Recover Shift Deleted Files In Windows 11/10/8/7

In Windows, deleting a file temporarily is as simple as pressing the Delete key, and permanently deleting a file is as simple as pressing Shift + Delete. But if you wish to restore these lost files, then what? Is there a way to recover these permanently deleted files?

Luckily, there are different ways to recover such lost files, and the best way is to use a data recovery software like Advanced Disk Recovery.

Besides this, if File History is enabled, you can use it to restore files. Below, we discuss several ways to restore permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7.

Must Read: How Do I Recover Files From exFAT?

How Does Shift + Delete Work?

When the Delete key is pressed in Windows, selected files are temporarily moved to Recycle Bin. Whereas, when the Shift + Delete keys are used, the files aren’t moved to Recycle Bin. Instead, the space is still marked as occupied by its attributes, not the file. This means though you cannot see files, they are still there.

Possible Ways to Recover Data Deleted by Pressing Shift + Delete?

The files removed by pressing Shift + Del are present on the hard drive unless overwritten by new files. However, manually recovering the permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7/isisn’t simple. A data recovery solution is a right choice to get such files back.

Method 1: Recovering Shift Deleted Files Using Advanced Disk Recovery

To restore permanently deleted files:

Download and install Advanced Disk Recovery for Windows.

Launch Advanced Disk Recovery and select the storage device > partition name to scan and recover shift deleted files.
Select the scan mode. We suggest using Deep Scan.
Wait until Advanced Disk Recovery completes scanning the selected storage device.
Choose the files you want to restore and hit the Recover button.
To avoid overwriting files, change the recovery location and wait for the data recovery process to finish.

Using Advanced Disk Recovery and following these steps, anyone can get back shift deleted files in a couple of clicks.

Method 2: File History

The latest versions of the Windows operating system offer an excellent feature called File History. This functionality helps backup your files so that you can restore them when they’re deleted or lost. If activated, it can be used for data recovery. However, if it isn’t, you can activate it for future use.

Below we explain how to activate and use File History.

To activate File History:

Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
Go to Update & Security > select the Backup option from the left pane.
To activate File History, click on the Add a drive option > select the external drive you would like to use for the backup.

You will now see a toggle switch under “Automatically back up my files,” enabling it to automate the backup of files.

Note Windows 10 every hour backs up only the folders in the User folder. To change it, click More options and select the files you want to keep a backup.

However, if you are using an older version of Windows, you must follow the instructions to enable File History.

Activating File History in Lower Version of Windows 10

In the Windows search bar, type Control Panel > choose the best option to open it.
Click System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

To enable File History, click Set up backup.

Once you enable the File History option, you can retrieve deleted files lost for any reason.

You can use Advanced Disk Recovery and professional data recovery software if the File History option is not activated. The data recovery will help locate and restore files. Also, you don’t have to look at different places for deleted items. Moreover, you can use the trial version of the data recovery tool to see if it detects the files you are looking for.

Advanced Disk Recovery can recover hundreds of file formats and has a robust data recovery algorithm to locate deleted files.

Conclusion

There are different ways of recovering shift deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7/XP. However, suppose you are looking for a hassle-free manner. In that case, we recommend Advanced Disk Recovery the most, this trusted and reliable data recovery software solution makes data recovery easy and quick.

Preeti Seth

A UX writer who loves explaining technical details in a clear, crisp, and concise manner. She loves writing about technical troubleshooting, How-To's, product reviews, etc. In her free time, she loves reading, meditating, and traveling.