You've deleted something important — what now?
A deleted file usually isn't gone. Windows and macOS mark the space as reusable rather than wiping it, so for a while the data is still sitting there.
That window is what you're working with — which is why the first thing to do is stop using the computer for anything else.
The one mistake that ends recovery
Every new file written to the drive can land on the space your deleted one occupied. Installing recovery software onto the same drive is the classic way people overwrite the very thing they're trying to save.
If the file genuinely matters, stop working on that machine. For a desktop, shut it down. Anything you do afterwards reduces the odds.
Check these places first, in order
Most "lost" files are found in the first two minutes, in an ordinary place.
- The Recycle Bin or Trash — it's obvious, but check before anything else
- Search the whole computer by file name, and by file type if you're not sure of the name
- The app's own recovery: Word, Excel and most editors keep autosaved versions
- OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox — each keeps deleted files for around 30 days in an online bin, plus previous versions of a file
- Right-click the containing folder and look for Previous Versions or Restore, if File History or Time Machine is on
- Your email, if you ever sent it to anyone
If those don't find it
Recovery software can work, with caveats.
- Install it on a different drive, or run it from a USB stick — never onto the drive you're recovering from
- Recover the files to a different drive as well
- Recuva and PhotoRec are the well-established free options; be cautious with anything advertising a miraculous guarantee
- Recovered files often come back with wrong names — expect to sort through them
When to stop and ask
Some situations are made worse by DIY attempts. Stop and get advice if the drive is making clicking or grinding noises, if it's an SSD (which usually erases deleted data within minutes, making DIY recovery futile), if the drive isn't recognised at all, or if the files are irreplaceable — the accounts, the only copy of the photos.
In those cases the first attempt is usually the only attempt, and it's worth giving it to someone with the right tools.
So it doesn't happen again
Every recovery is a gamble; a backup isn't. A proper backup with version history means a deleted file is a two-minute restore rather than a bad afternoon — and it covers the other ways files vanish: a failed drive, a stolen laptop, ransomware, or simply saving over the wrong version.