Data Recovery Wizard, refer to this guide to recover deleted folders on Windows.

Step 1: Select the folder to scan for lost files

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard. Under "Select Location," choose "Select Folder." Click "Browse," select the location of the missing folder, and hit "OK" to scan.

Step 2: Look for and preview the found files in the lost folder

If you remember the name of the folder, type it in the search bar to quickly locate the lost file. Then, open the found folder and double-click on the scanned file to preview it. Alternatively, you can use the filter feature to look for a specific type of file.

Step 3: Preview and save the recovered folder

Finally, select the folders and files you need and click “Recover,” then choose a new secure location on your computer to save the recovered data.

Method 2: Restore the Deleted Folder from the Recycling Bin

If you delete a folder by right-clicking on it in Windows 10, you can find the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 and restore the deleted folder.

Step 1: Make sure you haven't deleted the folder using the Shift + Delete shortcut, and you should know the difference between Shift Delete and Delete. You won't find folders deleted with Shift Delete in the Recycle Bin.

Step 2: By default, the Trash can should be on your desktop, and it looks like a trash can.

Step 3: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon to open it. Find the deleted folder, right-click on it, and select "Restore" to bring it back.

Find the deleted folder, and right-click it.

Method 3: Restore the Deleted Folder by Restoring to a Previous Version

If you have a Windows Restore Point, you can roll back Windows 10/11 to a previous version, which is sometimes called a shadow copy. How to use a Windows System Restore Point to recover deleted folders? Read on to find out:

Step 1. Launch File Explorer on Windows 11/10. If you encounter the issue of File Explorer not responding, you can restart it to fix the problem.

Step 2. Navigate to the parent folder of the deleted folder.

If the deleted folder was at the top level of the disk, right-click the disk itself, and choose Restore Previous Versions.

Step 4: To restore the deleted folder, select the latest version that contains it, and click Restore.

Select “Restore” to restore the deleted folder.

Method 4: Restore the deleted folder using Backup and Restore

If you haven't manually created any backups, it's best to check the Windows Backup and Restore tool. It's an inbuilt backup utility that can restore lost folders using a system image backup. Follow this guide to recover deleted folders:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel on Windows 10/11 using the search box.

Step Two: Click on “System and Security,” and you will see several options.

"System and Security"

Step 3: Move the cursor to Backup and Restore (Windows 7), and click on it.

Step 4: Click on “Recover my files” and then you can click on “Browse folders” to search for the missing folder.

Browse for Folders

Step 5: You can then locate the missing folder and restore it, as per the on-screen instructions.

Don't forget to share this article to help more Windows users recover their deleted folders!

Method 5: How to Recover a Deleted Folder Using File History

The last method to recover a deleted folder on Windows is by using File History. This feature periodically backs up files in your Favourites and Contacts folders, desktop, and libraries. Restoring a deleted folder with File History is straightforward:

Step 1: You can access File History by opening Control Panel > System and Security > File History.

Step 2: Select the folder that contained the deleted folder you want to restore, and then choose the correct record for the deleted data.

Step 3: Click the “Recover” button, and then when you click the middle “Recover” button, your selected items will come back.

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We hope that you have been able to recover your deleted folder using one of the five methods we recommended. When using Windows 10 or 11, there are many useful tools available to help you address data loss issues. If you don't have any available backups on your computer and Windows Backup and Restore is not enabled, you should try using a data recovery software.

Frequently Asked Questions About Restoring Deleted Folders

If you have more questions about recovering deleted folders on Windows, don't leave this page. You can check out the four FAQs below for more information:

How can I recover permanently deleted files on Windows?

You would need to use the Data Recovery Wizard tool to recover permanently deleted files on Windows:

1. Launch the software and hover the mouse over the target drive or folder where the lost file was located. 2. The scanning process will commence, allowing you to preview the files to ensure they can be opened after recovery. 3. Click the "Recover" button to restore the deleted file.

If the files you deleted are not in the Recycle Bin, they may have been permanently removed. In this case, the space they occupied is marked as free and might be overwritten by new data. It's also possible that you didn't delete the folders but simply moved them to another partition.

3. Where can I find my Recently Deleted folder?

In Windows, you can find recently deleted folders in the Recycle Bin. When you delete files and folders on Windows, they're moved to the Recycle Bin by default. To restore them, right-click the Recycle Bin and select "Restore."

4. Which is the best file-recovery program?

The following recovery software can help you restore lost folders on Windows:

1. Data Recovery Wizard Tool 2. Recuva 3. PhotoRec 4. Find My Files 5. Smart Data Recovery