Have you ever faced a situation where you accidentally lost all your high-quality PNG files? It can be really painful when you pay attention to curating photos on your PC, and then one day, you realize they are gone. Not to mention, PNG images are often the original pictures created (after the raw files), which means the chances of having a backup file are also negligible.
If you can relate to what you just read or have recently faced data loss where all your PNG files are lost, you may be looking for a way to recover these files. Your search for the best way to recover deleted/lost PNG images has finally reached its course.
In this post, let’s take a look at some effective ways that can help you recover lost PNG pictures on a Windows PC. Ensure you read this article until the end, as we might have an interesting tip for you by the end!
Without any further ado, let’s begin!
What is a PNG File?
Before we start with how to recover lost PNG files, some of you may wonder what exactly PNG files are. Many users only think about them as usual pictures. However, that’s not the case; PNG files are lossless images with zero quality loss. You can even call them raster image files. These files are heavy and take up enough storage space. Due to this, sometimes, to make room for other files, users delete PNG files to regret later.
Read Also: Tips to Prevent Photos Loss and Recover Them
What Causes PNG Loss on a PC?
The main reasons that may make you lose PNG images on your PC are:
1. Damaged Hard Drive
If you have been using an old PC, the hard drive might not be as good as it was when you started using it, or there might be bad actors due to which you might lose data, including PNG files and other data.
2. Accidentally Deleting Files
This one is a common human error, and most users make it when they are in a hurry to manage storage and copy new data. In that hurriedness, they often end up unintentionally deleting PNG files. It can happen to anyone.
3. Virus and Bugs in OS
Virus and malicious infections on a PC are also a reason why one may lose PNG files saved on it. Connecting multiple mass storage devices without scanning or using the internet without a VPN may serve as an invitation to unwanted programs that often turn into a bug that leads to data loss.
4. Sudden Power Cut
While copying data or using the PC, if the power is lost suddenly, there is a huge probability of data loss. In such situations, one has no other option than to wait for the power to be restored. It happens due to the dynamic nature of memory used to render files.
Other than these, if the drive is formatted without a backup, or there are hardware issues such as water spillage, overheating, etc., you may experience data loss, which includes losing PNG images on Windows PC.
How to Recover Lost PNG Image Files on Windows?
Now that you have identified what you are looking for and what might have caused the loss let’s jump to the methods you can implement to recover these files.
Method 1 – Restoring Deleted PNG Files From Recycle Bin
The first and basic thing to do in case you can not find the PNG file is to check the Recycle Bin. Wondering why so? By default, the files are moved to Recycle Bin when you press the Delete key. To restore a file from Recycle Bin, go to Recycle Bin and look for the files. Select the file > right-click > select Restore. Or select the file and click Restore from the top bar in the Window. 
Note : You can find Recycle Bin on the Desktop or in the side panel of Windows File Explorer.
Method 2 – Quickly UNDO the Action
Another quick tip for recovering unintentionally deleted files is to undo the action. It is easy to do. You have two ways –
Way 1 – Once you realize you have made a mistake, press the Ctrl+Z combination on your keyboard while staying in the same folder.
Way 2 – Right click in the folder, and you may see an UNDO option in the quick access menu, click on it to see if it recovers the file. 
Keep in mind that it is the immediate thing to do. If you have already performed a few operations on your PC, the Undo will only work on the last Windows operation.
Method 3 – Use Windows Backup
If you have lost the files and have a backup for your files, you can use the Windows Backup and Restore option from the control panel. Here’s what you can do –
Step 1 – Press Windows + R to open the Windows Run Search utility.
Step 2 – In the Run search box, use the command Control and hit enter to open the Control Panel. 
Step 3 – Make sure the view is set to Category. 
Step 4 – Find the System and Security option in the list and click on Backup and Restore (Windows 7) from the list.
Step 5 – If you have the backup ON, you may find information about the last backup with a Restore my files button. Click on it.
Step 6 – Once you have opened the restore Wizard, you can choose the browse file option to find the files from the backup directory.
Step 7 – The next step requires choosing a destination for the files you want to recover.
It is important to ensure the backup is enabled on your PC. If it was not, turn it ON now so you can use the method if you experience data loss later.
Method 4 – Use File History to Restore
Another inbuilt option to restore lost files is the Files History option in Windows. Here’s how to find and recover lost/deleted PNG files on a Windows PC –
Step 1 – Press Windows + R to open the Windows Run Search utility.
Step 2 – In the Run search box, use the command Control and hit enter to open the Control Panel.
Step 3 – Ensure the view is set to Category in the Control Panel.
Step 4 – Find the System and Security option in the list and click on it. Step 5 – In the opened menu, you may see an option that says File History. 
Step 6 – In File History, you may find its status, whether it is ON or not, along with the option to Restore Personal Files.
Step 7 – Click on the Restore Personal Files option, and you may find an explorer window that offers you to navigate through the previous versions of your files and restore them.
Navigate to the lost files and click the green button to restore them instantly!
Note : This feature, like any other on Windows, must be turned ON. If it was OFF by default on your PC, do not forget to turn it ON now. Also, do not panic; we have a way to help you!
Method 5 – Use Photos Recovery Tool
By now, you have gone through 4 ways to recover deleted/lost PNG files on a Windows PC. Some appear to be basic methods, while others must be turned ON. This means none of them have a complete chance of recovery.
Well, Photos Recovery, a software made specifically to recover lost image files on Windows, may get the job done for you. Here’s how the tool works –
Step 1 – Download and install the applications from the link below.
Step 2 – Select the Drive where your missing PNG files were saved.
Step 3 – Start the Scan by clicking on the button in the tool. This scan will now look for deleted photos from the drive.
Step 4 – Once the scan is over, you can review the found files and select the ones you want to recover.
Step 5 – Click on recover and wait, as the tool’s algorithm will do the rest on its own.
This is what we are talking about! How convenient is it to recover your lost PNG image files on Windows? With the Systweak Photo Recovery tool, you no longer have to worry about losing your image files. The best part is that the tool also supports other image formats like RAW, JPG, GIF, NEF, etc. That means a single tool can take care of all the image formats!
Read Also: How To Recover Photos After Your Computer Is Formatted
Recovering Deleted/Lost PNG Images on Windows Made Easy!
All the above methods can help restore PNG files, depending on what type of loss you have experienced. However, to be safe, we recommend that you use the Systweak Photos Recovery tool on priority, as playing around with the drive that has lost your files may result in overwriting the disk, reducing the chances of you being able to recover files.
Use these ways and tell us in the comments which did the trick for you. If you face any difficulties while performing the steps, let us know; we would love to help you.
Thanks for reading. Good luck!
Recommended :
How to Recover Deleted DNG Files
How To Recover Deleted JPG/JPEG Files
