We are making and deleting files on computer every day. Windows Recycle Bin is the place to store your deleted files. You can always go and restore your deleted files. However, what if you just made a Shift + Delete operation to delete one of your important files and you want to get it back? Unfortunately, you won’t find the deleted file in your recycle bin. So is there a way to retrieve the files deleted via shift + delete in Windows 10/8/7? Let’s find it out in this article.
Difference between the Normal Delete and Shift Delete
So what is the difference between the normal delete and shift delete? In fact, you can find it on the delete confirmation dialog. Check the pictures below:
When you make a normal delete, you will get the warning message “Are you sure you want to move this file to the Recycle Bin?” as the picture shows below:
When you make a shift delete, you will get the warning message “Are you sure you want to permanently delete this file?” as the picture shows below:
So it is obvious to see, for a normal delete, the deleted file will go to the Recycle Bin while the shift delete will not. That’s the reason why you can’t retrieve shift deleted files from Windows Recycle Bin as the way you usually do.
BTW, if you want to recover the lost data from a formatted disk, you may check our guide on how to recover formatted files from PC.
Under Which Conditions You May Use the Shift Delete
1: Shift delete files can save disk space
When the deleted files go to the recycle bin, unless you empty the bin, the files are still stored on the disk which will surely take the space. Sometimes, a movie file can consume a lot of space. Some users make a shift delete so they can save disk space.
2: Just happen to press the Shift button
Yes, this really happens. Some users just happen to press the shift button when they are trying to make a normal delete. And most of them will ignore the delete confirmation dialog.
Is It Possible to Retrieve the Shift Deleted Files on Windows?
The answer would be “Yes”. You can always retrieve the deleted files no matter what your operation is, like a normal delete, shift delete, clean software delete, disk format or even system crash or re-install, etc. The Windows system doesn’t completely erase files right after they were deleted. The trace of the data is left on the disk. If you stop using the hard drive and start retrieving the shift deleted files before Windows overwrites them with new files, you can get them back from the trace of the data.
How to Retrieve Shift Deleted Files in Windows 10/8/7
Here we offered two ways to recover the shift delete fills. If you are a tech guy and familiar with Windows system, you can try the method 1. If you are just a none-tech guy, we suggest you turn to a data recovery software.
Method 1: Retrieve shift deleted files without a software
1: Win + R to open the Run Command Window
2: Input “regedit” and click OK
3: Make a new Key under
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/
SOFTWARE/microsoft/
WINDOWS/CURRENTVERSION
/EXPLORER/DESKTOP/NAMESPACE
4: Modify the Key and Edit its value name with Recycle Bin
5: Restart the computer to retrieve the shift delete file.
Please note, this is not a 100% guarantee way to work. You may just give it a try before you turn to a software tool.
Method 2: Retrieve Shift Deleted files with Wondershare Recoverit Data Recovery
Here we recommend an easy to use data recovery software. Wondershare Recoverit data recovery will help you retrieve the shift delete files back easily. You may do as following steps:
1: Download and install the Software
2: Choose a mode to start your recovery wizard
3: Choose the disk where your original files store and start a scan
4: Try to find the shift delete files in the preview list and recover them.
Conclusion
We hope this article will help you to retrieve the shift delete files you have on your Windows system. Data is always important. We suggest you just make a normal delete rather than a shift delete unless you do want to remove them permanently. At the same time, backing up your data is also a good choice to avoid such problem in the future.
