How to Recover Files After Disk Cleanup? Undo Disk Cleanup In Windows PCs

Will Disk Cleanup permanently delete my files?

Disk Cleanup is a program that deletes temporary files, junk files, and other files that you don't need to free up room on your hard drive. You can pick and choose which files to get rid of. It does happen, though. For example, one user was using Disk Cleanup to extend his drive space on his hard drive when he failed to notice the Downloads folder and deleted it.

"Will Disk Cleanup permanently delete my files? The answer is "Yes" if you delete the Downloads folder by mistake instead of the program files you downloaded. For the most part, Disk Cleanup doesn't delete personal or system files, so it's not likely that it will delete personal files. Windows 10 version 1809, on the other hand, added Downloads in Disk Cleanup, and many of us are still not aware of it.

That's why a lot of other Windows 10 users also delete the Downloads folder by accident when they want to extend drive space on their hard drive. Not only that, but if you don't check the Recycle Bin for important files, you might also lose data after using the Disk Cleanup tool. If you are not sure what to delete in Disk Cleanup, you can refer to the passage. 

How to recover files after Disk Cleanup?

Can you recover files after Disk Cleanup? Yes, you can. Here are 3 easy and effective methods that can help you recover permanently deleted files after using Disk Cleanup.

Method 1. Run AOMEI FastRecovery to recover deleted files by Disk Cleanup

Sometimes, you may even delete both the download folder and the Windows ESD installation files. If these files are deleted, the computer might not work properly.

Can you undo Disk Cleanup to recover lost files you deleted by accident? Unfortunately, Disk Cleanup can't be undone with Windows built-in tools, but you can use the professional data recovery tool like AOMEI FastRecovery. You can restore deleted files from Windows, HDD, SSD, USB, and other storage devices with this powerful software. It can also keep the original file formats of files that have been deleted or lost. This powerful tool allows you to recover lost or deleted files from HDD, SSD, USB, and other storage devices with more than 1000 file types.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering end.

Method 2. Recover accidentally deleted files after Disk Cleanup from Backup and Restore

The Backup and Restore feature first debuted in Windows Vista and Windows 7 and has persisted across multiple Windows versions due to its commendable reliability. Many users continue to rely on it as their primary backup solution, especially to recover permanently deleted files by Disk Cleanup on other Windows versions.

In addition to expertly recovering deleted files, this function makes itself more useful by letting users create system image backups, which give them peace of mind in case the operating system has problems starting up.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Restore my files.

Step 3. Click Browse for files > Select photos you want > Next.

Step 4. Specify the destination to save your recovered photos and click Restore.

Method 3. Recover deleted files by Disk Cleanup with File History

In Windows 8.0, Microsoft added File History. This tool in Windows can also back up files saved on the computer in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and OneDrive offline folders. If you want to recover deleted files by Disk Cleanup, you can also rely on Windows File History.

Step 1. Type "File History" in the search box and choose "Restore your files with File History" from the result.

Step 2. Next, search for the file you want to restore, locate the file, and tap on the green "Restore" button.

Step 3. Then select "Replace the file in the destination" to begin the recovery.

Conclusion

How to recover files after disk cleanup? This post lists 3 easy and effective methods for you. If you have already made a backup, you can recover the files from an accessible backup. Otherwise, you can try to use professional data recovery software such as AOMEI FastRecovery to perform file recovery. If you want to make full use of free Windows features such as File History, please pay attention to what and where you back up. By the way, you should develop a good habit of regular backups, because there is no better way to prevent data loss than regular backups.