Data Recovery Guide: How to Restore Lost Files in Windows 7

Can you restore lost file in Windows 7 after permanent deletion?

Many people delete unnecessary files for Windows 7 to free up space. However, mistakes happen, and important files can be deleted by accident. Fortunately, deleting a file doesn’t erase it right away. Instead, the system marks its space as available for new data. This means you can recover deleted files using third-party data recovery software, as long as the space hasn’t been overwritten.

However, deleted files can be quickly overwritten by new data. To improve your chances of recovery, stop using the computer as soon as files are lost. It is a good idea to install any undelete software on a separate partition or drive to avoid overwriting the deleted data.

Common ways files are deleted on Windows 7 include:

• Pressing the Delete key to move files to the Recycle Bin

• Using Shift + Delete to bypass the Recycle Bin

• Emptying the Recycle Bin

• Directly deleting files without them going to the Recycle Bin

Losing important files by accident can be frustrating. Other issues like viruses, system errors, or formatting a hard drive can also cause data loss. This guide will introduce simple ways to recover deleted files or restore permanently deleted files in Windows 7.

How to restore lost files on Windows 7?

No matter whether you have a backup or not, you can learn how to restore lost files on Windows 7. These methods are also applicable to situations where you encounter accidental formatting, virus attack, or system crashes. 

Fix 1. Undelete files in Windows 7 with professional software

AOMEI FastRecovery is a reliable and easy-to-use data recovery software for Windows. It allows users to quickly find and restore permanently deleted files with 2 powerful scanning options: Quick Scan and Deep Scan.  It supports over 1,000 file types, such as Word documents, Excel sheets, PowerPoint files, photos, videos, compressed files, and even emails deleted for many years, ensuring no loss of quality or corruption.

AOMEI FastRecovery also lets users preview and recover specific files during the scanning process without waiting for the entire scan to finish. Additionally, it offers advanced features like Crashed PC Recovery, enabling data recovery from hard drives even without an operating system. Fully compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, 7, and Windows Server versions, it is a versatile solution for various recovery needs.

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.

Fix 2. Recover permanently deleted files with Windows Backup in Windows 7

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is a built-in Windows tool that helps you protect your files. It allows you to back up your files and recover them if they are accidentally deleted. If you have previously backed up the lost files, you can easily restore them using this feature.

Step 1. Press the “Windows” key and input “Control Panel”, then press “Enter”.

Step 2. Click “System and Security” and “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” in turn. Then click “Restore my files”.

Step 3. In the new window, there are three buttons: Search, Browse for files and Browse for folders. You can search for the lost files and restore them.

Fix 3. Perform data recovery for Windows 7 with Previous Versions

If you can’t find your files on your PC, you might still recover them using their previous versions. Here’s how to restore lost files in Windows 7:

Step 1. Find out the folder that stored the deleted files before, right-click it and click “Restore Previous Versions”.

Step 2. In a popped window, you can see the previous versions of the file will be displayed. By selecting the date, you can quickly locate the folder’s version of storing the deleted file.

Step 3. Choose the target folder version, click “Store” to store the folder to the previous state.

Summary

In summary, there are 3 easy ways to restore lost files in Windows 7. It is possible to undelete files with the right methods and tools even if you permanently delete them. Whether you use professional data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery, Windows Backup, or the Previous Versions feature, there are effective ways to retrieve lost data.