Does System Restore Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin? Truth Explained

About System Restore

"System Restore" is a built-in recovery feature in Windows that allows users to revert their computer’s system files, settings, installed applications, and registry to a previous point in time, known as a "restore point". It’s commonly used to fix system issues caused by faulty updates, software installations, or changes that negatively affect system performance. How System Restore Works:

1. Create Restore Points

Windows automatically creates restore points at critical moments, such as before installing updates, drivers, or new applications. Users can also manually create restore points.

2.Restore System Settings and Files

When you perform a System Restore, Windows rolls back the system configuration, drivers, and registry to the state they were in at the selected restore point. It does not affect your personal files like documents, photos, or videos.

3. Help Resolve System Problems

If your PC starts crashing, slows down, or behaves unusually after a change, System Restore can help you undo the recent modifications without wiping your entire system.

How Does System Restore Work?

To figure out "can System Restore recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin", it's helpful to understand how to back up and recover using System Restore.

Part 1. How to Create a Restore Point Manually

While Windows automatically creates restore points before major changes (e.g., installing updates or drivers), you can also create one manually:

Step 1: Press "Win + S", type "Create a restore point", and press Enter.

Step 2: In the "System Properties" window, select your system drive and click "Create".

Step 3. Name your restore point, and confirm.

Step 4: Wait until the process completes, you’ll get a confirmation message once done.

Part 2. How to Perform a System Restore

Step 1: Press "Win + S", type "System Restore", and select "Create a restore point".

Step 2: In the "System Protection" tab, click "System Restore".

Step 3: Click "Next", then choose a restore point from the list.

Step 4: Click "Scan for affected programs" to see what software or drivers will be affected.

Step 5: Click "Next" > "Finish" to begin the restore process. Your PC will restart and revert to the selected state.

While System Restore is useful for fixing system-related issues (like registry errors, misbehaving drivers, or failed updates), it will not affect or recover any deleted personal files, including those removed from the Recycle Bin.

What If System Restore Can’t Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin?

As mentioned earlier, we can now clearly answer the question: "Can System Restore recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin?". Simply put, System Restore does not back up or recover personal files such as documents, photos, or anything deleted from the Recycle Bin. So, if you’ve accidentally deleted important files and emptied the Recycle Bin, System Restore won’t be able to help.

Therefore, you’ll need to rely on alternative data recovery solutions to retrieve your lost files. In this section, we will share two free methods to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin, both of which do not require any prior backups.

Method 1. Free MyRecover [Top Choice]

One of the most recommended solutions is FREE MyRecover, a user-friendly yet powerful tool designed to recover deleted, formatted, or lost files with ease.

★Key Highlights of MyRecover:

User-Friendly Interface: Designed with simplicity in mind, no tech knowledge or command-line operations needed.

Versatile Data Recovery Scenarios: Recover files lost due to permanent deletion, formatting, disk corruption, partition loss, virus attacks, and more.

Supports 1000+ File Types: Documents, photos, videos, emails, compressed files, and many others.

Quick and Deep Scans Combined: Automatically runs a proper scan mode to locate as many lost files as possible.

Preview Before Recovery: Allows you to preview files before recovering (upgrade to Professional for full preview features).

Wide Device Compatibility: Works with HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and more.

Strong System Compatibility: Fully compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016/2012.

Step 1. Download and install the free software on a different drive than the one where your files were lost to avoid overwriting data.

Download Freeware
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Server

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Step 2: Launch MyRecover. On the main interface, you’ll see a list of drives. Select the drive from which the files were deleted (e.g., C:, D:, or USB drive). Click "Scan" to start the scanning process.

Step 3. To scanning recently deleted files, it will initiate a "Quick Scan" by default. On the other hand, if you are trying to find and recover files from formatted drive, the software will automatically perform a "Deep Scan" to ensure maximum recovery results.

Step 4: Once the scan is complete, browse the recoverable files by file type or use the search bar to quickly find specific files. Select the files you want to recover. Click the "Recover" button.

Step 5: Choose a different drive to save the recovered files safely.

When the recovery is done, the system will display a summary notification indicating: (1) the total number of files successfully restored, and (2) the specific directory where these recovered files have been saved.

Method 2. Windows File Recovery by Microsoft

For users who prefer a more technical approach, Microsoft offers Windows File Recovery, a free command-line utility designed to help recover deleted files, including those removed from the Recycle Bin, as well as files lost due to formatting or corruption. Next, we’ll guide you through the basic steps to use Windows File Recovery to retrieve your deleted files.

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Store on your Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11 PC. Search for "Windows File Recovery", then click "Download" and install the tool.

Step 2: Press "Win + S", type "cmd", then right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator" to open an elevated command prompt window.

Step 3: Use the Basic Command Syntax to Recover Files: winfr [source_drive]: [destination_folder] /mode

Example: winfr F: E: \regular

• "F:" is the drive where files were deleted.
• "E:" is the destination folder on a different drive to save recovered files.
• "/regular" is the recovery mode, useful for deleted files. Replace it with "extensive" when you need to recover formatted data.

Step 4: Press "Enter"to execute the command. The tool will scan the source drive and recover matching files to the destination folder. Once finished, check the destination folder to view your recovered files.

To recover specific type of files, like restoring video files permanently deleted from Recycle Bin, add "/n" parameter to the command: winfr D: E: \RecoveryDestination /extensive /n *.mp4.

Windows File Recovery VS. MyRecover: Which to Choose?

To Conclude

If you’re still wondering, "can System Restore recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin?", the clear answer is no. Instead, use professional data recovery softwarelike "MyRecover"or "Windows File Recovery" to get your files back safely and effectively.

If you prefer a simple, visual tool with automatic scanning and wide compatibility, MyRecover is the better choice. If you’re comfortable with command-line and want a lightweight, free utility, Windows File Recovery fits your needs.