We all know that deleted files usually end up in the Recycle Bin. One click on the ‘Restore’ button can recover all your files back to the original place. But in some cases, this might not be the case and deleted files may be deleted permanently and may not show up in the recycle bin at all. Let’s discuss this issue more in detail and also find out how to avoid this scenario.
What happens to deleted files?
Generally, when files are deleted from the user interface, they end up in the $Recycle.bin folder. For convenience, this folder is provided as a shortcut on the desktop. So, in case you need to recover deleted files, all you need to do is go to this folder and right click on the file you need. Then click ‘Restore’ to restore your files.
However, in some cases, you may not find deleted files in the Recycle bin. This usually happens when the size of the file exceeds a certain limit or if you have pressed the Shift key along with Delete and in a few other cases, which we will see in this blog post.
In these scenarios, although you don’t find the files in the Recycle Bin, it is not that they are nowhere on the computer. They are still present somewhere on your hard drive, but with a deleted tag on it, hence it will not be visible on the user interface. But don’t worry, these files can also be recovered using the right tools, which will also be covered in this article.
Precautions to avoid deleting files permanently
- Make sure you are not using the ‘Shift’ key
While deleting a file, using the Shift key along with Delete will permanently delete the file. In this case, the deleted file will bypass the Recycle bin, hence you won’t find it there. To avoid this possibility, always make sure you are not using the ‘Shift’ key while deleting a file.
- Check if you are deleting files from USB flash drive
Unlike your internal hard drives, USB flash drives don’t have the Recycle Bin. So, files deleted from the USB will have their files deleted permanently. If you’re wondering why your files are getting deleted permanently, well, it is probably because you are deleting files from the USB stick.
Hence, it is advisable that you make a backup before deleting files from your USB flash drive.
- Check if the files you are deleting is too large
For a deleted file to be stored in the recycle bin, it should be within the size limit of the Recycle Bin. If this is not the case, the file will be permanently deleted.
If you always work with large files and you wish that these files be stored in the Recycle Bin when deleted, it is possible to customize the size of allowance in the Recycle Bin. To change these settings:
- Right click on the Recycle Bin folder and click Properties
- Click on the Customize Size option and change the settings as required
- Confirm that ‘Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin’ is not selected
If in the Recycle Bin properties, the option ‘Don’t move files to the recycle bin’ is selected, then Recycle Bin won’t save deleted files. In that case, you will obviously not find deleted files in the Recycle Bin.
To avoid this as a possibility, just uncheck the option ‘Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin’.
- Right click on the Recycle Bin folder on your desktop and select Properties
- Uncheck ‘Don’t move files to the recycle bin’ and click Apply
These tips should help you avoid the problem of deleted files bypassing the Recycle Bin and getting deleted permanently. But in case, you are looking to recover files that have bypassed the Recycle Bin, we have a solution for that as well as explained in the next solution.
Solution 5: Use Hi5 Software
Hi5 Software is the best in class data recovery software to recover files that are deleted permanently or ones that have bypassed the Recycle Bin. It makes use of the principle that deleted files are never permanently deleted but stored somewhere on the hard drive. In order to find these files, the software performs a detailed scan of the hard drive and restores them.
Hi5 Software can be used even to recover files emptied from the Recycle Bin. Hi5 Software is a versatile software that can be used in a myriad of different data loss situations including accidental deletion, loss of data during copy-paste operations, deletion of files from the command prompt, etc.
