How to Recover Deleted Files – Methods for Windows, Mac & USB

Can You Recover Deleted Files?

Yes — in most cases you can recover deleted files, even after emptying the Recycle Bin or Trash. When you delete a file, the operating system does not immediately erase the data from the storage device. It simply removes the file's entry from the directory and marks that storage space as available for new data. The actual file content remains physically on the drive until new data is written over it.

This is why the single most important rule in file recovery is: stop using the affected drive the moment you realise files are missing. Every new file you save, every program you install, every website you visit that creates cache files — all of these can overwrite the deleted data and reduce your chances of recovery.

In this guide, we cover every method to recover deleted files across all platforms — Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac, USB drives, SD cards — from free built-in tools to dedicated free data recovery software.

Method 1 — Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin (Windows)

The easiest and most reliable method to recover deleted files on Windows. If you deleted a file using the Delete key or by dragging it to the Recycle Bin — and have NOT emptied the Recycle Bin — your file is still there and fully recoverable.

Steps to Restore Files from Recycle Bin

• Step 1: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop to open it
• Step 2: Look for the deleted file. Sort by Date Deleted to find recently deleted files faster
• Step 3: Right-click the file and select Restore — the file returns to its original location automatically
• Step 4: To restore all files at once, click Restore all items in the Recycle Bin toolbar

Method 2 — Recover Deleted Files from Trash (Mac)

On macOS, deleted files go to the Trash and stay there until you manually empty it or until macOS automatically clears files older than 30 days (if that setting is enabled). Restoring from Trash is instant and 100% reliable.

Steps to Restore Files from Mac Trash

• Step 1: Click the Trash icon in the Dock to open it
• Step 2: Find the file you want to recover. Use the search bar inside Trash if needed
• Step 3: Right-click the file and select Put Back — the file returns to its original folder
• Step 4: Alternatively, drag the file from Trash to any folder on your Mac

Recover Deleted Files on Mac Using Undo (Command + Z)

If you just deleted a file seconds ago, press Command + Z immediately to undo the deletion. This works if you have not performed any other action since deleting the file. The file reappears instantly in its original location. This is the fastest way to recover a recently deleted file on Mac.

Method 3 — Recover Deleted Files Using Windows File History & Previous Versions

If the Recycle Bin is empty, Windows has two powerful built-in backup features that can restore deleted files — File History and Previous Versions. These only work if they were enabled before the file was deleted.

Recover Files Using File History (Windows 10 and 11)

• Step 1: Open the Start menu and search for Restore your files with File History — click it
• Step 2: Navigate to the folder that contained the deleted file
• Step 3: Use the left and right arrows at the bottom to browse through backup versions by date
• Step 4: Select the version containing your file and click the green Restore button

Recover Files Using Previous Versions (Windows)

• Step 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder that contained the deleted file
• Step 2: Right-click the folder and select Properties
• Step 3: Click the Previous Versions tab — Windows displays a list of saved versions with dates
• Step 4: Double-click a version to browse it and drag the deleted file to a new location to recover it

Method 4 — Recover Deleted Files on Mac Using Time Machine

Time Machine is macOS's built-in automatic backup tool. If you had Time Machine enabled and connected to a backup drive before the deletion, you can restore any file from any point in time — even files deleted weeks or months ago.

Steps to Recover Deleted Files with Time Machine

• Step 1: Connect the external drive that contains your Time Machine backup
• Step 2: Open Finder and navigate to the folder where the deleted file used to be
• Step 3: Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select Enter Time Machine
• Step 4: Use the timeline on the right side to scroll back to a date before the file was deleted
• Step 5: Find the file in the Finder window and click Restore — the file is copied back to its original location

Method 5 — Recover Deleted Files from Cloud Storage

If your files were stored in a cloud-synced folder, many cloud services keep deleted files in a trash or version history for 30–180 days. Check these before moving to software recovery:

Method 6 — Recover Permanently Deleted Files Using Data Recovery Software

If all the above methods fail — Recycle Bin is empty, no backups exist, file not in cloud storage — data recovery software is your last and most powerful option. It scans the raw storage sectors of your drive to find deleted file signatures and reconstruct the files.

