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How should I recover a permanently deleted file in Windows 10 (or ideally other versions of windows)? I am aware of the app named Windows File Recovery but is there another way that you can type in a few lines of command in cmd (just to speed up the process)?

CPP_is_no_STANDARD
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  • 1) Stop using the machine IMMEDIATELY (or at least the drive the file was stored on). 2) Boot from a live cd/usb and use recovery tools. 3) If #2 fails, send to a data recovery service. If #1 has not been observed there's a more than decent chance your file is already too far gone. – squillman Nov 11 '22 at 22:18
  • @squillman Stop using Windows? – CPP_is_no_STANDARD Nov 11 '22 at 22:20
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    Whichever drive the file was on. Further (write) activity on the drive increases the risk of the physical location of the file remnants being reused and overwritten by the filesystem. – squillman Nov 11 '22 at 22:21
  • @CPP_is_no_STANDARD - Yes, any data written to the disk, risks permanently overwriting the data you want to restore. If the disk isn’t a mechanical disk, likelihood of restoration, is very low. – Ramhound Nov 11 '22 at 22:30
  • I hate that 'wiki' pointed to, it's like sending someone on a wild goose chase and there's so much wrong with the answers. – Joep van Steen Nov 11 '22 at 22:44
  • Anyway, if the file was deleted from an SSD chances you'll recover the file are virtually zero due to TRIM. – Joep van Steen Nov 11 '22 at 22:46
  • @CPP_is_no_STANDARD The file is just as gone under Linux, UNIX, or MacOS if you've deleted it and then continued using the disk. The problem is not Windows but how any modern OS handles unallocated space on the disk. – doneal24 Nov 11 '22 at 23:08

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