7 Ways to Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows 11/10/8/7, Even without Software

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Zoey Wen
September 08, 2023 Preview 163 Preview 0
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It is safe to say we’ve all shift deleted a file by mistake at some point. We may get panic because files deleted by pressing Shift+Delete are not moved to Recycle Bin and cannot be restored easily. Don’t. Instead, relax, we don’t permanently lost these files. Windows knows that losing data can be a nightmare, therefore, it includes several tools for this situation.

There are a few different ways you can use to recover shift deleted files on Windows 11, 10, 8 or 7, the road you take will depend on whether you have a backup or not. Here is how to get started restoring shift deleted files, with or without software.

Can We Recover Files after Shift Delete?

Yes, we can, but why is it possible for us to recover a file even after shift delete?

Differing from the Delete action that moves files to Recycle Bin, Shift Delete is the shortcut to delete a file without moving it to Recycle Bin, it removes the file directly from Windows. But it doesn’t mean the file is permanently lost, after Shift Delete, Windows just marks the space for this file as available, so you can add new files to your device, once the file is overwritten by other files, it will be gone forever and cannot be recovered by no means.

Also, this is the reason why we recommend users recovering files as soon as possible after shift deleting a file, because your drive keeps reading and writing data when running, the deleted files may be easily and quickly replaced by newly added data or file.  

shift delete

 

The Easiest Way to Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows

Recovering shift deleted files doesn’t have to be hard or complicated, and in the begging, we are going to show you the best tool that can help you with this task---Cisdem Data Recovery.

Cisdem Data Recovery is one of the best data recovery programs in recently years, with highly speedy scanning engine and excellent support of file types. It enables users to restore lost, deleted, formatted and unsaved files on Mac, Windows or external storage device, no matter the data is lost due to deletion, human error, partition loss, system crash, virus attack or other reasons. It also includes the Preview feature, you can check the files to recover those wanted only. Moreover, it can fix damaged videos, images and office documents.

Main Features of Cisdem Data Recovery

  • Recover lost, deleted, formatted files due to various reasons
  • Support crashed PC recovery and NAS recovery as well
  • Restore files from both internal and external storage devices
  • Support 200+ file types: videos, audios, photos, documents, emails, archives, etc.
  • Recover unsaved Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Repair corrupted video, image and office document
  • Filter files by keyword, date, size, etc.
  • Preview files before recovery
  • Create backups to save data and recover files with backup image
  • Recover files to iCloud, DropBox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive, pCloud or Box

How to Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows?

  1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery.
    Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
  2. Select a location to start scanning, click Search for Lost Data.recover shift deleted files cisdem01
  3. Check and preview the file in different types or paths, also you can use the filter tool to quickly locate files for recovery.recover shift deleted files cisdem02
  4. Select file by ticking the checkboxes, click Recover to restore shift deleted files on Windows.recover shift deleted files cisdem03

 

How to Restore Shift Deleted Files without Software?

Also, you can restore shift deleted files without software, but the premise is that you have a backup for the deleted files, because Windows builds 2 recovery tools in the system, and it has cloud backup service to regain the access to lost data.

#1. Use File History

For Windows 11, 10 and 8 users, File History is a native utility tool to back up and recover files, as long as you have set up backing up files to an external storage device, you will be able to restore any versions of the deleted files.

  1. Connect the storage device that contains the back up to your Windows.
  2. In the Windows search box, enter Restore your files with File History and click on it.recover shift deleted files file history 01
  3. Check the files you want to restore, preview the files and select those you want to restore.
  4. Click Restore button to retrieve. recover shift deleted files file history 02

 

#2. Use Backup and Restore

For Windows 7 users, Backup and Restore is the native tool to restore file with a backup, but it is not as powerful as File History to recover all kinds of lost files.

  1. Connect the storage device that contains the back up to your Windows.
  2. In the Windows search box, enter Control Panel.
  3. Then select Backup and Restore.
  4. Click Select another backup to restore files from, then select your backup storage device to start the recovery process.

 

#3. Use OneDrive Backup

If you have backed up the files to OneDrive, this would be the most ideal method to recover shift deleted files without installing software, and without eating space on your hard drive. 

  1. Open OneDrive on your Windows, sign into it.
  2. Click Open OneDrive Folder and check the files or folders you have backed up.
  3. Click OneDrive icon, go to Account > Choose folders. recover shift deleted files onedrive backup01
  4. Select the files or folders you want to restore, click OK to continue. recover shift deleted files onedrive backup

 

Free Ways to Recover Shift Deleted Files on Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

Luckily, there are also free solutions to recover shift deleted files, even though you don’t have a back up for the deleted files. There are multiple software platforms that aim to help you, and we’ll list 3 best of them below. Let’s walk though the list, and with some luck, you will be able to get the deleted files back to your Windows.

#1. Recuva

It is a piece of freeware to restore photos, videos, audio, documents and so on from internal hard disk, SD card, USB drive or other storage devices. It has a user-friendly interface, and uses a Wizard to walk you through the recovery process, you can have a deep scanning to find all kinds of files on your drive, or find specific files in a shorter time. Under Advanced mode, it allow users to preview files to recover those files you really need.

  1. Download and install Recuva on your Windows PC, click Next on the Welcome interface.
  2. Choose the file type you want to recover, then click Next. recover shift deleted files recuva 01
  3. Choose file location, then click Next. recover shift deleted files recuva 02
  4. Click Start to scan the selected drive. 
  5. Preview the files, then choose the files you want to restore and click Recover. recover shift deleted files recuva 03


#2. PhotoRec

If you have shift deleted some photos, PhotoRec is a good option to recover your files for free, though it can also recover other files, such as videos, documents, music, archive, etc in 400+ formats. It supports recovery on external disk, digital camera and others.

It is a command-line based app, but its Windows edition offers a GUI in the version of QPhotoRec, so you can click on buttons and make options for an easy file recovery. 

  1. Download and install QPhotoRec on your Windows.
  2. Select a media to recover the files from, also choose the partition, file system and destination for recovered files. recover shift deleted files photorec01
  3. Click Search to start scanning the selected media. recover shift deleted files photorec02
  4. Once the scanning finishes, check the destination for recovered files.

 

#3. WinfrGUI

It is another open source data recovery tool to recover files on Windows, no matter the files is moved to Recycle bin, shift deleted, emptied from Recycle bin, or lost due to partition loss, drive formatting, virus attack. It works on virtually all file types, file systems and storage devices, but the recovery rate is not stable, high in these cases, while low in those cases. It is still a matter of luck.

  1. Download and install WinfrGUI on your Windows.
  2. Select partition or file type to scan, also choose the destination for recovered files. recover shift deleted files winfrgui
  3. Click Start Recovery.
  4. Once the scanning finishes, check the recovered files in destination folder.

 

Conclusion

With an effective software tool like Cisdem Data Recovery, and knowing that "stop writing new data to your drive to avoid data overwrite", you will get pretty high changes to successfully recover your shift deleted files. But if you got a backup, try the native tools, or just return to free tools you leave everything to luck.

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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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