I have a WD Element external hard drive as my main backup device. There are tones of important files on the drive. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted a bunch of files when cleaning up the drive for making more free space.
I checked the Trash bin on my Windows 10 PC and the deleted files are not there. Are these deleted files permanently gone? How can I recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10?
If you know how to do this, please kindly share us your experience.
Thanks
After you delete something, it’s crucial not to add new files to your WD Elements drive. This can overwrite the deleted files, making recovery a nightmare. I learned this the hard way—after trying to recover permanently deleted files only to realize I’d overwritten them. Oops!
Recovering permanently deleted files can be a bit of a tricky business, especially from en external drive. I’ve dealt with this kind of situation before. If you’ve accidentally deleted files, don’t wait around thinking, “Maybe I’ll find them later.”
The longer you wait, the higher the chance of those file sectors being overwritten by new data. Try to start recovering the deleted files in Windows 10 right away.
As others have said, you need to stop writing/moving files or do anything else that may overwrite the files.
Then use a recovery software to scan, identify and recover the files you need. Here’s a list of recommended free ones. Some have limits on how much you can recover. Please read the limitations so you know what to expect.
I’ve used Recuva and EaseUS. You may need to use several of them depending on the number of files, file types and percent of recoverability.
Below are three simple ways to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 for any drive:
Check Backup: Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Check if there are backups available for your WD Element drive. Click on “Restore my files.” Follow the on-screen prompts to restore the deleted files from the backup.
Use File History: Type “File History” in the Windows Search bar and open it. Navigate to the folder where the files were located. Use the arrows to browse through versions of the folder and restore the deleted files.
Data recovery software: If no backup exists, you can use professional data recovery software to scan your WD Element drive for deleted files.
When files are deleted from the Recycle Bin or using the Shift+Delete key combination, they are typically marked for permanent deletion. However, there are still ways to recover deleted files from Windows 10 using specialized software.
Hi @nkctole
I can understand how frustrating it is to lose important files. The advice shared by @MelindaH here is excellent—avoiding any further use of the drive is crucial to prevent overwriting your data. To add to this, I recommend trying Stellar Data Recovery Free software. It’s straightforward to use and works well for external drives like your WD Elements. Just install it on your PC , run a scan, and see if your files are recoverable.
Yeah, files deleted from removable drives usually don’t go to the Windows Recycle Bin. The good news is they’re not actually gone right away — they’re just hidden. As long as the old data hasn’t been overwritten, you can usually get it back with a decent recovery tool.
But if it has been overwritten, there’s pretty much no software or service that can recover it. To avoid this kind of mess in the future, I’d suggest backing up your drive to the cloud regularly.
Software used by DR pros:
https://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3208
Many of the tools used by data recovery professionals are cheaper than the spammy second tier tools that feature at the top of Google’s search rankings. That’s because the developers spend their time coding rather than manipulating Google’s SEO. Moreover, the developers of pro tools get expert feedback from power users, which only serves to improve their product. My recommendation for most cases is DMDE.
