How to Recover Files After Disk Cleanup? Recover Permanently Deleted Files

How to Recover Files After Disk Cleanup?

You ran the Disk Cleanup utility to free up some precious space on your PC, clicked "OK" without a second thought, and now—poof!—a crucial project folder, a semester's worth of work, or years of family photos have vanished into the digital ether. Don't worry, here are solutions for you.

This comprehensive guide provides several effective methods, from built-in Windows features to powerful third-party software, on how to recover deleted files after disk cleanup. The burning question, Can you recover files after disk cleanup, often has a positive answer, but acting quickly and correctly is your key to success.

Does Running Disk Cleanup Delete Files?

Well, yes and no—and that's the crux of the problem. Disk Cleanup is a built-in Windows utility designed to identify and remove files that are typically considered "non-essential" or "temporary". If you run disk cleanup on your C drive, the files in these folders and projects will be deleted once they are ticked:

• Downloaded Program Files.
• Temporary Internet Files.
• Windows error reports and feedback diagnostics.
• DirectX Shader Cache.
• Delivery Optimization Files.
• Recycle Bin.
• Temporary Files.
• Thumbnails.
• User File History.

The confusion arises because users often gloss over this list, failing to realize that a checked box could target files they actually need. This is why so many people need to learn how to recover data after disk cleanup.

What Happens After Disk Cleanup?

After you execute the command, Disk Cleanup doesn't send your files to the Recycle Bin for a second chance. Instead, it performs a "permanent delete" operation.

Technically, the data isn't immediately wiped from your hard drive. The space those files occupied is simply marked as "available for use" by the operating system. The files remain physically on the disk, ghost-like, until new data overwrites them. This is the golden window of opportunity for recovery.

The single most important action you can take the second you realize your mistake is to stop using the computer immediately. Avoid saving new files, downloading programs, or even browsing the internet, as any of these activities can write new data to the drive, overwriting your deleted files and making recovery impossible. This principle is the same when figuring out how to recover files after emptying the recycle bin; it's a race against time and data overwriting.

Fast Way to Recover Files after Disk Cleanup with MyRecover

Fortunately, here comes a dedicated data recovery program, MyRecover, to help. And it is often the most effective and user-friendly solution. This powerful software is designed to perform a deep scan of your storage drive, looking for traces of files that the system has marked as deleted.

Why use MyRecover to recover files after disk cleanup? Check these:

It's incredibly effective for scenarios like this because it can often find the original files even when the system's file table information is gone.

It supports a vast array of file formats (1,000+), including JPG, PNG, TIF, MP4, MOV, AVI, MP3, CDA, WAV, TXT, DOC, XLSX, etc.

It shows results in a clear, easy-to-browse interface, making the process of recovering files after disk cleanup much less daunting for non-technical users.

You can preview files before recovery, which helps you find the right files.

MyRecover supports 500+ devices to scan and recover files easily from them, like HDDs, SSDs, SD cards, USB flash drives, PS4/5, and many more.

Here is a step-by-step guide to using MyRecover for recovering files after disk cleanup:

1. Download MyRecover and install it on a different drive than the one you are trying to recover from.

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2. Launch MyRecover, hit Format Recovery, and point to the drive where the files were located before Disk Cleanup ran, and hit Scan.

3. Hit OK when the scanning finishes.

4. Select the files and hit Recover.

5. Choose a destination to save these recovered files.

Tips:✎...

By default, MyRecover automatically scans your drive deeply if you choose format recovery, and the process helps you find every possible file.

After scanning, the deleted files will be organized by file type. Besides, you can find the files by file name, file path, and file size.

You can recover unlimited data if required.

Sometimes, you can create a Windows bootable USB to boot up a computer that won’t boot, and recover files from the corrupted computer easily.

MyRecover     

• Recover Deleted Files Easily with Simple Clicks     
• 1000+ File Formats Supported     
• Support HDD, SSD, External Hard Drive, USB Drive, SD Card, etc.     
• Quickly Find Files Using File Types, Name, Size, etc.
• Preview Files Before Recovering
• Recover Unlimited Data   

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Alternative Ways to Recover Data After Disk Cleanups

Meanwhile, you have Windows built-in options to recover deleted files after disk cleanup. These methods can sometimes provide a perfect recovery without any extra cost or installation.

Solution 1. Recover Files with Windows File Recovery

For command-line pros, Microsoft offers a free tool called Windows File Recovery. It's powerful but has a significant learning curve and no graphical interface, requiring you to use specific commands and modes based on your situation.

1. Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.

2. Install and run it as an administrator.

3. Input the correct command to recover files after disk cleanup using the syntax: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches].

winfr G: D: /extensive /n *.pdf

This will launch the scan and recover any found files matching your criteria to the destination drive.

Solution 2. Restore Data from File History (Need Backup)

This is arguably your best built-in bet, but it only works if you had the foresight to set it up beforehand. File History is a continuous backup feature in Windows that automatically saves copies of your files in your Libraries, Desktop, Contacts, and Favorites folders to an external drive or network location.

1. Connect the external drive that contains your File History backup.

2. In the Windows search bar, type "Restore your files with File History" and open the control panel option.

3. You will see a library of your backed-up files. Use the left and right arrows at the bottom to navigate through different backup points in time.

4. Browse to the folder containing your lost file. You can preview a file by selecting it and clicking the green circular arrow button.

5. Once you've found the correct version, select the file and click the green circular arrow (Restore) button to return it to its original location.

Solution 3. Restore Data from System Restore Point (Need Backup)

If that does not work, try performing a system restore before the files went missing. A System Restore Point is a snapshot of your system files and settings at a specific point in time. While it's not designed for personal files, restoring your system to a point from before you ran Disk Cleanup can sometimes bring back lost files, especially if they were located in system folders.

1. In the Windows search bar, type "Create a restore point" and click the best match.

2. In the System Properties window, click the "System Restore..." button.

3 Click "Next" in the pop-up window. You will see a list of available restore points. Choose one that was created before you ran Disk Cleanup.

4. Click "Scan for affected programs" to see what will be changed. Then, click "Next" and "Finish" to start the restoration process. Your computer will restart during this process.

The End

How to recover files after disk cleanup? You might have found the best way to recover deleted files. Besides, MyRecover can also help you to recover files from a formatted hard drive, recover permanently deleted files easily, recover files from an emptied recycle bin, and so on.