We recommend Stellar Data Recovery as the #1 choice for recovering permanently deleted files — it offers 1 GB of free recovery, works on Windows and Mac, supports all common file types, and has one of the highest recovery success rates among free tools. See our full guide: Best Free Data Recovery Software.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files Using Stellar Data Recovery (Free)

• Step 1: Download Stellar Data Recovery from the official website. Install it on a different drive — not the one containing your deleted files
• Step 2: Launch Stellar Data Recovery. On the home screen, select the file types you want to recover — Documents, Photos, Videos, or All
• Step 3: Select the drive or location to scan — choose the specific drive where files were deleted, or scan the Desktop/specific folder
• Step 4: Click Scan. Start with Quick Scan. If your files are not found, switch to Deep Scan mode for thorough sector-by-sector recovery
• Step 5: Browse the scan results. Preview files to confirm they are intact before recovering
• Step 6: Select your files and click Recover. Save to a different drive — external HDD, USB stick, or another partition

Method 7 — Recover Deleted Files from USB Drive or SD Card

Recovering deleted files from a USB drive or SD card follows the same principles as hard drive recovery. The key difference: USB drives and SD cards are often formatted in FAT32 or exFAT file systems which do not have a Recycle Bin — files deleted from a USB drive connected to Windows may or may not go to the Recycle Bin depending on system settings.

Steps to Recover Deleted Files from USB or SD Card

• Step 1: Stop using the USB or SD card immediately — do not save any new files to it
• Step 2: Check the Windows Recycle Bin — files deleted from USB while connected to Windows may appear there
• Step 3: If not in Recycle Bin, download free data recovery software — Stellar Data Recovery or Recuva — and install on your computer (not the USB)
• Step 4: Connect the USB drive or SD card. In the recovery software, select the USB/SD device as the location to scan
• Step 5: Run Deep Scan for best results on USB drives — especially for formatted or corrupted cards
• Step 6: Preview found files, select what you need, and save to your computer — not back to the USB or SD card

For recovering deleted photos specifically from SD cards (cameras, drones, phones), see our dedicated guide: Best Photo Recovery Software.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows 10 and Windows 11

All methods above work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Here is a platform-specific quick reference:

How to Recover Deleted Files from an SSD

Recovering deleted files from an SSD is more challenging than from an HDD due to a feature called TRIM. TRIM tells the SSD controller to immediately erase the data blocks marked as deleted so they are ready for new writes. On modern SSDs with TRIM enabled, deleted files can become unrecoverable within minutes to hours.

• Act immediately: Run a data recovery scan the moment you realise files are deleted — before TRIM runs
• Shut down the computer: If you cannot scan immediately, shut down rather than leaving it running — running OS constantly writes to the drive
• Check Recycle Bin first: If the SSD file is still in the Recycle Bin, restore it immediately before emptying
• Use deep scan: Stellar Data Recovery and EaseUS both support SSD deep scans and can find files before TRIM fully executes
• Check if TRIM is enabled: Open Command Prompt as Admin and run fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify — result 0 means TRIM is on, 1 means TRIM is off

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files

“Permanently deleted” means the file was removed from the Recycle Bin or Trash — either by emptying the bin, using Shift+Delete, or by the system automatically clearing old bin files. Despite the name, permanently deleted files are often still recoverable because the raw data remains on the drive until overwritten.

Recovery Priority Order for Permanently Deleted Files

• 1. Stop all disk activity immediately to prevent overwriting
• 2. Check cloud storage — OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud all keep deleted files for 30–60 days
• 3. Check email — if the file was ever emailed, it may still be in Sent or inbox
• 4. Check File History / Time Machine — if enabled, may have a pre-deletion backup
• 5. Run data recovery software: Stellar Data Recovery, EaseUS, or Recuva on the affected drive
• 6. Professional data recovery service: Last resort for physically damaged drives — expensive but highest success rate

Related File Recovery Guides on ClipsTrust

How to Prevent Future File Loss

The best data recovery is the one you never need. Follow these steps to protect your files from accidental deletion going forward:

• Enable File History (Windows): Settings > Update & Security > Backup — connect an external drive and turn on automatic backups
• Set up Time Machine (Mac): System Preferences > Time Machine — connect an external drive and enable automatic hourly backups
• Use cloud storage: Sync important files to OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox — all keep deleted files for 30+ days
• Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: Keep 3 copies of important data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite or in cloud
• Be careful with Shift+Delete: Always use normal Delete (to Recycle Bin) rather than Shift+Delete for important files
• Increase Recycle Bin size: Right-click Recycle Bin > Properties — increase the maximum size so large files are not bypassed

Frequently Asked Questions — How to Recover Deleted Files