On Windows 10, if you accidentally deleted one or multiple files, typically, they’re marked for deletion and moved to the Recycle Bin. However, if you deleted large size files or data from a USB flash drive, they’ll be deleted automatically without passing through the Recycle Bin, and you’ll have to restore them from backup.
If you don’t have a backup of your data, it’s still possible to recover the deleted files with third-party tools like the Recuva, which are able to scan and find data on a drive marked for deletion before they’re overwritten with new data.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to recover accidentally deleted files on Windows 10.
How to recover deleted files using Recuva
If one or multiple files were deleted by accident, the first thing you need to do is to stop using the drive immediately to prevent getting them overwritten, and then use the Recuva app to get the files back.
Installing Recuva
Use these steps to install Recuva on your Windows 10 device:
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Click the CCleaner.com link to begin the download.
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Double-click the rcsetupxxx.exe installer.
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Select the No thanks, I don’t need CCleaner option.
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Click the Install button.
Install Recuva on Windows 10
Once you complete the steps, the tool will install on your device, and you can proceed with the recovery process.
Recovering deleted files using Recuva
Use these steps to recover deleted files on external or internal storage using Recuva:
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Open Recuva.
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Click the Next button.
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Select the type of files you want to recover. (If you don’t know, select the All Files option.)
File recovery type using Recuva -
Click the Next button.
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Select the drive that has the deleted files. Recuva can scan and find deleted files on virtually any drive, including hard drives, Solid-State Drives (SSD), USB flash drives, external hard drives, SD cards, and others. For the purpose of this guide, select the In a specific location, and select a USB flash drive location.
Recuva drive type recovery -
Click the Next button.
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(Optional) Check the Deep Scan option if the first scan didn’t work.
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Click the Start button.
Start Recuva recovery -
Select the deleted files that you want to recover.
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Click the Recover button.
Recover deleted files on Windows 10 -
Select a location to recover the files. (It’s recommended to use alternative drive to recover your data.)
Select file recovery location using Recuva -
Click the OK button.
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Click the OK button again.
Recuva recovery complete on Windows 10
Once you complete the steps, you can recover more files, or you can close the application to complete the task.
While Recuva is an excellent application to recover deleted files, it’s not a sophisticated software, depending on the drive and data, you may need professional help to recover the data, which it won’t come cheap.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].