How to Recover Files Lost in Cut and Paste on Windows 11/10

Overview of copy, cut, delete and paste

When managing your files daily, you'll frequently use the Copy, Cut, Delete, and Paste functions. It's crucial to grasp the distinctions between these actions and how they operate.

Shortcuts and Their Functions:

☀ Copy (Ctrl + C): This creates a duplicate of the original file, allowing you to move or edit the copy without affecting the original.

◉ Cut (Ctrl + X): This action removes the selected content from view but stores it temporarily in memory, ready to be pasted elsewhere.

✠ Delete (Ctrl + D): If the selected items are within a file, this command removes them from view without saving them to memory. If the items are files or folders, they are removed from view and moved to the Recycle Bin.

✤ Paste (Ctrl + V): Use this to place a previously cut or copied item into a designated location.

The distinction between Cut and Delete lies in their handling of content. Cut transfers the content to the clipboard, allowing it to be pasted later, while Delete permanently removes the content from the document.

Why do you lose files during cut and paste?

A lot of users are eager to recover files lost in cut and paste because data loss is a common issue that can happen to anyone on any given day. There are several reasons why you might lose files during the cut and paste:

✘ Unfinished cut-paste operations: You might accidentally lose files if you cut them but forget to paste them elsewhere.

✘ Deletion or formatting: For instance, you may transfer files to another drive or device and then delete them or format the drive without a backup.

✘ Lost device: If you transfer files from your computer to a storage device, like a USB drive, and then lose that device, your files are also lost.

Recovering files lost during a Cut-Paste operation can be challenging, especially for the average user. Here’s how to handle the situation:

✍ Avoid overwriting: Do not save new data to the location where the lost files were stored, as this could permanently overwrite them.

✍ Use professional recovery software: Tools like AOMEI FastRecovery can help you retrieve files lost during Cut-Paste operations.

✍ Keep your PC on: Don’t shut down your computer. Powering it off can result in permanent data loss.

How to recover files lost in cut and paste on Windows 11/10

If you've lost files due to a Cut-Paste operation and want to recover them without using any software, there are still a few methods you can try:

Method 1. Recover files lost after cut and paste using data recovery software

AOMEI FastRecovery is a top-notch software solution for recovering files lost during cut and paste operations. It effectively handles a wide range of data loss scenarios, including sudden power failures, accidental deletions, virus attacks, and operating system crashes.

When it comes to supported file types, AOMEI FastRecovery allows you to recover Excel files, Word documents, images, text files, videos, Zip files, and over 1000 other types of data with a high success rate and rapid speed. The recovered files maintain their original name, format, quality, and file path, ensuring a seamless recovery experience.

Here’s a quick guide on how to recover files lost during cut and paste using AOMEI FastRecovery:

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 recovery to end.

With AOMEI FastRecovery, you can efficiently restore your lost files with minimal effort.

Method 2. Recover data lost in cut and paste using previous versions

Previous versions are copies of files and folders that Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point or through File History. To recover files lost during a cut and paste operation using this method, you must first ensure that one of these features is enabled.

Here’s how to recover your lost files using previous versions:

Step 1. Navigate to the folder where your lost files were originally saved. Right-click the folder and select Restore Previous Versions.

Step 2. In the Previous Versions tab, browse through the list under File versions and select the earlier version of your lost files.

Step 3. Click Restore in the bottom right corner to recover the files.

Method 3. Recover files lost after cut and paste using CMD

You can also use the chkdsk and attrib commands to recover files lost during a cut and paste operation. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and click OK to launch the Command Prompt.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk F: /f and press Enter. Replace F: with the drive letter where your lost files were stored.

Step 3. If prompted to run the command at the next system startup, type Y and press Enter.

Step 4. Restart your system and wait for the disk check process to finish.

Step 5. Once completed, go back to the Command Prompt window and type attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:*.* then press Enter. Again, replace F: with the appropriate drive letter.

This process should help in recovering your lost files.

Method 4. Restore cut paste lost files via Backup and Restore

If you've used the Backup and Restore utility to back up your files, you can easily recover files lost during a cut and paste operation by following these steps:

Step 1. Open the Windows Settings app and navigate to Update & Security.

Step 2. In the left-hand menu, select Backup and then click on Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Next, click on the Restore my files option.

Step 3. Choose Browse for files, Browse for folders, or Search to locate the data you want to recover. Click Next to proceed.

Step 4. Select where you want to restore the files—either to the original location or to a new location. Finally, click Restore to recover your files effortlessly.

Method 5. Recover files lost during cut and paste from hidden files

If your cut and paste files are hidden and not visible, you can reveal them by following these steps in File Explorer:

Step 1. Open the Control Panel and select Appearance and Personalization.

Step 2. Under File Explorer Options, click on Show hidden files and folders.

Step 3. In the Advanced settings section, make sure the option Show hidden files, folders, and drives is checked. Finally, click Apply and then OK to confirm.

This should allow you to see any hidden files or folders.

Conclusion

These five methods provide valuable ways to recover files lost in cut and paste operations. However, if you don't have a backup, using data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery is a smart choice. This tool not only helps recover files lost through cut and paste, but it can also retrieve deleted files from external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and more.

To prevent future data loss, it's recommended to keep data recovery software installed on your computer and to create at least three backup copies of your important files. This way, if you experience data loss, you can easily recover your files on Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and other versions.