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How to Recover Deleted Files with Folder Structure Intact
Losing files is frustrating enough, but losing the original folder structure can make recovery even more complicated, especially when dealing with large volumes of data. This step-by-step guide shows you how to recover deleted files with folder structure intact, works for Windows 10/11, external hard drives, and SSDs.
By Aria / Updated on September 19, 2025
Why Folder Structure Matters
When we talk about data recovery, most users focus on recovering individual files. However, the folder structure, the way files are organized in folders and subfolders, is just as important. Maintaining the original folder structure ensures that you can quickly find your files, understand their context, and restore your system or project efficiently. Losing this structure can lead to confusion, wasted time, and even accidental overwrites.
When Folder Structure Gets Lost
Sometimes during data loss incidents, it’s not just the files that disappear—the entire folder structure can be lost. Instead of neatly organized directories, you may find hundreds or thousands of files dumped into a single location, renamed with random codes, or stored in system-generated folders like FOUND.000. This usually happens because of:
- File system corruption: Windows loses track of the logical paths that organize your folders.
- Formatting of the hard drive: When a drive is formatted, the system rebuilds a fresh file system, erasing the old directory structure even though the underlying files may still be recoverable.
- Improper drive removal or power failures: Interruptions while writing data can break directory tables.
- Virus or malware attacks: Some malicious software intentionally damages file structures.
- Data recovery attempts gone wrong: Using unsafe recovery tools can restore files without their original paths.
How to Recover Deleted Files with Folder Structure on Windows
When that happens, it becomes more difficult to manage your recovered files. Fortunately, with the right data recovery software, you can not only recover files but also rebuild or partially restore the folder structure, making it easier to reorganize your data.
Recover from Recycle Bin
For files accidentally deleted on Windows, the Recycle Bin is often the first place to check. It usually preserves folder structure for accidentally deleted items. Even if the path no longer exists, Windows will automatically reconstruct it and restore the file to this path.
Step 1. Double click the Recycle Bin icon to open it.
Step 2. Browse and select the files you want to recover.
Step 3. Right click on the files and select "Restore". The files will return to their original folder paths.
Restore Your Files with File History
If you have enabled File History on Windows, it will automatically create shadow copies of files and folders. This feature can help you recover data with folder structure from a specific date.
Step 1. Type "Restore your files with File History" in the Start menu and open it.
Step 2. Navigate to the folder where the deleted files were originally stored.
Step 3. Choose a desired version based on the backup time.
Step 4. Click the green "Restore" button to recover them to original location.
Recover from Backup and Restore (Windows 7)
Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is legacy backup feature built-in Windows, which is still available for Windows 10 and 11. It allows you to recover not only individual personal files but also the folder structure.
Step 1. Open "Backup Settings" and select "Go to Backup and Restore".
Step 2. Choose "Select another backup to restore files from" and select a created backup.
Step 3. Choose the files or folders you want to recover from the backup by clicking "Browse for files/folders".
If you only select a few individual files for recovery, this may only restore the files themselves, not the complete directory.
Step 4. Choose a location to save the recovered files and click "Restore" to start the process. Whether you choose to restore to the original location or a new location, Backup and Restore will preserve the original hierarchical structure. If you select a new location, Backup and Restore will copy the entire directory tree to the folder you specify.
When the process is completed, the message "Your files have been restored" will pop up. you can check the recovered files by clicking on "View restored files".
Restore from Cloud Backup
If you synced your files to a cloud service like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, these services often maintain the original folder hierarchy. Cloud solutions offer similar advantages with Windows local backup and are convenient for remote access.
Step 1. Sign in with your OneDrive account (take OneDrive as an example here).
Step 2. Locate "Recycle bin" section, select the files you wish to recover.
Step 3. Click the "Restore" button in the upper left corner to recover them to their original location. Even the original folder has been deleted, OneDrive will automatically create a new folder in the root directory to place the recovered files.
Recover Deleted Files with Folder Structure with MyRecover
For situations where files are permanently deleted, drives are formatted, or backups are missing, MyRecover is a professional data recovery tool that can scan all the hard drive on the computer and offer a chance to recover the deleted files. It supports to recover files from formatted drives, lost partitions, inaccessible disks while keeping the folder hierarchy.
MyRecover- Intuitive interface requiring no technical expertise.
- Faster scanning compared to command-line tools.
- Higher success rate for permanently deleted files
- Compatible with all Windows operating systems.
- Work on HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, memory card, etc.
100% SecureStep 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from a secure channel, avoid installing it on the drive with lost files.
Step 2. Launch it and select the drive with lost files to scan, then click "Scan".
Step 3. After the scanning process, under the "Path" tab, you can sell all deleted files of the drive in the "Deleted Files" folder. Click on the arrow to expand the folder, view the deleted files and folder structure, select the files you would like to recover, then click "Recover".
Next to the "Path" tab, the "Type" tab enables you to find your files by filtering them based on various file types.
Step 4. Select a safe location (not the original one) to save the recovered files.
Upon completion of the recovery process, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. You can access and check the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or "Browse" button.
FAQs:
Q1: Can I recover files with correct names and folder structure?
Q2: Does data recovery software keep folder structure?
Q3: How to recover formatted folders?
Summary
Recovering deleted files with folder structure is crucial for efficiency and organization. You can use Recycle Bin, Previous Versions, Backup and Restore, or cloud backups for simpler cases. For complex scenarios like formatted hard drives, MyRecover ensures you can recover data with folder structure.
With MyRecover, you get a reliable, professional solution to recover formatted hard drive with folder structure and safeguard your data against future loss. Moreover, MyRecover provides the Professional edition which allows unlimited data recovery capacity, file content preview before restoration and even data recovery from crashed Windows.
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