Resurrecting Deleted Windows Files

Ever send a file or files to the Recycle Bin and then empty it only to suddenly realize you just deleted the wrong file(s)? Yep.

Can't speak for anything under Windows 10. But on Windows 10 with a typical installation (ie, it has a recovery partition usu. labeled as disk D), there is hope. Here's what you do:

1. Right-click in the folder you deleted the file from.
2. Click Properties
3. Click the Previous Versions tab.
4. Click on the most recent backup under Folder Versions
5. Click Restore.

IF your deleted file was shadow backed-up by Windows, it will be restored.

Don't let the date on the backup scare you. Near as I can tell, the most recent backup is the current backup being dynamically backed up in an ongoing way. The date and time of it seems to be when the backup was created, not ended. So it's possible for you to be able to recover files very recently created (then deleted).

I imagine this post will make me a few new BFFs. :)
UPDATE: Sometimes you don't have any previous versions. A good way to make sure you have them is to turn on automatic backups. Do so in your Settings. Google it, baby.