How to Recover Deleted Videos on Windows 10/11

By . in Desktop. Updated on .

Accidentally deleting files or videos on your computer can be a very frustrating experience, especially if they are of importance. However, not all are lost.

The good news is that – there’s a high chance they are recoverable. And in this post, I will cover several methods to recover deleted videos with native Windows tools, as well as a 3rd-party file recovery tool.

First, Try This…

Whenever the delete command is executed, the file is moved from its current location to the Recycle Bin. That means, technically, the file is still recoverable until you clear the Recycle Bin.

To recover the deleted file, go to the respective folder where the file was, right-click and select “Undo Delete”.

This will bring the file back to its origin from Recycle Bin.

undo delete

Recover with Window’s Backup and Restore

You can also restore deleted files from a backup created with Window’s Backup and Restore feature.

Instructions:

  1. Connect to the external storage device of your backup files.
  2. In the search box, type "Control Panel" then hit Enter.
  3. Search for the deleted files in the result and select "Backup and Restore".
  4. Select another backup to restore files from, select the location of your external storage device, and follow the on-screen instructions to restore your files.

For Windows 7 users, click here for the guide to recovering your deleted files.

Recover with Window’s File History

File History in Windows 10, and 11 automatically creates an additional copy of your files. However, for this to work, it must first be turned on.

Step 1: Turn on File History

  1. Press Win + R to launch the Run command box.
  2. Type in FileHistory and hit Enter.
  3. Connect your Windows to an external storage device.
  4. Click “Turn On” to enable File History.

Step 2: Recover deleted files using File History

  1. Type restore files in the search box of the taskbar.
  2. Select “Restore your files with File History”.
  3. Look for the file you want to recover, then select “Restore”.

Recover Using a Third-party Software

If all else fails, then your last resort would be to recover with the help of a third-party application.

There are a plethora of data recovery tools out there, but in this post, I will focus on one of them – Tenorshare 4DDiG, and I will provide a walkthrough of how to get it done with the said application.

4DDiG app
4DDiG – In a Nutshell

Created by Tenorshare, 4DDiG is capable of recovering deleted files or files lost caused by local disk error or a computer crash.

Some of its other features include the following:

  • Supports recovery of various file types, including video, picture, audio, etc.
  • Supports recovery of deleted videos from internal and external drives, PC or Mac, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other devices.
  • Works on Windows 7,8,10 and 11.
  • No malicious pop-ups and ads.
Recovering Deleted Video Files with 4DDiG

Step 1:

Download and install 4DDiG on your Windows. Upon installation, the app will start recognizing the missing partition so that you can choose it as the target for the scan.

Note: You can also choose a specific target file type before scanning begins.

step 1

Step 2:

When it detects that a video file has been erased, 4DDiG will instantly search the local disk and any lost partitions in the surrounding area for the file.

Note: You can suspend or cancel the search at any time.

step 2

Step 3:

When the app identifies the video as having been erased, and you decide to recover it, store it in a safe location on your local device.

step 3
Bonus: Recover Deleted and Damaged Videos

Additionally, the 4DDiG app can also restore video files that have been damaged, broken, or otherwise rendered unplayable.

  1. Go to Advanced Recovery on the sidebar.
  2. Click “Click to add videos” and import the video you want to repair, then click “Repair”.
  3. Finally, select the path you want the fixed video to be saved to, then click “Export”.

How to Prevent Video Loss on Your Computer?

Video loss is a common problem, especially among video content creators. While most of the time, it can be prevented by being more cautious about what you are deleting or removing from your system, errors caused by a hardware failure, on the other side, are harder to prevent.

Here are a few ways to keep video lost at bay:

1. Keep a Few Copies of Your Videos

It makes sense to keep an extra copy (or two) of the video file and all its assets. Keep a copy in your local computer if your hard drive’s capacity allows, then keep another copy in external hard drives or a Network-attached Storage (NAS).

2. Use Reliable Video Editing Software

Crashes could lead to loss of video, and it often happens during the editing process. Hence, it’s important to use reputable software when editing your videos. This will reduce the risk of loss and corruption.

3. Save Working File Regularly

Not all video editing software comes with an auto-save feature. Make it a habit to manually save the working file as regularly as you can to minimize any loss shall a software crash happen.

Summary

So the main takeaway from this is – prevention is definitely better than cure. Making sure your system’s health is in good condition and keeping a good habit of saving the working file regularly will drastically reduce the list of video loss.

If you’ve accidentally deleted a video file, do check inside the Recycle Bin first. If you are lucky, you might still find it there. But if it’s not, try taking advantage of windows’ System Restore or File History.

But if all else fails, invest in a 3rd-party file recovery app for peace of mind.

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