How to Recover A File Accidentally Deleted on Windows 8/8.1, Even Permanently Deleted?

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Zoey Wen
Updated on June 07, 2024 Preview 60 Preview 0
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Accidentally deleting a file is something we can’t avoid on our computer, because we have to deal with a lot of files daily, with just a slip up, we may lose the files. Therefore, we’ve all been in the situation where we wish we could recover the files. If you are still sticking to a Windows 8 PC, here’s how you can recover a file that accidentally deleted on Windows 8 or 8.1, including Pro, Enterprise editions. 

 

Can We Recover Accidentally Deleted File on Windows 8 or 8.1? Where Do Deleted Files Go on Windows 8?

Yes, we can.

There are several scenarios when you accidentally deleted a file on Windows:

  • Right click Delete
  • Press Shift + Delete
  • Empty the recycle bin

If you select a file, right click Delete, the file will be moved to the recycle bin, it is just recently deleted, you can get back by restoring from recycle bin. But if you press Shift+Delete or empty the recycle bin, the files are permanently deleted and you can find nowhere to access to these files on your PC.

The recently deleted files goes to the recycle bin, while the permanently deleted files are still in the place where they are originally saved, but you’ve lost the portal to access it, it becomes invisible on your Windows PC. The system will mark this space that stored the deleted files as available and allows new data to replace. Once there is new data overwrite the deleted files you won’t be able to restore. Therefore, you should stop writing to your PC instantly when you realized you accidentally deleted a file.

 

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Windows 8?

Even the most sophisticated PC user can end up losing the deleted files forever, which is why it’s crucial to find a reliable Windows data recovery tool, to easily restore deleted files under different data loss situations, especially when you don’t have any backup of the deleted files.

Used by millions of people, Cisdem Data Recovery offers the most trustworthy solutions for lost files on a Windows PC, including 8 or 8.1, with supported file systems including FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ext2, ext3, HFS+, ReFS and so on.  

It covers the full range of file formats, including 1000+ types in video, audio, email, archive, image, and can scan and recover these files from different storage devices: internal disk, external HDD, SSD, USB, SD Card, crashed PC, NAS, Linux, etc.

It also features cool and useful features to enhance user experience: quickly recover files from Recycle bin, desktop or a selected folder; fast locate files with the filter tool or search box; preview files before recovery; AI assistance for data recovery; load scan sessions to resume scanning anytime as you like; save recovered files to local drive, external storage device, even online server.

No matter the files are moved to Recycle bin, or deleted by pressing Shift + Delete, even by emptying the bin, Cisdem can find it back:

  1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recover on your Windows PC.
    Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
  2. Select the drive where you lost the files, or specify the location, then click Search for Lost Data.recover files on windows cisdem 01
  3. Go to Path if you want to recover trashed files or system files quickly.recover files cisdem02
  4. Go to Type if you want to restore personal files easily, the filter and search tool will help locate a file quickly.recover files cisdem 03
  5. Select the files you want to recover and click Recover.recover files cisdem04

 

Where to Download Free Software That Recover Deleted Files on Windows 8 After Shift Delete?

Maybe you don’t have many files to recover, maybe you are out of budget for the moment now, or perhaps you are more interested about a piece of freeware to get a file back. All these are the good reasons to download a free data recovery program and recovery the deleted files.

Then, you should not miss out Recuva and QPhotoRec.

#1 Recuva

Recuva ranks as the No1. among free data recovery programs for Windows. It can recover photos, music, documents, videos, emails and other files from Windows PC, external drive, memory card, USB and more, no matter the files are moved to Recycle bin, deleted by Shift + Delete, formatted even on a damaged drive.

It has 3 versions, the free version support advanced file recovery and users are allowed to get full features except virtual hard drive support.

Where to download Recuva: https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva

How to recover deleted files on Windows 8 after Shift + Delete?

  1. Download and install Recuva on your Windows 8 or 8.1, you will see the Recuva Wizard.
  2. Choose the file type you want to recover from your PC, then click Next. recover files recuva 01
  3. Choose the file location where you lost them, then click Next. recover files cisdem 02
  4. Click Start to scan the drive. 
  5. Preview the files, select the files you want to restore and click Recover. recover files recuva 03

 

#2 QPhotoRec

Have you heard about PhotoRec, the best open-source data recovery program to recover lost files on Windows, macOS, even Linux? It is as reliable as Recuva, but it’s non-GUI, you need to type commands in a shell to run the app and recover your files.

But luckily, for Windows users, there is a GUI version available, that is QPhotoRec. With a several clicks, instead of running commands, you can restore your videos, photos, documents, archives and son on from Windows 8, or different portable storage devices.

Where to download QPhotoRec: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download

How to recover deleted files on Windows 8 after Shift + Delete?

  1. Download and install QPhotoRec on your Windows 8 or 8.1.
  2. Select a media to recover from, also choose the partition, file system and destination for recovered files. recover files photorec01
  3. Click Search to start scanning your Windows 8. recover files photorec 02
  4. Finally, click Quit and check the recovered files in the destination folder.

 

How to Recover A File Accidentally Deleted in Windows 8 without Software?

Also, we can restore a file accidentally deleted in Windows 8 without using any software, but only in the situation that it is moved to recycle bin or you have a copy of the deleted file, here is how.

First, you should check the Recycle Bin

In the case that you didn’t empty your Recycle bin, you should check there before anything.

  1. Open Recycle bin on your Windows 8 PC.
  2. Select the deleted file and right click Restore. recover from recycle bin

 

Then, recover with File History if you have set up

File History is the built-in tool on Windows 8 to backup and restore a file. If you have set File History and backed up the files to an external hard drive, you can use this tool to recover your deleted files.

  1. Connect the backup drive to your Windows 8 PC.
  2. Open Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > File History.recover file history 01
  3. Click Restore personal files.
  4. All the backups will show up in the File History window, you can click the Restore button to recover all files, or just select the folder/files you want to recover.recover file history 02

 

Lastly, restore with a cloud backup

Perhaps you use cloud storage service to back up your files on a Windows PC, and it is much likely to be OneDrive. Then you can log into your OneDrive account online and download the copies to your PC again.

  1. Open a web browser on your Windows PC, visit OneDrive website and sign in.
  2. Go to My files > Document.
  3. Select the files you want to recover, then click on the 3-dot icon and choose Download to restore the files to your PC.recover file from onedrive

 

Conclusion

When accidentally deleting a file on your Windows 8 or 8.1, first check the recycle bin and the backups, as they are the most straightforward solutions to get a file back. If the files are permanently deleted and you don’t have a backup, a high-quality tool will be the best choice, it not only cater for every need on data recovery, but also ensures a higher recovery rate, just like Cisdem Data Recovery for Windows.

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Zoey Wen

Zoey shows a great interest in what she does. Although not long with Cisdem, she has possessed a professional understanding of data recovery.

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