它一直在发生。您决定清理硬盘驱动器，但三天后您找不到重要文件。它不在正确的文件夹或回收站(Recycle Bin)中，而且您没有硬盘备份。您不小心删除了该文件。那么现在怎么办？
深呼吸，松开下巴，放松肩膀。无论是Excel、Word、PowerPoint、Outlook 电子邮件(Outlook email)还是任何其他类型的文件，在我们的帮助下，您都可以在Windows中恢复意外删除的文件。
增加恢复已删除文件的几率(Increase Your Odds of Recovering Deleted Files)
当文件被删除时，它不会消失。数据保留在那里，直到另一个文件覆盖它。一旦您意识到文件被意外删除以增加恢复它的几率，您需要做一些事情。
- 不要再制作、复制、移动、删除或编辑任何文件。
- 退出所有程序，包括在系统托盘中运行的任何程序。要退出系统托盘中的程序，请右键单击并选择退出(Exit)、退出( Quit)或关闭(Close )（如果存在该选项）。即使您没有积极使用程序，它仍在读取和写入数据。
- 有另一个驱动器，文件将恢复到该驱动器。USB闪存驱动器就可以了。尝试将文件恢复到删除它的同一驱动器会降低成功恢复的几率。
文件真的被删除了吗？(Is the File Really Deleted?)
询问(Ask)任何 IT 专业人员，他们至少会遇到一种情况，即有人认为文件已被删除，但不小心将其放置在不同的文件夹中。我们有关于如何在文件资源管理器中搜索(how to search in File Explorer)并像专业人士一样在 Outlook 中查找任何内容的文章。(find anything in Outlook)
使用内置 Microsoft 工具恢复已删除的文件(Use Built-In Microsoft Tools to Recover Deleted Files)
Windows和Office中已有多种工具和方法可帮助恢复已删除的文件。查看下面适用于您的情况的文章。
如果这些文章没有涵盖您的情况，还有一些其他方法可以在Windows和Office中恢复文件。
通过恢复 Microsoft OneDrive 来恢复已删除的文件(Recover a Deleted File by Restoring Microsoft OneDrive)
如果您不使用OneDrive或某种云备份(cloud backup)，请立即进行设置。有几种免费的云存储(free cloud storage)服务可用。
如果文件在过去 30 天（个人 OneDrive(personal OneDrive)帐户）或过去 93 天（工作或学校帐户）被删除，请从OneDrive 回收站(OneDrive Recycle Bin)中恢复。对于工作或学校帐户，您可能需要IT 部门(IT Department)的人员来恢复您的OneDrive。
如果OneDrive 回收站(OneDrive Recycle)被清空，则可以将整个OneDrive还原到文件存在并且可以还原的时间点。请记住，这会恢复整个OneDrive。因此，您的所有文件都将恢复到之前的时间点。在该时间点之后保存的任何更改或文件都将丢失。
- (Log)在Web 浏览器中登录OneDrive ，并且；(OneDrive)
- 在新页面上：
- 选择恢复你的 OneDrive(Restore your OneDrive)
- 选择验证您的身份(Verify your identity)
- 将打开一个新窗口，显示您在设置OneDrive时设置的验证方法。在此示例中，它是辅助邮箱地址。恢复的电子邮件地址将被一些星号遮盖。选择电子邮件(Email )选项。
- 然后 OneDrive 将要求您这样做；
- 输入(Enter)完整的辅助邮箱地址
- 选择发送代码(Send code)。如果它是正确的恢复电子邮件地址，则会向它发送一个代码。
- 检查您的电子邮件以获取验证码，然后：
- 在新的输入代码(Enter code)窗口中输入
- 选择验证(Verify)
- 如果代码正确，将加载“还原 OneDrive”(Restore your OneDrive)页面。
- 选择选择日期(Select a date )下拉框
- 选择(Select)OneDrive还原的回溯距离
- 使用更具体的选项重新加载“还原您的 OneDrive”页面。(Restore Your OneDrive)选择以下之一：
- 根据当天的活动水平将滑块移动到前一天
- 选择特定的更改事件。如果选择了第 4 个特定事件，则事件 1、2 和 3 将包含在恢复中。
然后选择恢复(Restore )以开始该过程。
- 要确认“……您要恢复OneDrive…… ”，请选择“恢复”(Restore)。
- OneDrive将开始还原到所选点。恢复需要多长时间取决于OneDrive的大小。还原完成后，选择返回到 OneDrive(Return to your OneDrive )以查看意外删除的文件或文件夹。
最佳删除文件恢复应用(Best Deleted File Recovery Apps)
