4 Free Ways to Recover a Deleted Folder in Windows 10

Looking for a way to recover a deleted folder in Windows 10? Scroll down to get x methods, with the easiest being AOMEI FastRecovery - a reliable data recovery software.

By @Ivy
Last Updated February 6, 2026

Recover  Deleted Folder Windows 10 Not in Recycle Bin

 

I just deleted a favorites folder by mistake. I have checked the recycle bin but could not find the folder. How do I get it back? Some of the deleted documents are extremely important to me. If anyone can please help, I will be highly grateful.

- Question from  Microsoft Community

Are you experiencing a similar problem? Accidentally deleted a folder containing some important files, but they are not in the Recycle Bin. It means your files are deleted from the computer and become invisible.

In this case, most users think it's impossible to retrieve them. But the good news is: these deleted folders are just marked as free space, waiting to be overwritten by new data. Please stop using this drive until you are ready to recover a deleted folder in Windows 10.

Here are 4 practical methods in the following to help you out.

How to Recover Deleted Folders in Windows 10 Effectively

To recover deleted folders in Windows 10, there are several different ways you can try. If you prefer the easiest and quickest way, then Way 1 is recommended.

▶ Way 1. Recover Deleted Folder in Windows 10 via AOMEI FastRecovery

AOMEI FastRecovery is a professional data recovery tool for Windows computers, ensuring data security. It can help you recover deleted folders without backup in only a few steps, no matter what data loss situation you encounter.

AOMEI FastRecovery
Free Data Recovery Software for Windows
  • Provide a clear graphical user interface and simple steps to recover data in Windows 10/11/10/8/7 and Windows Server.
  • Provide 2 advanced scanning methods: Quick Scan and Deep Scan, laying the foundation for high data recovery success rates.
  • Recover more than 1000 file types, such as Word documents, Excel, PPT, JPG, GIF, 3FR, MP3, MP4, MOV, VWM, ANI, ZIP, etc.
  • Organize and display deleted or lost files by Type or Path, allowing sorting across multiple options.
  • Integrates a complete suite of data recovery features, including search, filter, preview, selective recovery, crashed PC recovery, etc.
  • Compatible with different storage devices like external/internal hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and more.

How to get back a deleted folder in Windows 10? You can click the download button to get the tool and follow the steps.

Step 1. Find the location where you accidentally deleted folders on Windows 10 and click Scan.

Step 2. AOMEI FastRecovery will perform a Quick Scan automatically to find deleted or lost files and display them by Type or Path, allowing sorting across multiple options. For a specific folder, type the name in the search box and press Enter. 

Step 3. Finally, select the folders you need to recover and click the Recover button to start the recovery.

🌟Tips:
✅ Please choose a new location to save your recovered folder, avoiding data overwriting.
✅ AOMEI FastRecovery supports you to recover files for free, up to 500MB. To recover unlimited files, please consider upgrading to advanced edition.

▶ Way 2. Recover Deleted Folder in Windows 10 via File History

File History is one simple tool that can help you return your folders to an earlier version.

Step 1. Click Start > Enter restore files in the search bar and hit Enter.

Step 2. Look for the folder where your deleted folder was stored.

Step 3. Click the Restore button. It will undelete the folder to its original location. Click the Settings icon > Restore to if you want to restore delete folder to a new location.

▶ Way 3. Recover Deleted Folder from Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

If you have backed up your computer beforehand, then you can try to recover deleted folder in Windows 10via the Backup and Restore utility.

Step 1. Click the Start menu > Select Control Panel > Choose System and Maintenance and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Restore my files.

Step 3. Click Browse for folders to find and add the deleted folder you want to recover. 

Step 4. Then, select a new path and click Restore.

▶ Way 4. Recover Deleted Folder from Previous Versions

Previous Versions is a useful data recovery feature in Windows 10, which allows you to restore deleted files or folders to a previous state. It requires you to enable File History feature.

Step 1. Go to File Explorer. Select the hard disk drive or the folder containing the deleted folder, right-click it and choose Restore previous versions.

Step 2. Choose a previous version. Then, click Open Open in File History to verify the version containing the deleted folder.

Step 3. Go back and click Restore to get back your deleted folder.

Final Words

This article offers users 4 ways to recover deleted folder in Windows 10 not the recycle bin. If you want to save time and energy, AOMEI FastRecovery is a better choice. The tool will scan your disk and find the deleted folder automatically, while the other 3 tools require you to follow the steps in the wizard to find the deleted folder manually.