[FREE] Dell Laptop Data Recovery: Get Your Files Back Fast

Accidentally lost important files on your Dell computer? Don’t panic, this guide will walk you through several Dell data recovery methods so you can quickly retrieve your files, even without any technical experience.

Ivy

By Ivy Updated on May 26, 2026

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Help! How to recover deleted files on Dell laptop

Lost important files on your Dell laptop? Don’t panic,deleted data is often not gone forever. Whether you accidentally deleted files, emptied the Recycle Bin, or lost data due to system issues, there are still several ways to recover deleted files from a Dell computer.

   
 

Retrieving Deleted Files

How do I retrieve deleted files/photos once I deleted them from my Recycle Bin? Is there any way possible to retrieve deleted files/photos?

- Question from Dell Technologies

Dell provides in-lab data recovery for certain non-RAID hard drives, depending on your warranty and the type of damage. However, professional recovery services can be costly, often ranging from $100 to $1000, depending on the severity of data loss.

Because of the high cost and time involved, many users prefer trying more affordable or free recovery methods first. In this guide, we’ll walk you through simple and effective Dell laptop data recovery methods to restore your lost files quickly and safely, even if you don’t have a backup.

How to perform Dell data recovery step by step 

Generally speaking, if you accidentally delete a file, you can usually recover it from the Recycle Bin. If, unfortunately, your file is permanently deleted or you mistakenly emptied the Recycle Bin, you’ll need to try other methods.

▶ Solution 1. Recover files from Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery backup

If you previously created a backup using SupportAssist OS Recovery, you can restore your files after reinstalling Windows, repairing your Dell PC, or due to other data loss scenarios.

Step 1. Plug the external hard drive containing the backup into your Dell computer. Inside the folder SupportAssist_Backup, open the backup time point and double-click the File_Restore.exe files to access the restore app.

Start File Restore App

Step 2. Click Looking for a different backup, navigate to the external drive and select the archive.zip file. 

Looking for a Different Backup

Step 3. Select the files you want to recover. Or click Select All to restore everything.

Select All

Step 4. Then, click Browse next to Select destination, and you can then select a local folder to save lost data.  

Browse and Select Destination

Step 5. Click RETRIEVE to start Dell data recovery. The process will take several minutes. 

If your computer fails to boot,restart the PC and press F12 at startup, then choose SupportAssist OS Recovery, and press Enter.

▶ Solution 2. Recover Data from a Dell Hard Drive using File History

If you don’t have any backups made using the official backup tool, you can turn to the Windows backup feature as well. File History will store the copies of your user files on the C: drive. Using it, you could even recover permanently deleted files.

Step 1. Launch Control Panel > System and Security > File History to check if it's enabled.

Step 2. Click Restore personal files.

Restore Personal Files

Step 3. Select the data you want and click Recover. To select a new path, click the Settings icon > Restore To

restore windows 11

▶ Solution 3. Restore Dell data to a previous version

Previous Versions is a good option as well. Using it, you can restore previous versions of files and folders to get back the data you need. Be sure the File History or System Protection (usually on the C: drive) is enabled. 

Step 1. Navigate to the parent folder where the deleted files are stored. Right-click it and select Restore previous versions.

Step 2. It will navigate you to the Previous Versions window. Choose the version containing lost data and click Restore.

Restore Previous Versions Excel

A better option for Dell data recovery

The Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery is indeed very useful, and backup features like File History can meet your demands as well. But more users haven’t made any backups ever. Perhaps, they think they will never be that unlucky to get into data loss trouble.

Then, is there any way to solve this? How to recover deleted files on Dell laptops without backups?

Given this, you might as well use a professional Windows data recovery tool. AOMEI FastRecovery is a reliable tool that can simplify the process of recovering data from Dell hard drive in Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, and Windows  Server. 

AOMEI FastRecovery icon AOMEI FastRecovery
Best File Recovery Software for Windows
AOMEI FastRecovery
  • 👍Free data recovery, supporting up to 500MB.
  • Recover deleted or lost images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG), documents (DOC, XLSX, CSV, PPT), audios (MP3, CDA, WAV), videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, ASF, WMV), etc., up to 1000+ data formats.
  • Integrate Quick Scan and Deep Scan to find all recoverable data, ensuring a high recovery rate. 
  • Organize and display data by type and path, with options to sort, search, filter, and preview files, making it easier and faster to find files.
  • Support HDDs/SSDs, external drives, USB drives, SD cards, etc., and NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
  • Recover data in any scenario, such as permanent deletions, disk formatting, system crashes, virus attacks, etc.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI FastRecovery. Then, click Deleted Files Recovery, specifically designed for quick recovery.

Deleted File Recovery

Step 2. Hover the mouse over the drive, and click Scan.

Scan

Step 3.  It will start the quick scanning process to find all recoverable data. You won't have to wait long. Scan time mainly depends on disk size and health, especially regarding bad sectors or file system corruption.

Quick Scan

⚠️Note: During scanning, you can click the Stop or Pause button if you select the wrong disk or something goes wrong.

Step 4. Wait for the process to complete. You can select files by Type (default) or Path, with options to sort, search, filter, and preview files, making the process easier and faster.

👉Under the Type section: 

  • Specify the data type and click the arrow next to type, size, date modified, etc., to sort files
  • To locate files quickly, type the file name or extension in the search box.
  • Or use the filter feature, similar to the Type category, allowing you to further specify the size of files, from less than 512 KB to 1GB above.
  • Once found, double-click the files to preview

By Type

👉 Under the Path section: Directly navigate to the original location where you saved deleted files. Sort files if needed.

By Path

⚠️Notes:
  • The Type categories and filter options include all supported data types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, web pages, compressed files, etc.
  • Click the Deep Scan to find more data if Quick Scan fails. It will scan every sector of the disk and take longer.

Step 5. Choose the wanted files and click Recover  to get them back quickly. Please save them in a new path to avoid data overwriting. 

Recover Deleted Word

AOMEI FastRecovery supports you to recover files for free, up to 500MB. To recover all data, please consider upgrading to the advanced edition.

Conclusion

To sum up, let’s do a quick recap of the methods to achieve Dell data recovery. You could utilize the official tool – Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery, File History, Previous Versions, as well as a reliable Windows data recovery software, especially useful if you don't have any backup.

In view of this, it's necessary to back up files regularly so you can restore deleted or lost data easily and quickly. Even if your computer fails to boot, having a backup remains highly beneficial.

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Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy, our dedicated editor at AOMEI Technology, is committed to providing valuable insights and guidance in data protection. Her mission is to empower everyone with her knowledge of computer backup and recovery, disk cloning, file synchronization, and more. Ivy's goal is to do her best to ensure your digital world remains safe and secure.
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Free Windows data recovery software to quickly recover lost or deleted files in 1000+ formats from 500+ storage devices.

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