如果上述方法都不适合您，那么有几个应用程序会有所帮助。大多数数据恢复应用程序都有一个免费选项，可以限制恢复文件的总大小，但对于大多数人来说可能就足够了。我们将与您分享一些我们最喜欢的文件恢复应用程序以及它们在Windows中对我们的效果。
为了测试它们，我们使用Shift + Del删除了一组文件，包括Word、Excel和记事本(Notepad)文件。然后我们尝试使用文件恢复应用程序恢复它们。我们的结果可能无法证明它将如何为您服务。这些应用程序可能会更好，也可能不会。有许多因素会影响它们的性能。
首先创建驱动器的图像(Create an Image of the Drive First)
我们正在审查的应用程序深入研究了硬盘驱动器及其文件系统。在查找时覆盖您需要的已删除文件很容易。然后就真的没了。使用最好的免费硬盘克隆(best free hard drive cloning)应用程序之一首先创建硬盘驱动器的映像或克隆(create an image or clone)。另请查看我们的 Windows 10 备份、系统映像和恢复指南(guide to backups, system images, and recovery for Windows 10)。
理想情况下，在需要恢复文件之前，您已经在USB闪存驱动器上安装或保存了这些应用程序中的一个或多个。(USB)安装新程序可能会覆盖已删除文件的剩余数据。
您可能熟悉 Recuva 的兄弟CCleaner。与CCleaner一样，Recuva也有免费和付费版本。它也是我们测试的文件恢复应用程序中最容易使用的应用程序。还有一个可从USB闪存驱动器运行的便携式 Recuva(portable Recuva)选项，因此无需在您的 PC 上安装Recuva 。
免费版本适用于大多数情况。它支持恢复大多数文件类型和大多数媒体，例如存储卡、USB闪存驱动器和外部驱动器。专业版还支持使用虚拟硬盘进行文件恢复，并附带自动更新和支持。20美元左右的价格相当不错。如果您觉得Recuva不够彻底，请查看Disk Drill。
Recuva 测试(Recuva Test)
Recuva有一个向导，将引导您完成恢复过程。即使它允许您将扫描重点放在文件最后所在的文件夹上，Recuva也会扫描整个驱动器。
Recuva确实确定了已删除的测试文件和数千个测试文件。注意(Notice)Test Notepad File.txt旁边的红点。那是Recuva告诉我们它不太可能恢复它。Recuva能够恢复测试Word和Excel文件，但不能恢复记事本(Notepad)文件。
圆盘钻(Disk Drill)
甚至Disk Drill的免费版本在显示硬盘上已删除的文件方面也令人难以置信地彻底。Disk Drill在恢复文件之前预览文件，并适用于任何类型的存储介质，例如硬盘驱动器、固态驱动器 ( SSD )、USB驱动器和 SD 卡。
Disk Drill还可以恢复几乎任何文件类型。另外，它适用于Windows和Mac。免费版当然有限制。主要限制是用于恢复文件的 500 MB 上限。完整版的终身许可证约为 90 美元。
圆盘钻测试(Disk Drill Test)
使用1 TB 驱动器上的快速扫描选项， (Scan)Disk Drill在几秒钟内完成并且非常彻底。它确实在一次尝试中完全恢复了已删除的文档，并在其目录结构完好无损的情况下恢复了它们。
请注意，Disk Drill可能会锁定您从中恢复文件的驱动器，使其变为只读。它这样做是为了保护所有其他已删除的文件，以防您想要恢复更多。当会话结束时， DiskDrill(DiskDrill)将使驱动器再次可写。
它不仅适用于Windows。TestDisk有适用于Linux、macOS 和旧版Microsoft系统（如Windows 98、95(Windows 98)甚至MS-DOS）的版本(MS-DOS)。TestDisk 是免费的，并且与PhotoRec(PhotoRec)捆绑在一起；照片恢复应用(photo recovery app)程序。TestDisk 和 PhotoRec 都是便携式应用程序(portable applications)，因此它们可以从USB驱动器运行。它在 IT 界备受推崇，几乎所有LiveCD都包含它，包括 Hiren 的BootCD、Parted Magic和Ultimate Boot CD。
一般人的缺点是在命令行中使用了(command line)TestDisk。有一点学习曲线，如果犯了错误，可能会意外造成更大的伤害。如果您更喜欢带有图形用户界面的东西，TestDisk还推荐使用DiskDrill。
测试磁盘测试(TestDisk Test)
尽管TestDisk是从命令行运行的，但它比我们想象的更容易使用。在他们的网站上有关于如何使用 TestDisk 恢复文件(how to recover files with TestDisk)的很好的文档。TestDisk似乎列出了从驱动器中删除的每个文件，我们不得不滚动它们很长时间才能找到测试文件。扫描的深度令人恐惧。显示了 2011 年删除的文件名称。
找到测试文件后，TestDisk会完全快速地恢复它们，并保持其目录结构。它很强大，但不适合匆忙的人。
你恢复你的文件了吗？(Have You Recovered Your Files?)
