How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10 Without Software (Mac Included)

How Can I Recover the Deleted File Without Using Any Software?

"I accidentally shift deleted a folder on my Windows 10 computer last night. There are many great images and Word & Excel documents stored in it. Is it possible to recover permanently deleted files or folders without using any software? If yes, how can I do it? Please help! I need to get my data back!" 

What does permanent deletion mean? As you may already know, you can get back deleted files from the Recycle Bin with ease:

• Open Recycle Bin, right-click the deleted files/folders, and select "Restore".

What we are talking about here is you accidentally delete important files by pressing the Shift + Delete keys in Windows 10. If you cannot recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software, you can use professional data recovery software. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, an easy-to-use tool, is suitable even for beginners. With it, you can recover hundreds of file formats with just three simple steps. No matter what caused your data loss - corrupted data, mistaken deletion, or unintended formatting, this file recovery software can restore them with ease. 

Part 1. Top 3 Ways to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10 Without Software

Is it possible to recover permanently deleted files or folders without software? It is a frequently asked question by many users. We would like you to know that recover deleted files in Windows 10 without software is possible. In total, there are three ways to do so: restoring from the previous version, using Command Prompt, and recovering from a backup. In the following sections, we'll demonstrate these three approaches, respectively, so read on.

1. Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 Using CMD
2. Restore Deleted Files from the Previous Version
3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files from an Older Backup

1 - Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 Using CMD (Without Third-Party Software)

The most common way to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 without software is by using Command Prompt. Using Command Prompt to recover deleted files in Windows is the first method you should try, even if it's not 100% effective. Let's see how to use it.

To Recover Permanently Deleted Files (Including Deleted Recycle Bin Files) Using the Attrib Command:

Step 1. Access the Start menu and type cmd in the search bar.

Step 2. Select "Run as administrator" to run Command Prompt with administrator privileges.

Step 3. Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:\*.*" and press Enter.

2 - Restore Deleted Files from the Previous Version

The Previous Version feature is a part of the volume shadow service. Using this service, Windows creates a restore point, which helps you to effectively roll back the changes. In this case, when you mistakenly delete one or more critical files or folders, you can try to retrieve files from the Previous Version without downloading or installing any third-party data recovery software. It works even if you emptied the Recycle Bin or Shift deleted your files or folders. Check out the steps below to learn how to recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after emptying it without software:

Step 1. Right-click the folder where you deleted your files and select "Restore previous versions". Now, you will see an option to recover the folder. If you don't see "Restore previous Versions" by right-clicking, then follow the steps below.

Step 2. Go to Control Panel to turn on "System Protection".

Step 3. Click on "System & Security" > "System" > "System Protection" (on the left sidebar).

Step 4. Available drives with corresponding protection will be shown.

Step 5. Select a particular drive and click on "Configure".

Step 6. Click on "restore system settings and previous versions of files" and click on "OK". That's all. You will now see an option to recover the particular file.

3 - Recover Permanently Deleted Files from an Older Backup

Windows has a data recovery component called Backup and Restore, which allows users to create backups and restore files from backups created earlier. If you are using Windows Backup, then there is a high possibility you can recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10 by using a backup method. Here are the steps to restore permanently deleted files from a backup:

1. 1. Connect your backup storage media to your Windows PC.
2. 2. Press Windows + I key to go to "Settings". 
3. 3. Choose "Update & Security" > "Backup".
4. 4. Click "Go to Backup & Restore (Windows 7)".
5. 5. Click "Restore My Files".

Part 2. Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac Without Software (2 Ways)

If you emptied a Mac Trash on a MacBook, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro, how would you recover permanently deleted files without software? There are two ways to retrieve permanently deleted Mac files without software. One is by using Mac Terminal, and the other is by using Time Machine.

1. Recover Deleted Files on Mac Through Terminal
2. Recover Deleted Files on Mac with Time Machine

Tip 1. Recover Deleted Files on Mac Through Terminal

If you want to recover deleted files on Mac without software, using Terminal is a great choice. But, the Terminal command can only recover deleted files from Trash on Mac:

1. Go to "Finder" > "Applications" > "Utilities" and double-click "Terminal".

2. Type command cd .Trash and press the "Return" key on your Mac (xxx represents the name of the deleted file).

3. Input "mv xxx../" and hit "Return". (xxx represents the name of the deleted file).

4. Type "Quit" in the Terminal to exit the Terminal window.

Tip 2. Recover Deleted Files on Mac Through Time Machine

Just like the built-in backup option in Windows, Mac has a similar component called Time Machine. If you have enabled Time Machine backup, you can recover deleted data on Mac via a recent backup even if you have emptied the Trash. If you have emptied Mac Trash without any backup, you can turn to Mac data recovery software to get back permanently deleted Mac data. The steps to restore Mac files from Time Machine are as follows:

1. Launch Time Machine on your Mac. You can click on the icon in the menu bar and choose "Enter Time Machine" or search for Time Machine using Spotlight.

2. You can find the specific files you want to restore using the on-screen up and down arrows. Then, you can preview the files by pressing Spacebar.

3. Finally, click the "Restore" button. Then, the deleted file will be returned to its original location.

Part 3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files in Windows 10 with Software 

If the above methods failed to work and deleted the previous version of files or folders, how can you restore files now? Well, don't worry. You still have a great chance to restore the previous version of the file using reliable and professional data recovery software. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard has been developed to recover deleted or lost data from HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, Pen drive, external hard drive, CF/SD card, etc. 

Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and restore permanently deleted files from Windows 10/8/7.

In addition to the deleted file recovery, this data recovery tool is also capable of RAW partition recovery, lost partition recovery, virus attack recovery, Recycle Bin recovery, and so on. 

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.

Conclusion

It is a piece of cake to restore deleted files on a Windows PC or Mac device if you know what to do. If you want to restore Windows files without software, go to Part 1. If you want to retrieve Mac files without software, go to Part 2. If you want to recover permanently deleted files from PC easily, go to Part 3. EaseUS data recovery software is the only tool that you need.

Recover Deleted Files from Hard Drive Without Any Software FAQs

If you still have questions about permanently deleted file recovery, you can read the FAQs below.

Where do permanently deleted files go?

Files that are moved to the Recycle Bin (on PCs) or the Trash can (on Macs) stay in those folders until the user empties the Recycle Bin or Trash can. If you permanently delete a file, you only remove the entry and not the file itself. It is removed from file system tables, but not wiped. Actually, it's still physically present on the hard disk.

Can permanently deleted files be recovered?

It depends on how you define permanently deleted files. If you mean files that have recently been deleted from the Recycle Bin, then we have good news for you: such files can usually be recovered. But, if the files have been overwritten, then you most likely cannot recover them.

How can I recover permanently deleted files without software?

To recover permanently deleted files without software in Windows 10:

1. Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 Using CMD

2. Restore Deleted Files from the Previous Version

3. Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Backup

Can you restore files after deleting from the recycle bin?

You can retrieve and recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin immediately after you delete or drag them to the Recycle Bin. At this point, you just need to right-click the files and choose "Restore".