How to Recover Shift Deleted Files in Windows 10/11

What Does Shift + Delete Do in Windows?

When you press "Shift + Delete", Windows skips the Recycle Bin and removes the file's reference from the file system. The space it occupied is then marked as available, although the underlying data may remain until it is overwritten.

By contrast, pressing "Delete" normally moves a file to the Windows Recycle Bin. Shift-deleted files will not appear there unless they were also synced to a cloud service with its own recycle bin.

This is why recovery may still be possible. Your chances depend mainly on the storage device and how much new data has been written since the deletion.

Can Shift-Deleted Files Be Recovered?

Yes. Shift-deleted files may still be recoverable if their data has not been overwritten. Recovery is often easier on HDDs, USB drives, and memory cards. It may be harder on SSDs because TRIM can make deleted data unavailable sooner.

Use this table to choose the best place to start:

How to Recover Shift-Deleted Files from a Backup?

Backup-based recovery is the safest option because it does not scan the deleted data on the affected drive. These methods work only if the file was backed up or synced before it was deleted.

1 Restore Files with Backup and Restore

Use Backup and Restore if you previously created a Windows backup on another drive. The feature remains available in Windows 10 and 11 as "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

• Open "Start", search for "Control Panel", and select "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" under "System and Security".

  

• Click "Restore my files".

  

• Select "Browse for files", "Browse for folders", or "Search" to locate the backup copy.

• Choose whether to restore it to the original location or a different folder, and then complete the restore.

  

If "Restore my files" is unavailable or no suitable backup appears, move to another method rather than creating a new backup on the affected drive.

2 Restore Files with File History

File History can restore earlier copies of personal files if it was configured before deletion. According to Microsoft, File History saves copies to an external drive or network location.

By keeping multiple versions of your files, File History lets you recover files that even removed with Shift + Delete, as long as the feature was enabled beforehand. Here’s how to use it to recover shift deleted files.

• Go to "Start", search for "File History", and open it from Control Panel.

  

• Select "Restore personal files".

• Browse to the folder that previously contained the file.

• Use the arrows to find a version created before deletion.

• Select the file or folder and click the green "Restore" button. You can also right-click the button to restore it to a different location.

  

3 Restore Files from OneDrive or Another Cloud Backup

Check your cloud recycle bin if the deleted file was inside a folder already synced with OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account does not by itself guarantee that every folder was backed up, so confirm that the original location was actually syncing.

For OneDrive:

• Sign in to the OneDrive website with the account used on the computer.

• Open "Recycle bin" in the left navigation.

• Select the file or folder and click "Restore".

  

Microsoft states that items in a personal OneDrive recycle bin are normally deleted automatically after 30 days. Work or school accounts normally retain them for 93 days unless an administrator changes the policy.

How to Recover Shift-Deleted Files Without a Backup?

If no backup copy exists and the drive is still working normally, a recovery tool can scan for recoverable data.

1 Recover Shift Deleted Files with 4DDiG

4DDiG Data Recovery is designed for recovering files and folders lost after accidental deletion, formatting, or system crashes when you do not have a usable backup. It supports more than 2,000 file types, including Outlook PST files, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets.

4DDiG uses multiple scan modes to locate recoverable data. When the original file-system information is still available, it may retain file names and folder structures. This makes it easier to find specific files when you need to recover data from a hard drive, SD card, or USB drive.

• Download and install 4DDiG on a different drive than the one containing your deleted files. This helps prevent overwriting the data you want to recover.

  

• Launch 4DDiG and select the drive where your lost files were stored. The program will automatically scan the drive to locate as much deleted data as possible, showing the scan progress in real time.

  

• Before recovery, you can use the preview feature to filter and quickly find the specific files you want to restore. Then click the "Recover" button.

  

• Finally, choose a different location to save the recovered files and click the "Save Now" button to proceed.

  

2 Recover Deleted Files with PhotoRec

PhotoRec is a free, text-based recovery tool that searches for known file signatures instead of relying on file-system records. This can help when a standard scan cannot find deleted files. However, recovered files may have generic names and lose their original folder structure.

• Download PhotoRec to a different drive and open it.

  

• Select the drive that contained the Shift-deleted files.

• Choose the correct partition.

• Select "Other" for NTFS, FAT, or exFAT volumes.

  

• Choose "Free" to search unallocated space, or "Whole" when the file system is damaged or the narrower scan does not help.

  

• Select a recovery destination on a different drive.

• Start the scan and review the recovered files after it finishes.

PhotoRec may be less convenient when you need to recover a specific file by name. Its text interface and reconstructed filenames can make large result sets harder to organize.

3 Use Microsoft Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is Microsoft's free command-line app for recovering files from local storage devices. It supports Windows 10 and 11, but it does not recover files from cloud storage or network shares. The source and destination drive letters must be different.

• Install "Windows File Recovery" from the Microsoft Store. If the deleted files were on the system drive, avoid using the computer for other tasks during the recovery process.

  

• Open Windows File Recovery as an administrator.

• Enter a command using this format:

  winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

  For example, to search the Documents folder on drive C and save the results to drive E:

  winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\username\Documents\

  

• Confirm the prompt and let the scan finish.

• If Regular mode does not find the file, try /extensive for a more thorough scan.

When Should I Contact Professional Data Recovery Service?

Consider a professional data recovery service if the drive has physical damage or the files are highly valuable. Stop using the drive if it clicks, disappears from Windows, disconnects repeatedly, overheats, or has suffered liquid or impact damage.

Recovery labs use specialized equipment to handle mechanical, electronic, and severe file-system damage. The service usually costs more than recovery software, and success is not guaranteed. It also cannot restore data that has already been overwritten. Do not open the drive or keep powering it on before sending it for evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Shift-deleted files be recovered from an SSD?

It depends. Shift-deleted files may be recoverable from an SSD if TRIM has not cleared the data and the storage space has not been overwritten. Once the deleted data is cleared or overwritten, recovery software cannot restore it.

Can System Restore recover Shift-deleted personal files?

No. Windows System Restore does not recover deleted personal files. It restores system files, settings, the registry, and installed programs.

Should I install recovery software on the same drive?

No. Installing recovery software on the source drive may overwrite the deleted data. Run the software from another drive and save recovered files to a different physical drive.

Conclusion

Shift-deleted files may still be recoverable, but you should stop using the affected drive immediately.

If a backup is available, restore the files from it first. If you do not have a backup and the drive is working normally, a recovery tool such as 4DDiG File Recovery may help recover the shift deleted files. If the drive shows signs of physical damage, stop using it and contact a professional data recovery service.