既然您已经恢复了文件，请考虑防止文件被删除或重命名(preventing files from being deleted or renamed)以避免这种压力。如果这篇文章或我们的任何文章帮助您恢复意外删除的文件，请(Please)告诉我们。我们也想听听您最喜欢的数据恢复应用程序是什么。
How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Files in Windows
It hapрens all the time. You decide to clean up your hard drіve and then three days later you can’t find an important file. It’s not in the rіght folder or the Recycle Bin, and you don’t have a hard drive back-up. You’ve accidentally deleted the file. So now what?
Take a deep breath, unclench your jaw, and relax your shoulders. Whether it’s an Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook email, or any other kind of file, with our help it’s possible that you can recover accidentally deleted files in Windows.
Increase Your Odds of Recovering Deleted Files
When a file gets deleted, it doesn’t disappear. The data stays there until another file overwrites it. There are a few things to do as soon as you realize the file was accidentally deleted to increase the odds of recovering it.
- Don’t make, copy, move, delete, or edit any more files.
- Exit all programs, including any programs running in the system tray. To exit programs in the system tray, right-click and select Exit, Quit, or Close if the option exists. Even if you’re not actively using a program, it’s still reading and writing data.
- Have another drive to which the file will be recovered. A USB flash drive will do. Trying to recover a file to the same drive it was deleted from reduces the odds of successful recovery.
Is the File Really Deleted?
Ask any IT professional and they’ll have at least one experience where a person thought a file was deleted, but it was accidentally placed in a different folder. We’ve got articles on how to search in File Explorer and find anything in Outlook like a pro.
Use Built-In Microsoft Tools to Recover Deleted Files
There are several tools and methods already in Windows and Office to help recover deleted files. Check the article below that applies to your situation.
If those articles don’t cover your situation, there are a few other methods to recover files in Windows and Office.
Recover a Deleted File by Restoring Microsoft OneDrive
If you’re not using OneDrive or some sort of cloud backup, please set that up now. There are several free cloud storage services available.
If the file was deleted in the last 30 days for personal OneDrive accounts, or the last 93 days for work or school accounts, recover it from the OneDrive Recycle Bin. For work or school accounts, you may need someone from the IT Department to restore your OneDrive.
If the OneDrive Recycle bin was emptied, it may be possible to restore the entire OneDrive to a point in time when the file existed and can be restored. Keep in mind, this restores the whole OneDrive. So all your files will be restored back to that previous point in time. Any changes or files saved after that point in time will be lost.
- Log in to OneDrive in a web browser and;
- Select the gear icon
- Select Options
- On the new page:
- Select Restore your OneDrive
- Select Verify your identity
- A new window will open showing the verification method set by you when setting up OneDrive. In this example, it’s a recovery email address. The recovered email address will be obscured with some asterisks. Select the Email option.
- OneDrive will then require you to;
- Enter the complete recovery email address
- Select Send code. If it’s the correct recovery email address, a code will be sent to it.
- Check your email for the verification code and:
- Enter it in the new Enter code window
- Select Verify
- If the code is correct, the Restore your OneDrive page loads.
- Choose the Select a date dropdown box
- Select how far back to go with the OneDrive restore
- The Restore Your OneDrive page reloads with the option to be more specific. Choose either to:
- Move the slider to a previous day based on the activity level on that day
- Select a specific change event. If the 4th specific event was chosen, then events 1, 2, and 3 are included in the restoration.
Then select Restore to start the process.
- To confirm “…you want to restore your OneDrive…”, select Restore.
