Can Deleted Computer Files Be Recovered?
By Matt Brennan
If you’ve been working on a computer long enough chances are you’ve wondered “Can deleted computer files be recovered?” This probably occurred after deleting a file on accident, that’s still needed. When the file disappears from the desktop or the folder it’s been stored in, it’s not gone forever.
In the best-case scenario, you can simply open the trash or the recycling bin and locate the file that was accidently deleted. Once it’s been located, you can drag it back to its previous location and go about your day. But what happens when the trash has been emptied, and the file (or files) in question are nowhere to be found?
That’s where it gets a little bit more nuanced.
What Happens When a Computer File is Deleted?
After a computer file has been deleted, it’s not gone, but it no longer resides in the previous visible location. The computer essentially earmarks the space that the file took up as vacant. The good news is that the file exists on the computer and can be recovered. The bad news is that if you continue to use your computer, you run the risk of writing over the file – making it harder to recover.
Your Options for Recovering a Deleted Computer File
If you’re looking to recover a deleted computer file at this point, you still have options. In the best-case-scenario you can restore from a backup. For Mac users, iCloud or Time Machine backups can provide easy access to restoring the file. Windows users could benefit from a cloud or external hard drive backup at this point, too. But unfortunately, that’s not always a possibility.
A Google search can reveal any number of free or paid software options that can assist in the data recovery process. While it’s possible to recover deleted files this way, there are certainly risks attached. When you use this approach, unsuccessful attempts can make a recovery increasingly difficult.
As mentioned above, the file still exists on the computer when it’s been deleted, just not in a visible state. When you download the necessary software or continue to use the computer in any fashion after the file went missing, you are decreasing your chances of recovery.
Hire a Professional Data Recovery Company
When you’re wondering “Can deleted computer files be recovered?” the good news is that the answer is yes, but you need to take the appropriate steps and act fast. It’s important not to act in ways that will jeopardize the recovery.
The best thing you can do is to stop using the computer in question and hire a professional data recovery company right away. An experienced professional data recovery company will have clean room access, a research and development team, and the resources to handle all types of data recovery cases. They’ll know what steps to take right away so that your data is never in risk. Contact We Recover Data today to find out more about how we can help!
