Data plays a crucial role in our lives, but losing crucial data from any device, including Windows 11, can be a distressful experience. Whether due to accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes, or any other reason, you can restore lost data using professional data recovery methods or tools. Windows 11 offers several in-built and third-party solutions to help you recover lost or deleted data efficiently.
In this article, we will explore various methods to help you learn how to recover lost or deleted data on Windows 11 devices. Keep reading!
Why do Files Get Deleted on Windows 11 Devices?
Files can get deleted from Windows 11 due to multiple reasons, ranging from accidental deletion to system errors or malicious program attacks. Here are some important causes of file deletion on Windows 11 devices:
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Accidental Deletion: This is one of the most common reasons for file deletion. You may have accidentally deleted files while organizing folders, moving files, or performing other tasks on your Windows 11 device.
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Formatting Drives: Formatting the storage drive, either intentionally or unintentionally, deletes all data stored on it. You should create an adequate backup of important files before formatting your device storage or OS.
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Emptying the Recycle Bin: When you empty the Recycle Bin, all files/folders contained within it get permanently deleted. You should be more cautious while doing so as this action is irreversible.
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Virus or Malware Attacks: Malicious software, such as viruses or malware, can infect Windows 11 devices and corrupt or delete stored data.
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System Errors or Crashes: System errors, software conflicts, or unexpected system crashes can cause data loss by corrupting files or interrupting file-saving processes.
Recover Lost/Deleted Data on Windows 11
Now that you are familiar with the reasons for data loss on your device, it's time to apply proper recovery workarounds to restore lost data. Here are some commonly used methods that will help you learn how to recover lost or deleted data on Windows 11 devices:
Method 01: Recover Deleted Data on Windows 11 Using Previous Version
Before you use any free data recovery software or apply technical methods to restore lost data, check the available backups. If you habitually create a backup of important files and folders, then your deleted file can be restored using that backup. Windows 11 allows you to restore previous versions of files and folders using the built-in "Previous Versions" feature. Here's how to recover lost or deleted data on Windows 11 using this feature:
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Right-click on the folder where your deleted data was earlier stored.
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Select "Restore previous versions" from the context menu.
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From the available restoration version that appears on your screen, select the one that you need to restore and click Restore.
Method 02: Recover Lost Data from File History Backup
Another alternative to create backups of important files and to restore them, when data loss occurs, is File History. Windows File History is a built-in feature that automatically backs up your files and folders to external drives or network locations. If you have enabled the File History backup on your Windows 11 device, follow the below-given steps to restore lost data:
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Type CP in the search box of your desktop and launch Control Panel.
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Go to System and Security > File History. Click on the Restore personal files option and select the folder that contains your permanently deleted files.
Method 03: Use CMD to Recover Deleted Data on Windows 11
When you realize data loss on a Windows 11 device, you can try using Windows' in-built Command Prompt utility for recovering deleted data. Though this method seems quite complex to implement, it is worth a try. All you have to do is:
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Firstly, type Command Prompt in the Windows search bar, right-click on it and select the "Run as Administrator" option.
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Now, type the command: "chkdsk C: /f" in the Command Prompt window and press Enter (replace C with your actual disk letter where deleted data was stored).
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After that, type the command "ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D C:*.*" (Again, replace C with your drive letter).
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Once the above commands are executed, check if the deleted data is recovered at the respective drive.
Method 04: Recover Lost or Deleted Data on Windows 11 Using Free Data Recovery Software
Instances may occur when all the above-mentioned data recovery methods fail to restore your deleted data. In such cases, you can use a free data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery Free to help you out. This all-in-one data recovery tool offers several amazing features that make it very easy for you to restore lost or deleted data from any device, including Windows 11 PC.
You can use the Stellar Data Recovery Free tool to restore deleted photos, videos, documents, and other types of files stored on any storage drive, such as Hard drives, Pen drives, USBs, etc. It can recover up to 1 GB of data free of cost without any credit card requirement.
Here's how to recover lost or deleted data on Windows 11 using the Stellar Data Recovery Free tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Free tool on your Windows 11 device. Launch the software and from the Select What to Recover window, choose the type of file you need to restore and click Next.
Step 2: Now, from the Recover From the window, choose the storage location from where you need to restore lost data and tap Scan to start the scanning process.
Step 3: After completion of the scanning process, preview the recoverable files and click "Recover" to save recovered data at the desired location.
Conclusion
If you ever lose important data on Windows 11 device, don't start freaking out. You can apply the above-mentioned methods to know how to recover lost or deleted data on Windows 11. Start by utilizing built-in features like File History and Previous Versions to employing third-party free data recovery software, like Stellar Data Recovery Free, there are multiple options to explore.
The key is to act promptly as the sooner you act, the easier it will be to restore deleted data and you can minimize the impact of unexpected file deletions or system failures on your Windows 11 computer.
