How to Recover Deleted VHD and VHDX Files in Windows 10/11

This how-to article offers users a feasible solution to recover deleted, damaged, or corrupted .vhd and .vhdx files created on a virtual hard disk as system image files. Follow the steps below to recover deleted or corrupted VHD/VHDX files.

About VHD/VHDX Image File

VHD or VHDX is a virtual hard drive file format that created by some backup software when you back up the PC. It may contain what is found on a physical HDD, such as disk partitions and a file system containing files and folders. It's essential for System Restore and recovery if your Windows system encounters a problem and you don't want to reinstall it.

VHDX has increased storage capacity to 64TB, while VHD's standard storage limit is 2 TB. Since the size of a .vhd and .vhdx is usually rather large, the deleted files will bypass Windows Recycle Bin. That is to say, if you want to recover deleted VHD or VDHX files, you need to find a way to restore files too large for recycle bin.

Reasons for VHD/VHDX File Deletion/Corruption

The VHD/VHDX files may be either lost or corrupted due to the following reasons. 

• Accidental deletion
• Hard disk/storage device format, damage, or corruption
• Virus attacks
• RAID failure
• Other possible causes 

No matter the reason, you can recover deleted VHD/VHDX files with powerful VHDX file EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard software. 

How to Restore Deleted VHD/VHDX Files with VHD File Recovery Tool

To recover lost or corrupted VHD and VHDX file data, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a great choice. With this tool, you can easily restore deleted, corrupted, or inaccessible VHD/VHDX files with ease. Now, download this VHDX file recovery software on your Windows 10/8/7 computer, and follow the simple steps below to restore deleted or recover permanently deleted files.

If you want to recover deleted files from HVD/VHDX instead of recovering HVD/VHDX itself, you need to load the virtual hard disk with a program first. Then, EaseUS data recovery software can identify it as a physical disk and start the VHDX data recovery. 

Step 1. Select the location to scan

Choose the specific device and drive where you have permanently deleted files using Shift delete or emptying recycle bin. Then, click the "Scan" button to find lost files.

Step 2. Check the results

The software will automatically start scanning all over the selected drive. When the scan completes, select the "Deleted Files" and "Other Lost Files" folders in the left panel. Then, apply the "Filter" feature or click the "Search files or folders" button to quickly find the deleted files.

Step 3. Recover deleted files

Select the deleted files and click "Preview". Next, click "Recover" to save them to another secure location or device.

If you have any problem during VHD/VHDX file recovery, you can refer to our data recovery services for direct help. 

Recover Deleted or Corrupted VHD/VHDX Files Manually

Want to try the manual way to restore deleted VHD or VHDX files? Follow these steps and restore lost VHDX files with Hyper-V Manager.

Step 1. Run Hyper-V Manager on your system and choose "Edit Disk" on the right panel.

Step 2. Choose the "Locate Disk" on Edit Virtual Hard Disk Wizard. Click "Browse" and "Next". 

Step 3. On Choose Action window, click "Compact" and "Next". 

Step 4. Wait to complete editing the virtual disk. After this, click "Finish".

Step 5. Rename the VHD file.

Wrap Up

This post offers automatic and manual ways to recover deleted VHD or VHDX files. If your files are lost permanently, we recommend you try professional data recovery software to restore deleted VHD/VHDX files immediately. The faster you recover data after a loss, the more likely you are to recover it.

Recover Deleted VHD/VHDX Files FAQs

Read the following frequently asked questions for more instructions on VHDX File recovery.

How do I restore a VHDX file in Hyper-V?

Here are the steps to recover deleted VHD files:

• Open Hyper-V manager and click Edit Disk.
• Choose Locate Disk. Click Browse to find the affected VHD files. 
• In the Choose Action window, choose an action for your file based on your need.
• Click on Finish to restore files.

How do I recover deleted files from my virtual machine?

To recover deleted or permanently deleted files from a virtual machine, you can use EaseUS file recovery software. Download and install this program on your device, choose the location where you lost files, then scan and recover files as you want. 

Can I delete VHDX file?

Yes, you can delete VHDX files after you create the VM. Because the VHD or VHDX file is generally large, if you want to clean up the storage space, you can delete this file using the normal delete method.