5 Ways to Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin in Windows 8 or 8.1 (After Empty)

I was emptying the Recycle Bin in Windows 8.1 and accidentally included an important file. How can I undo the "Empty Recycle Bin"? Or does anyone know how to recover deleted Windows 8 files from Recycle Bin after empty?

Over the years of replenishing Recycle Bin with endless documents, photos or other files, it may come a time when you need to recover mistakenly deleted files from Recycle Bin in your Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 PC. If you don't know where to start, we'll show you how.

If you've got into the habit of emptying Recycle Bin to de-clutter machine, there's also a good chance that you wish to restore emptied Recycle Bin in Windows 8/ 8.1. The good news is that this guide can also make empty Recycle Bin recovery simple, straightforward, and most of all, quick.

Quick Summary:

• Restore Deleted Files from Windows 8 Recycle Bin
• Recover Emptied Recycle Bin Files via File History
• Recycle Bin Recovery Software for Windows 8/ 8.1
• Retrieve in Backup and Restore When Recycle Bin Is Emptied
• Get Back Permanently Deleted Files from Previous Versions

Restore Deleted Files from Windows 8 Recycle Bin

Functioning as a safe for items that are deleted by accident, Recycle Bin is one official route to find and retrieve data you deleted a couple of days ago - or even a few years ago - as long as you've not cleared the Recycle Bin during that deletion period.

Tips: You can get back all deleted files listed in Recycle Bin windows for free.

• Double-click the Recycle Bin icon to launch it.
• Choose the deleted file(s) you want to recover or highlight all the files.
• To get back lost Windows 8 files from Recycle Bin, right-click the files and hit Restore.

All the recovered files from Recycle Bin should now come back to their original locations.

However, the Recycle Bin recovery solution does not work in the following instances:

• Delete the files by pressing Shift+Deleted keys
• Empty the Recycle Bin and permanently remove the files from Windows 8 hard drive
• The Recycle Bin is corrupted and can't undelete the files
• The deleted file is not showing up in Recycle Bin

Take it easy, though. There're several approaches below to retrieve files from emptied Recycle Bin in Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 computer.

Recover Emptied Recycle Bin Files via File History

First of all, check out the File History backups after you accidentally deleted files from the Recycle Bin. If there's a copy of files you lost in the File History, you can easily recover deleted files from Recycle Bin after empty without software in Windows 8/ 8.1 laptop or desktop.

• Click on Start button and enter "file history" in the search bar.
• Choose Restore your files with File History from the search results.
• Locate the folder where contained the lost files you want to restore.
• Choose the version you need and click on Restore button at the bottom

Recycle Bin Recovery Software for Windows 8/ 8.1

If you deleted a large file unintentionally, odds are that it's too big in size for Recycle Bin and has been erased from the computer completely. That's where Data Recovery can save the day. It supports a bunch of file types and file systems and correctly spots the lost file(s) or folder(s) from practically any storage device. Just in one click, the permanently deleted files by emptying the Recycle Bin or pressing Shift+Delete keys can recovered in Windows 8/ 8.1 computer easily.

Here're steps to recover files emptied from Recycle Bin in Windows 8/ 8.1 PC before they're overwritten:

Step 1: Download Data Recovery software on Windows 8/ 8.1

First, download the program on your machine where the Recycle Bin is emptied.

Then, install and open it to start the deleted file recovery process.

Step 2: Choose data type(s) and drive

Now, you should see a breakdown of the files types and Windows 8 system drives and storage media that can be scanned.

Choose the type(s) of the files you want to recover and highlight Recycle Bin as the location where you want the tool to run the search.

Once done, conduct a quick scanning by clicking on the Scan button.

Step 3: Choose the deleted file(s) to recover

Now, the tool will show you the searching results in the left panel, along with the file name, size, extension, etc.

To locate the disappeared file(s), you can open up the folders in the left panel or narrow the search results further by using Search field or the Filter button. If you find the files you're looking for, have them checked.

Tips: If you can't find the deleted Windows 8.1 content after emptying the Recycle Bin, the Deep Scan button will direct you to run a deeper search.

Step 4: Undelete files in Windows 8/ 8.1 after Recycle Bin got emptied

Left-click on Recovery button to start the Recycle Bin recovery process.

Retrieve in Backup and Restore When Recycle Bin Is Emptied

Another way to get back files deleted after emptying the Recycle Bin in Windows 8 or 8.1 desktop or laptop is to take advantage of the Backup and Restore feature. This is also a lifesaver when the Recycle Bin is stuck and can't delete or recover the deleted files there.

Now, let's say you've used it to create a Windows backup file for the lost file and want to bring it back from the backups:

• In Windows 8 or 8.1, click and open Start menu.
• Navigate through Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.
• Press Restore my files button and follow the prompts to recover Windows 8 Recycle Bin data.

Get Back Permanently Deleted Files from Previous Versions

This solution is to utilize Shadow copy service to get a previous version of the deleted or modified file. On condition that you've enabled System Restore, accessing and restoring a back-dated version of the deleted files in Windows 8 hard drive after cleaning the Recycle Bin only comes down three steps:

• In Windows Explorer, go to the folder where the file you want to retrieve was originally located.
• Right-click the folder and choose Restore Previous Versions from the menu.
• Select a version with a date and time prior to when the file was deleted and hit Open.

After browsing through the folder, copy and paste it to where you want to save the recovered emptied Recycle Bin files in Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.

More related tips on Windows 8/ 8.1 Recycle Bin recovery:

1. How to view most recently deleted files in Recycle Bin?

Right-click the Recycle Bin window and choose Sort By > Date Deleted to simply check out the most recently deleted files.

2. Learn what to do when Recycle Bin doesn't show up in Windows 8.

• Click on Start button and choose Settings.
• Select Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings.
• Tick the Recycle Bin checkbox and hit Apply.

3. How to change Recycle Bin space allocation?

• Right-click Recycle Bin and choose Properties.
• Select the Recycle Bin location you want to configure.
• Under Settings for selected location, select Custom size and specify the maximum size.
• Click on OK button for the changes to take over.