You may still recover deleted DXF files if a saved copy or recoverable data remains. Choose a method based on your available backups, then check the restored drawing before using it for further work.
Accidentally deleted a DXF drawing? You might still get it back. Start with the easiest option first. Check your Recycle Bin and restore it if it's there. Next, look for an existing backup. If you have neither, scan the drive where the file was stored using AOMEI FastRecovery.
Stop saving drawings, downloading files, or installing programs on that drive. New writes may overwrite deleted data.
You do not need to try every method in order. Choose according to where a usable copy might remain.
| 🧩 Your situation | 👍 Best Method | 🎒 What you need |
|---|---|---|
| The DXF remains in the Recycle Bin | Method 1: Recycle Bin | The original deleted file |
| File History backed up the project folder | Method 2: File History | A saved version from before deletion |
| Backup and Restore created a file backup | Method 3: Backup and Restore (Windows 7) | A backup containing deleted DXF |
| You need to search the original drive | Method 4: AOMEI FastRecovery | A detected drive with recoverable file data |
Not sure which backup tool you used? Connect your usual backup drive and check the two backup software below. Having one configured does not mean the other contains your files.
👍 Best for: Your deleted DXF files are still listed in the Windows Recycle Bin.
When you delete DXF files, Windows sends them to the Recycle Bin, where you can quickly restore them to the original folders. By default, they're kept there for 30 days or until you delete them again.
Step 1. Double-click Recycle Bin on the desktop. Search for the drawing’s filename or .dxf.
Step 2. Search for the drawing’s filename or .dxf. Check Original Location to distinguish drawings with similar names. Select the correct files, right-click them, and choose Restore.
Open the original project folder and confirm that your DXF files are back. If nothing shows up, the files may have bypassed the Recycle Bin entirely, for example, files too large for the Recycle Bin, or you've already emptied it.
Continue with an available backup or a recovery scan.
👍 Best for: File History saved the DXF files before they were deleted.
File History restores previous copies of files in your user folders like Documents, Desktop, Downloads, and more. It only helps if the backup actually included your project folder and a version containing the DXF exists.
Step 1. Connect the drive containing your existing File History backup. In File Explorer, locate the folder previously contained the DXF. Right-click it and select Restore previous versions.
Step 2. Under the Previous Versions tab, select a folder version saved before deletion. Expand Open and choose Open in File History to check its files.
Step 3. Find the DXF files you wan and click Restore > Restore to… to choose a folder on a different drive. Check the available dates if the newest backup no longer includes them.
An empty version list means there is no usable backup copy now. Turning on File History currently cannot create a copy from before deletion.
👍 Best for: An existing file backup made with Backup and Restore (Windows 7) contains your DXF files.
Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is another backup tool for saving your Users folder, separate from File History. Despite the name, it doesn't mean the backup was actually created on a Windows 7 computer.
Step 1. Connect the backup drive containing deleted DXF files. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 2. Click Restore my files for the listed backup. If the backup you need is not listed, choose Select another backup to restore files from, select the backup location, and continue.
Step 3. Use Search to find a remembered filename, or Browse for files to locate individual DXF files. Add the files you want to restore and click Next.
Step 4. Choose In the following location, browse to a folder on another drive, and click Restore.
👍 Best for: DXF files were deleted from a local drive and you don't have a backup.
AOMEI FastRecovery is a Windows file recovery software that can scan the drive where your DXF drawings were stored. It offers a user-friendly interface to search for your drawings and choose specific files to recover.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery to a different drive from the one containing the deleted DXF files. Otherwise, the new data will overwrite the files you're trying to recover. Then, open this software and select Deleted Files Recovery.
Step 2. Identify the drive that originally held the drawings, then click Scan.
Step 3. Review the Quick Scan results. Search for .dxf or its filename, then click the arrow next to Date modified (find deleted files by date), Size, Type, etc., to narrow the results. Or swicth to Path and go to the original folder if you remember it.
Step 4. Select the DXF files and click Recover. Save them to a different drive. Another folder on the same drive is not a safe destination.
If the source DWG still exists, you may be able to produce another DXF without recovering deleted DXF files.
In AutoCAD, open the DWG and use Save As > Other Formats. In Save Drawing As, select a DXF format under Files of type, enter a new filename, and save it to another drive.
This creates a new export. It may not reproduce changes made only to the deleted DXF, so compare it with your project requirements.
AutoCAD’s BAK and SV$ files are also different from DXF backups. A usable copy must first be renamed to .dwg and opened as a drawing before exporting to DXF. Simply changing its extension to .dxf does not convert it.
Keep an untouched recovery copy, then open another copy in your usual CAD application.
Check the main geometry, layers, text, units, and important dimensions. For a cutting or machining drawing, confirm the expected scale and outlines before sending it to production.
A filename in scan results does not prove that the whole drawing survived. If a file will not open, keep it unchanged while checking other recovered copies or backups.
Also confirm that the CAD app supports the DXF version. A compatibility problem and an incomplete recovered file require different responses; repeatedly saving over the same copy can make comparison harder.
Can permanently deleted DXF files be recovered?
Possibly. A backup may still contain them, or recoverable data may remain on the original drive. Overwriting and SSD TRIM can make deleted data unavailable, so recovery is not guaranteed.
Can AutoCAD’s RECOVER command retrieve a deleted DXF?
It does not scan storage for deleted files. AutoCAD’s drawing recovery tools work with drawing files that remain available; they do not replace deleted-file recovery.
What if the drive was formatted?
Formatting requires a different recovery choice from ordinary deletion. Stop using the drive and follow the guidance to unformat hard drive.
How can I protect future DXF files?
Back up both the editable source drawing and the final DXF export to separate storage. Confirm that your backup includes the actual project folder, especially if you save drawings outside Documents.
To recover deleted DXF files, restore them from the Recycle Bin or the backup tool you previously used. When you need a drive scan, AOMEI FastRecovery provides a way to search for recoverable drawings. Save recovered files to another drive and check the geometry, units, and dimensions before resuming work.