- OneDrive will begin restoring to the point chosen. How long the restoration takes depends on the size of the OneDrive. Once the restoration is complete, select Return to your OneDrive to go see the accidentally deleted file or folder.
Best Deleted File Recovery Apps
If none of the methods above worked for you, there are several apps that will help. Most data recovery apps have a free option that limits the total size of files recovered, but it will likely be enough for most people. We’ll share with you some of our favorite file recovery apps and how well they worked for us in Windows.
To test them, we deleted a set of files including a Word, Excel, and Notepad file using Shift + Del. Then we tried to recover them with the file recovery apps. Our results may not be proof of how it will work for you. The apps may work better or not as well. There are many factors that can affect their performance.
Create an Image of the Drive First
The apps we’re reviewing take a deep dive into the hard drive and its file system. It can be easy to overwrite the deleted file you need while looking for it. Then it’s really gone. Use one of the best free hard drive cloning apps to create an image or clone of the hard drive first. Also check out our guide to backups, system images, and recovery for Windows 10.
Ideally, you’ll already have one or more of these apps installed or saved on a USB flash drive before needing to recover files. Installing new programs could overwrite the remaining data of the deleted file.
You’re likely familiar with Recuva’s sibling CCleaner. Like CCleaner, Recuva has free and paid versions. It’s also the easiest app to use among the file recovery apps we tested. There’s also a portable Recuva option that can be run from a USB flash drive, so Recuva doesn’t need to be installed on your PC.
The free version will work for most situations. It supports recovering most file types and most media such as memory cards, USB flash drives, and external drives. The professional version also supports file recovery with virtual hard drives and comes with automatic updates and support. Pretty good for about $20. If you feel that Recuva isn’t quite thorough enough, take a look at Disk Drill.
Recuva Test
Recuva has a wizard that will step you through the recovery process. Even though it allows you to focus the scan on the folder the files were last in, Recuva will scan the entire drive.
Recuva did identify the deleted test files and thousands more. Notice the red dot next to the Test Notepad File.txt. That’s Recuva telling us it’s not likely to recover it. Recuva was able to restore the test Word and Excel files, but not the Notepad file.
Disk Drill
Even the free version of Disk Drill is unbelievably thorough at showing deleted files on a hard drive. Disk Drill previews files before recovering them and works on any type of storage media such as hard drives, solid-state drives (SSD), USB drives, and SD cards.
Disk Drill can also recover pretty much any file type. Plus, it’s available for Windows and Mac. The free version has limitations, of course. The main limit is a 500 MB cap for recovering files. The full version is about $90 for a lifetime license.
Disk Drill Test
Using the Quick Scan option on a 1 TB drive, Disk Drill finished in seconds and was thorough. It did recover the deleted documents completely in one try, as well as restore them with their directory structure intact.
Be aware that Disk Drill might lock the drive you’re recovering files from so that it becomes read-only. It does that to protect all the other deleted files in case you want to recover more. DiskDrill will make the drive writable again when the session ends.
It’s not just for Windows. TestDisk has versions for Linux, macOS, and legacy Microsoft systems like Windows 98, 95, and even MS-DOS. TestDisk is free and comes bundled with PhotoRec; a photo recovery app. Both TestDisk and PhotoRec are portable applications, so they can be run from a USB drive. It’s well respected in the IT world, as shown by its inclusion in almost every LiveCD including Hiren’s BootCD, Parted Magic, and Ultimate Boot CD.
The downside for the average person is that TestDisk is used in the command line. There is a bit of a learning curve and it’s possible to accidentally do more damage if a mistake is made. If you’d prefer something with a graphical user interface, TestDisk also recommends DiskDrill.
TestDisk Test
Although TestDisk is run from the command line, it was easier to use than we thought. There’s good documentation on how to recover files with TestDisk on their site. TestDisk seemed to list every file ever deleted from the drive, and we had to scroll through them for a long time to find the test files. It was scary how in-depth the scan was. Names of files deleted in 2011 were shown.
Once the test files were found, TestDisk recovered them completely and quickly, maintaining their directory structure. It’s powerful, but not for people in a hurry.
Have You Recovered Your Files?
Now that you’ve recovered your files, consider preventing files from being deleted or renamed to avoid this stress. Please let us know if this, or any of our articles, helped you to recover that accidentally deleted file. We’d also like to hear what your favorite data recovery apps are, too.
