How to Recover Deleted Folder: A Comprehensive Guide

Method 1: Search for a Moved or Hidden Folder

The folder may have been moved, renamed, or hidden instead of deleted.

Search in File Explorer

1. Press Windows + E.
2. Select This PC.
3. Enter the folder name in the search box.
4. Wait for Windows to finish searching.
5. Right-click a result and select Open file location.

If you do not remember the folder name, search for a file that was stored inside it. You can also search by extension:

*.docx

*.xlsx

*.pdf

*.jpg

Show Hidden Folders

On Windows 11:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select View > Show.
3. Enable Hidden items.

On Windows 10, open the View tab and select Hidden items.

If the missing folder appears faded, right-click it, select Properties, clear Hidden, and click Apply.

Method 2: Undo the Deletion with Ctrl+Z

If you deleted the folder moments ago, Windows may still let you reverse the action.

1. Open the location where the folder was stored.
2. Press Ctrl+Z.
3. Check whether the folder reappears.

Alternatively, right-click an empty area and select Undo Delete when the option is available.

This method works best immediately after deletion. It may stop working after restarting Windows or performing several other file operations.

Method 3: Recover a Deleted Folder from the Recycle Bin

If you used the normal Delete option, check the Recycle Bin first.

1. Open the Recycle Bin.
2. Search for the folder by name.
3. Check its Original Location and Date Deleted.
4. Right-click the folder.
5. Select Restore.

Windows will return the folder to its original location.

Why Is the Folder Not in the Recycle Bin?

A deleted folder may bypass the Recycle Bin when:

• You pressed Shift+Delete
• You emptied the Recycle Bin
• The folder was too large
• It was deleted from a network drive
• It was removed through Command Prompt
• The Recycle Bin was disabled
• It was deleted from certain removable devices

In these cases, try a backup or recovery tool.

Method 4: Restore a Folder from OneDrive

If your Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders were synchronized with OneDrive, the deleted folder may be stored in the online OneDrive Recycle Bin.

1. Sign in to OneDrive in a browser.
2. Open Recycle bin.
3. Locate the deleted folder.
4. Select it.
5. Click Restore.

The restored folder should return to its previous cloud location and synchronize back to your computer.

For personal OneDrive accounts, deleted items are generally retained for a limited period. Therefore, check the online Recycle Bin as soon as possible.

If you used Google Drive, Dropbox, or another cloud service, check its Trash or Deleted Files section as well.

Method 5: Recover a Deleted Folder with File History

File History can restore earlier copies of folders, but it must have been enabled before the deletion occurred.

Restore a Previous Version

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to the location that previously contained the folder.
3. Right-click the parent folder.
4. Select Restore previous versions.
5. Choose a version created before the deletion.
6. Click Open to inspect it.
7. Select Restore to.
8. Save the folder to a safe location.

For example, if this folder was deleted:

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Projects

Right-click the Documents folder and check its previous versions.

Choose Restore to rather than immediately replacing the current folder. This lets you inspect the backup before copying it back.

If no previous versions appear, File History may not have been enabled, the backup drive may be disconnected, or no backup may contain the deleted folder.

Method 6: Use Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is Microsoft’s command-line tool for recovering deleted data from internal drives, external hard drives, and USB devices.

It can help when you need to recover a deleted folder that is no longer in the Recycle Bin.

You need:

• A source drive containing the deleted folder
• A different destination drive for recovered data

The source and destination cannot be the same partition.

Suppose a folder was deleted from:

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\DeletedFolder

To recover it from drive C: to drive E:, use:

winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\YourName\Documents\DeletedFolder\

For a deeper scan, use:

winfr C: E: /extensive /n \Users\YourName\Documents\DeletedFolder\

Regular mode is suitable for recently deleted files on a healthy NTFS drive. Extensive mode is better when the folder was deleted longer ago, the drive was formatted, or the file system is damaged.

If the original folder structure cannot be found, search by file type:

winfr C: E: /extensive /n *.docx /n *.xlsx /n *.pdf

Windows File Recovery is free, but its command-line interface may be difficult for inexperienced users.