Many users face the challenge of restoring the deleted folders on Windows 10 and 11. This guide will walk you through 7 practical and actionable solutions for Windows users to restore the lost folders. Get your lost directories back with ease!
Is it possible to recover deleted folders?
I was cleaning up my desktop just yesterday and I accidentally deleted one of my folders containing my artwork files because I thought the folder which I deleted on my desktop was a shortcut but it wasn't. I've already emptied the trash so I'm just lost. I had so many files in there that I was hoping I could recover.
- Question from Sabya
You must have encountered such a situation: accidentally deleting a folder while managing it. This can be devastating, especially when the folder contains important work or study files. Before diving into specific recovery methods, this question is worth pondering: where do deleted folders go? Once you find the answer to this question, figuring out how to recover deleted folders will become much simpler.
☀️Delete using "Delete" key or right click > "Delete"
It usually goes to the Recycle Bin, where it’s stored temporarily. You can recover it easily unless the Recycle Bin is emptied or the folder is too large to fit in it.
☀️Delete using "Shift + Delete"
The folder bypasses the Recycle Bin and is permanently deleted. The file data remains in its original location on the disk, but the corresponding storage space is marked as "free", allowing new data to overwrite it.
Fortunately, Windows 10 and 11 offer several methods to restore deleted folders, whether they were removed recently or permanently deleted. This guide will walk you through all available recovery options step by step.
Successfully recovering a deleted folder depends not only on the recovery method you choose, but also on what you do immediately after the deletion occurs. Certain actions can increase recovery success, while others may permanently overwrite lost data and make recovery impossible. Follow these practical dos and don’ts before attempting deleted folder recovery on Windows 11/10.
✅ Do:
❌ Don’t:
This section will guide you through step-by-step processes that work to recover deleted folders, whether with backups or not, and whether you’re a pro or a complete novice. You can choose the appropriate method based on your actual situation.
Whether the deleted folder cannot be restored using "Ctrl" + "Z", was removed using Shift + Delete, disappeared after formatting, or became inaccessible due to partition corruption, you can retrieve permanently deleted folder with a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover. It can scan storage devices for recoverable folder records and remaining file data.
It also provides a more direct recovery approach with an intuitive interface and deep scanning capabilities, helping users locate and restore deleted folders while preserving original file structures whenever possible. The following steps show how to use it to recover deleted folders on Windows 11/10.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from secure channel.
Step 2. Select a folder or drive where the deleted folder was stored to scan for lost files. Then click "Scan".
Step 3. Choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Select a safe location (not the original folder) to save the recovered files.
Once the completion of the recovery, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. You can access and check them by clicking the destination folder.
The Recycle Bin is the first place to look for a recently deleted folder once the data loss occurs. If your folder was deleted temporarily (not with "Shift + Delete"), it will be in the Recycle Bin.
Step 1. Double click the Recycle Bin icon to open it.
Step 2. Browse through the items and select the files you wish to recover.
Step 3. Right click on it and select "Restore" to return it to its original location.
If you have enabled Shadow Copy and File History, restoring previous versions will be a convenient feature to recover deleted folders.
Step 1. Open File Explorer and select the drive or folder that used to contained the deleted folder.
Step 2. Right click the drive or folder and choose "Restore previous versions" from the context menu. Then a list of previous versions of the folder will be listed.
Step 3. Select a desired version and click "Restore" to return it to its original location.
File History is a Windows built-in backup utility which automatically save copies of your personal files and folders. It allows you easily to restore them if something goes wrong. If you have enabled File History on Windows 10 and 11, and add the specific folder to File History backup plan, you can restore it from the backups.
Step 1. Type "Restore your files with File History" in the Start menu and open it.
Step 2. Navigate to the folder (or the folder containing the deleted one) in the backup made before it was lost.
Step 3. Click the green "Restore" to recover it.
Backup and Restore is another built-in backup utility designed to back up your files and create system images, serving as a safeguard against data loss or system crashes. It enables you to generate copies of your files and settings, which can then be restored whenever the need arises.
Step 1. Open "backup settings" and click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2. Choose "Select another backup to restore files from".
Step 3. Choose a created backup containing the deleted folder and click "Next".
Step 4. Click "Browse for folders" to select folder to restore.
Step 5. Select a safe location to save the recovered files and click "Restore" to begin the process.
When the process is completed, the message "Your files have been restored" will pop out. You can check them by clicking "View restored files".
In addition to Windows' built-in backup tools, cloud backup services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox can also back up your files and allow restoration from those backups. If your files were synced to cloud storage services, you might be able to restore them there. Take OneDrive as an example here:
Step 1. Sign in to OneDrive with your account.
Step 2. Select the "Recycle Bin" section in the left sidebar.
Step 3. Locate to the folder you wish to recover and click "Restore".
If you're a command-line enthusiast or a professional, Windows File Recovery can do an excellent job of helping you recover permanently deleted folder on Windows 10 and 11 without the need for a backup. Follow these steps to recover deleted folder using Windows File Recovery command:
Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery on your computer from the official Microsoft channel.
Step 2. Type the command "Winfr H: D: /regular /n /Importantfolder" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letters "H", "D" and the folder name "Importantfolder" with your actual drive letters and folder name.
When the process is finished, you can press "y" to check the recovered files in the destination folder.
Losing a folder doesn’t always mean it’s gone forever. Whether it’s sitting in the Recycle Bin or has been permanently deleted, Windows offers multiple options to help you restore deleted folders. If you're looking for a reliable data recovery tool, MyRecover comes highly recommended.
It covers over 500 data loss scenarios, including recovering data from deleted partitions, formatted USB drives, and emptied Recycle Bins, virus attacks among others. MyRecover also offers a Professional version, which supports data recovery from unbootable systems and provides a file content preview function.