How to Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin? Solution Here!

3 Things You Need to Know About Recycle Bin File Recovery

1. How the Windows Recycle Bin Works

The Recycle Bin is a special system folder used to temporarily store deleted files. Every disk partition on your computer , such as (C:), (D:), or (E:), has its own hidden Recycle Bin folder.

These hidden folders are part of the system and can only be seen if you enable “Show hidden files” in Windows settings.

Show Hidden RECYCLE BIN Folder

When you delete a file, it moves into the Recycle Bin on the same drive. For example, if you delete a file from the (D:) drive, it will go to the hidden Recycle Bin folder on (D:), not (C:).

However, when you empty the Recycle Bin on your desktop, Windows will permanently delete all files from the Recycle Bin folders of all drives at once, not just from (C:).

2. What Happens When You Empty the Recycle Bin

When you empty the Recycle Bin on Windows, the deleted files are not erased immediately. Instead, Windows removes the files’ path from the file system and marks their storage space as “free” for new data.

This means your files are still physically stored on the drive but invisible and recoverable until new data overwrites them.

3. What Affects Recycle Bin Recovery Success

The rule is simple: The less new data you write to the drive after emptying the Recycle Bin, the higher your chances of recovering the lost files.

If no new data has been written to the drive, the recovery success rate is often close to 100%; otherwise, recovery becomes more difficult.

In general, files deleted from the system drive (C:), including desktop files, are more challenging to recover. This is because the system and software generate many temporary files on (C:), which may quickly overwrite deleted data. For other drives like (D:) or (E:), where new data is written less frequently, the recovery success rate is usually much higher.

Learn more about Windows Desktop File Recovery >>

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Part 1. Tutorial Video

RecoveryFox AI includes quick access to Recycle Bin recovery. In this video, we’ll show you step-by-step how to recover files deleted from Recycle Bin on Windows.

The video will be uploaded soon, please watch the text tutorial first. Thank you.

Part 2. Tutorial Article

Prefer text-based instructions? Follow this guide article to quickly get your deleted files back from emptied Recycle Bin.

Step 1. Select File Location

Launch RecoveryFox AI as administrator. On the home screen, click “Recycle Bin” below the “Quick Access” tab.

Select File Location

Step 2. Start Scanning

The software will then begin scanning the file directories where the deleted data is stored.

For the best results, do not stop the scan early. The scan will usually take several minutes, or even less.

Start Scanning

Step 3. Preview and Recover

To preview a file, simply right-click on it and select “Preview”.

Then, select whatever items you want — whether it's all found files, folders of a specific type, subfolders, or individual files.

Click “Recover”, and then choose a safe location to save your files.

To prevent data overwriting, it's best to select a different drive or use an external USB drive or a hard disk.

Preview and Recover

For Desktop and Recycle Bin file recovery, the software will run a Quick Scan which usually completes within minutes and even shorter.

For other locations, AI Scan will automatically go on after Quick Scan ends for a more thorough and in-depth data scanning and rebuilding. With this AI-enhanced ability, even long-term deleted files and partially overwritten data fragments can be retrieved. The AI Scan process may take hours or even days mainly depending on your drive size, the number of files, and PC specs.

To enjoy a faster data recovery solution, you can go to ‘Settings’ before starting choosing file location. Then allow skipping unallocated space on the disk, ignoring temporary files, damaged archive formats, or files embedded in files you don't need.

Questions? We have answers.

1. Are files deleted from the Recycle Bin really gone?

No, files deleted from the Recycle Bin are not immediately gone. Instead, the system marks the space they occupied as available for new data. Until the deleted files are overwritten, they can still be recovered using specialized data recovery software like RecoveryFox AI.

2. Can you recover permanently deleted files from Recycle Bin?

Yes, it is possible to recover permanently deleted files from the Recycle Bin, but it depends on whether the data has been overwritten. When you empty the Recycle Bin, the files still exist on your hard drive until they are overwritten by new data.

3. How do I recover deleted photos from emptied Recycle Bin?

The easiest way is to use RecoveryFox AI to scan the Recycle Bin directories and recover them quickly. To get the best results, please act right after the data loss.

4. Is RecoveryFox AI free?

RecoveyFox AI has no free version but an unregistered version allowing everyone to scan and preview recoverable files for free.