We've all been there. We went to retrieve an important document and it's gone.
Initially, you have no fear because you must have simply moved it to a different folder or to your external SSD.
Then after some searching, you realize that this document is actually gone.
Before you fully freak out and start on that term paper or work document all over from scratch, know that, in some cases,
these files can be recovered and we will show you how in today's episode. This is DIY in 5.
Hey everyone! My name is Trisha and you are watching DIY in 5
the show where we make tech simple enough that you can do it yourself in 5 minutes or less.
I can think of a million ways that I would want to spend my day but I can assure you that recovering deleted files is not one of them.
I already operate at a high stress level most days and that would just send me through the roof.
As we go through the following tips I hope that this painful experience will be made a little more tolerable.
I've got tips for both PC and Mac and I will split them up to avoid any confusion.
Let's start with recovering files on our PCs.
The first place to check on a Windows PC is the recycle bin.
It is the standard place for the deleted files to go.
If you locate your missing file, highlight it and simply click restore.
If you have multiple files you can highlight multiple and click restore or simply drag and drop them to your destination folder of choice.
Now, the recycle bin is a great buffer between you and file loss
and has saved my arse more times than I'd like to admit.
However, some people do like to delete files without prompts or a buffer.
I personally do not know anyone that does prefer this but to each their own.
And I can say that at DIY in 5, we recommend that you do enable this buffer.
To verify that you have this buffer enabled right click on the recycle bin, select properties,
and make sure that "Don't move files to the Recycle Bin" is not selected.
Also, make sure "Remove files immediately when deleted" is not selected as well.
Then you just need to ensure you actually empty said recycle bin every so often -
when you are sure there's nothing in it you actually need that is.
Second, Windows 8.1, 10, and 11 have a feature called File History Backup
that saves files to network storage, external SSDs, or hard drives.
If you didn't succeed with recovering from the Recycle bin it's worth a try.
Now, this is not set up by default so even though this is unlikely, try it!
I once lost my entire Tiny Tina's Wonderland character at level 35, panicked like crazy, then miraculously recovered it in OneDrive!
And all of that happened live by the way when I was streaming to twitch - it was a total trip.
Hopefully, you'll be just as lucky as I was. Head to your Windows search bar and type "Restore your files with File History".
Locate the file you want to regain but keep in mind that there will be multiple versions.
Click the version of the file that you want and click restore or drag and drop it to your location of choice.
Also, feel free to check your One Drive files by logging into onedrive.live.com and hope that maybe you had it set up to back up automatically.
Finally, we recommend using the Windows File Recovery app if these two methods fail.
There are two modes: Regular and Extensive.
The regular mode is the best option to use for recovering recently deleted files.
However, if the files have been deleted for some time, extensive mode is recommended.
Alright - MAC users. Mac Users will notice that the process is similar to what PC users have to do.
MACs also have a buffer between deletion and permanent deletion.
Instead of checking your Recycle Bin just open your Trash.
Right-click on the file that you want to restore and select Put Back.
If you don't see that option just drag and drop the file to the location that you want it to be in.
Next, check your time machine. No not that time machine but your time machine backup.
Similar to Windows File History Backup. Time Machine automatically backups up to an external storage device.
This backup could happen weekly, daily, or even hourly.
However, when the backup is full, Time Machine will remove the oldest files in order to make room for new ones.
Let's connect our backup drive. Go to the Apple menu and click Time Machine.
Once the file is located click Restore and it will return to its original location.
If the first two steps didn't work, run File Recovery Software which again is just like Windows.
The software may also be referred to as unerase or undelete.
Just like Windows File Recovery, this software will locate files that have not had their sectors overwritten yet.
Regardless if they were on your HDD or SSD.
I would recommend checking your external SSD as well to maximize your recovery chances.
As always, if you are able to locate the file and it is able to restore, you too have dodged a bullet.
Before we recap, it's important to reduce the likelihood of this happening again sometime in the future.
As we know, accidents happen but with File History Backup and Time Machine
it pays dividends to at the very least have a scheduled backup of files that you can't lose backed up to an external drive of your choice.
To recap, if you do notice that you have a file missing, Check the Recycle Bin or Trash,
check the file history, and as a last resort try undeleting them
with the software that we outlined in this episode.
Dealing with file loss is about as fun as a root canal, so I hope you are not in this situation
but if you are and you found this video useful, please do let us know in the comments!
Success stories like my Tiny Tina's Wonderlands recovery can brighten all of our days just a little bit.
Until next time, my name's Trisha Hershberger and you've been watching DIY in 5!