How to Recover a Deleted Folder and Its Contents on Windows 11 Home

Losing files can be a stressful experience, especially when it involves important data. If you’ve accidentally deleted a folder filled with crucial documents on your Windows 11 Home system, don’t panic. There are several approaches you can take to possibly recover your lost files, even if your current recovery Software is not cutting it.

Understanding the Situation

You may have experienced the common frustration of mistakenly deleting a folder that housed multiple sub-folders and files. In particular, if the size of that data ranges from 3 to 8 GB, typical free recovery tools that limit you to 2MB may not suffice. Fortunately, there are various methods to tackle this issue.

Steps to Recover Deleted Folders

Check the recycle Bin: The first step should always be to check the recycle Bin. If your deleted folder is there, you can easily restore it by right-clicking it and selecting “Restore.”
Use Windows File History: If you have File History enabled, you might be able to recover previous versions of your files or folders. Here is how to check:
Open the folder that previously contained the deleted folder.
Click on the “Home” tab in the File Explorer ribbon.
Click on “History.” You may find a backup of your deleted folder here, which you can restore.
Employ Windows 11 Recovery Options:
Search for “Restore your files with File History” in the Windows search bar.
Select the option to view historical versions of files. Navigate through the automated backups and look for the folder you lost.
Third-Party Recovery Software: If these options don’t work, consider using more advanced third-party file recovery Software. While many free tools set limits, others might offer more robust features or free trials with larger recovery capacities. Research to find a reputable file recovery solution that suits your needs.
Professional Data Recovery Services: If the data is critical and you still cannot recover it, you may want to consider professional Data Recovery services. These can be more expensive but are often well-equipped to retrieve lost data.
Future Precautions: To prevent a similar situation in the future, ensure that you have reliable backup solutions in place. Utilizing cloud storage or an external hard drive can give you peace of mind that your important data is safely stored away