How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11/10/8/7 without Software?

Simon Marcus

Sep 04, 2019 (Updated: 2023-02-20 18:26:31)

0 views, 5 min read

Whatever the story behind your desire to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7 — you deleted them accidentally or got a sudden system shutdown, you'll find yourself hunting for the best recovery options. However, most of these solutions will require software and it is a no-go for you. Therefore, this article would like to introduce a few ways to recover permanently deleted files without software, let's check out.

Part 1. Is it Possible to Recover Permanently Deleted or Cut Files?

Deleting or cutting files is more often on purpose than not. But when it's accidental there's an instant thought of "Oops! Is it possible to get them back?".

Fortunately, the answer is yes. After a file is deleted, it isn't instantly wiped from your computer thanks to the way that operating system stores data. There's a period of time when deleted files are still available even though you can't readily access them. Until the hard drive slots used by the files are overwritten, recovery remains a possibility. That's to say, the first thing that you need to do when you permanently delete a file is stopping storing new file to the same location.

Part 2. How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11/10/8/7 without Software?

On this issue, software is an option but our key focus will be explaining how to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7 without software. Here you should take note that the methods below are mainly for recovering file permanently deleted by the combination of Shift+Delete. And if you simply remove the file by clicking Delete, then you can go to Recycle Bin and find it there.

1. Restore Permanently Deleted Files without Software from Previous Version

The first of our 4 solutions is to recover permanently deleted files without software by restoring a previous version.

Step 1. Go to the directory where the folder that contained your lost data is stored.

Step 2. Right-click on the folder and click Restore Previous Versions and check whether there are any restorable versions shown.

Step 3. Choose the one you want and click Restore.

The downside of this method is that it won't work for all folders and you must have enabled the system protection before. To enable system protection in case of further data loss, follow the steps below.

Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection. 

Then choose a drive that you want to protect and click Configure. Finally select Turn on system protection and click OK to confirm your action.

After enabling this function, you can restore the permanently deleted files by restoring previous versions as showed above.

2. Retrieve Permanently Deleted Files without Software from File History (Only for Windows 8/10/11)

Another way you can recover permanently deleted or cut files without software is by simply recovering from File History. This is a new function designed for computers with Windows 8 or later to undo some changes. However, it's not a effective method for Windows 7 or older users.

Step 1. Type "Control Panel" in the search bar and choose the best option.

Step 2. Go to System and Security and find File History.

Step 3. On the next interface, choose Restore personal files and select the folder that contains permanently deleted file.

Step 4. Find the file you want and click the green icon down below to restore it.

This method is only for Windows 8 or later users who have turned on the File History. If you haven't enable this feature, do as follows.

Open Settings > Update and Security > Backup > Back up using File History

Turn it on and Windows will back up your files automatically so that you can restore pemanently deleted or cut files in the future.

3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files without Software from Windows Backup

The third method you can recover permanently deleted files without software is by simply recovering from Windows backup. There is a built-in Windows backup feature for creating backups and from where you can restore the lost data.

Step 1. Type Control Panel in the search bar and click the top result.

Step 2. Go to System and Security and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 3. Provided you've taken a backup before, you'll see Restore my files. Click this button and follow the on-screen instructions.

Obviously, this is reliant on the fact that you took a backup with the Windows backup feature before the files were deleted. And if you want create a backup from now on, just Choose Set up backup and confirm your action.

Assuming you're like most of us and haven't been utilizing this feature, move on to the next method.

4. Using Command Prompt to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 11/10/8/7 without Software

Our final solution on recovering permanently deleted folder in Windows 11/10/8/7 without software is by using the Command Prompt, this is a bit complex, but it's worth a try.

Step 1. In the Windows search bar enter "Command Prompt", right-click the app, and click "Run as Administrator".

Step 2. Once the Command Prompt is open, type the command "chkdsk C: /f" then press Enter. Remember to replace "C" with the actual disk you want to recover from.

Step 3. After the disk check is complete, type the command "ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D C:*.*". Again, you may have to change the C to another letter.

It's important that you don't stop either of these commands until they complete their processes as this usually causes widespread data corruption.

Additional Tip: Take Advantage of the Professional Data Recovery Tool AnyRecover

The above 4 ways are helpful to recover permanently deleted or cut files without software, but they each have disadvantages. So if those methods don't work for you, using a data recovery sofwtare will ensure the highest success rate and give back your lost data.

For such a purpose, I would introduce iMyFone AnyRecover. It can recover the permanently deleted files on computer without any prior backup or previous versions. And you don't need to enable any other features. Only 3 steps required and you'll get your permanently deleted files back within minutes! Besides, it is recommended by prestigious media and customers around the world. Here are some key features of AnyRecover.

3 Steps to Recover Permanently Deleted Files with AnyRecover

Step 1. Select a location where you lost the data, then click "Start".

Step 2. Wait for the scanning process to complete, this process may take a while depending on the data size.

Step 3. Double-click on the file to preview it, then click "Recover" and save it to a safe location. You can also recover multiple files at once.

Conclusion

After reading through this article you should know how to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7 without software. You can try any one of them to restore your precious files. And we'll glad if there is any method that helps you indeed. Additionally, you can direct your attention to using effective data recovery tool like iMyFone AnyRecover.  Time and time again we've observed the effectiveness of AnyRecover and it's proven to be great in literally any situation.