"A few days ago, I cleaned out the Recycle Bin because my computer ran out of memory. But now I discovered that some important data had been deleted and could not be found anywhere."

Are you seeking possible ways to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin after it is empty? Don't worry, you're not alone. Thankfully, several methods exist to recover the emptied Recycle Bin; just follow the post below.

Part 1. Why Deleted Files not in Recycle Bin

Usually, files or folders are stored in the Recycle Bin after deletion. They can be deleted directly by just clicking the key combination Shift + Delete, and they will be moved to the Recycle Bin in case you regret or need them to restore. But sometimes, you'll find that the deleted files are not in the Recycle Bin. Mainly there are some reasons for this, some of which include:

Large files: The folder you deleted is too big for the Recycle Bin, so it will be purged directly from your computer.

File location: If the files are stored on an external device, such as a USB, SD card, etc., they will be deleted directly from the external storage device and bypass the Recycle Bin.

Improper Recycle Bin properties: Maybe you accidentally choose the Don't move files to the Recycle Bin option in your Recycle Bin settings. In this case, the deleted items will be permanently deleted and not stay in the bin.

If you are lucky enough to find deleted files in the Recycle Bin, you can recover them easily by following the steps below:

Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin application on your computer, then locate the files or folders you wish to recover.

Step 2. Right-click on the selected files and choose Restore from the given list. Then, you can find them in the original locations.

Part 2. Best Free Tool to Recover Items Deleted from Recycle Bin

After eliminating the reasons listed above for not being able to find your deleted files in the Recycle Bin, no amount of changing its settings will help. Then all you need is software to recover your data. Luckily, we have found a free and useful tool for you: Apeaksoft Data Recovery. Compared to similar products, it recovers all your data faster and without missing anything!

Step 1. Free download and install Apeaksoft Data Recovery on your Windows or Mac computer. Navigate to its home page and choose the file types you want. You can recover data from both hard disk drives and removable drives. Then click Scan to go on.

Step 2. After waiting patiently for the program to complete a quick scan, you can preview and select the files you want to recover by sorting them into categories or paths on the left side of the page.

If deleted files are not found in it, click the Deep Scan button in the upper right corner to do a deeper search.

Step 3. After making all the choices, you can click Recover to perform the recover items deleted from the Recycle Bin. After the download, you can view it in the selected storage folder.

Part 3. How to Get Files Back When Deleted from Recycle Bin via Built-in Functions

To prevent this situation, Windows has set up additional programs to recover the emptied Recycle Bin. However, some of them are restrictive, and some are difficult to operate.

Previous Versions

This method corresponds to a backup function in Windows systems: File History. It regularly backs up all files, whether lost, damaged or deleted, and different versions can also be browsed and restored.

Step 1. Go to the folder where you stored the deleted files, and select History on the right side of the settings panel above.

Step 2. Then, you will be shown a list of all the backup versions of your chosen folder. Click the Previous button and choose the correct version according to the date.

Step 3. Press the Restore button and wait for the old version to be copied to the folder.

If you still cannot find the correct version of your deleted files, don't lose your heart and check the next method.

Command Prompt

Step 1. Find CMD in the underlined search bar on your Windows and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2. Then type the command chkdsk D: /f and press the Enter key. The system will automatically fill in some required codes; press Y until the command line appears. Then, type the letter of your drive and press Enter to continue.

Step 3. Enter the following command: ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D D:*.*. This aims to find the hidden folders that maintain the deleted files. However, they will be displayed in generic forms, thus making it harder to identify which files you want to recover.

Part 4. How to Find Files You Deleted from Recycle Bin from Windows Backup

If you have set up automatic backup to Windows Local in advance, you can directly restore the deleted files regardless of whether they can be found in the Recycle Bin.

Step 1. Open the Start menu on your Windows, type and find Control Panel, and click on it.

Step 2. Then click on Backup and Restore. Now, because you have backed up before, you can just choose Restore my files to recover your deleted files.

It is a good habit to back up your files regularly. If you don't trust Windows' local automatic storage, there is an alternative cloud storage platform: iCloud for Windows .

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