How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10 without Software

Can you recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software?

Accidentally deleting important files happens every day. But can you recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software? This question may be of widespread interest to many users. The response could be Yes, but there are crucial details to be mindful of.

Generally, when you delete files, they are not instantly wiped from your system. Instead, they are initially relocated to the Recycle Bin, retaining their presence on your disk. These deleted files continue to exist in the Recycle Bin until new data overwrites them on your disk. Once overwritten, the recovery of these files becomes challenging, and you may need to seek help from a reliable tool.

Even if the files haven't been overwritten, attempting to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software does not guarantee a high success rate. If you prefer to avoid third-party applications, File History, and Windows File Recovery may be your primary options. However, these methods come with certain limitations, and it is challenging to guarantee the complete safety and integrity of your lost data.

Trusted recovery software is created to complete tasks without damaging your storage device or any of your current files. This guarantees a safe recovery process, providing reassurance when trying to save crucial data. 

Today, we will provide instructions for recovering permanently deleted files in Windows 10, both with and without software. You can choose the method that best suits your specific situation.

How to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software?

To recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software by utilizing the effective options provided by Windows 10 File History and Windows File Recovery. However, there are some limitations that you need to pay attention to.

Method 1. Recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 with File History

To recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software, you need to enable File History beforehand. It will create incremental backups for Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders. If files are accidentally deleted or lost, just restore them from Windows backups.

Firstly, open the "Control Panel" and select "System and Security". Locate "File History" in the list and click on it. Subsequently, click "Restore personal files" to access the deleted files. Finally, identify the target file and click the "Restore" button.

Note: Kindly please note that File History is accessible exclusively on operating systems starting from Windows 8.0 and newer versions.

Method 2. Use Windows File Recovery to recover deleted files in Windows 10 without software

Windows File Recovery is also a nice method to recover deleted files in Windows 10 without software. But it has version requirements. This utility is exclusively designed for Windows 10 20H1 Build 19041 or newer version users. During the process, please be careful about every commands that you input. Any mistake may lead to further data loss.

Step 1. Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store and install it with administrative privileges.

Note:

• Input the commands: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
• 2 scanning modes: Default and Extensive. You can select according to your specific situation.

The Extensive mode can be further classified as two modes, Signature and Segment:
• Signature mode: you can recover all lost files under the file system using file headers.
• Segment mode:you can restore lost files with file record staging specifically for NTFS.
• Here are some switches you can use to customize the recovery task.

Step 2. Choose the Default mode and input the command "winfr C: D: /n *.docx" to search for all DOCX files on the C drive and copy them to the D drive. Press "Y" to proceed. Please remember to replace "C:" with the source drive and "D:" with the destination drive as per your requirements.

Recover permanently deleted files with a powerful assistant

What should you do if you discover files that were permanently deleted days ago, and the data may have been overwritten, without any backup or a qualified version prerequisite for your Windows 10 PC? At this time, a professional data recovery tool is necessary.

Trusted recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery can effectively manage various challenging data loss scenarios. Whether it involves older lost data, virus attacks, formatting, or system crashes, it provides valuable assistance. This also ensures data safety and retrieval of your permanently deleted files in Windows 10 with a high success rate.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data 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 ends.

Summary

Methods like File History and Windows File Recovery are both effective for how to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software. If your permanently deleted files has been replaced for over days, it is time to use AOMEI FastRecovery to enhance the success rate.

To protect data safety, you can also use Clone Disk function for data backup and easy data transfer. For other needs, you can use it to expand storage space, manage your cluttered files, or fix boot issues. If you are using Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016/2012, 2003, please choose the Server edition.