Deleted File Recovery
Deleted files and emptied the trash? On a hard drive, memory card, or USB stick, they're often still there until something new overwrites them. On SSDs and modern phones they're usually erased for good, and we'll be upfront about that. When recovery is possible, it's one flat price, and you pay nothing if we can't recover your files.
Signs of deleted files
- •You emptied the Recycle Bin or Trash and need something back
- •Files were deleted with Shift+Delete or from the command line
- •A folder was deleted by a sync app, cleanup tool, or another person
- •Photos are gone from a camera card or USB drive
- •Files were removed from a phone and aren't in Recently Deleted
What’s actually happening
On a hard drive, deleting a file normally just marks its space as available. The data stays on the platters until new data is written in the same place. That's why stopping use of the drive right away matters so much: the more you write, the more of the deleted data gets overwritten.
SSDs work differently. With TRIM, which is on by default in modern Windows and macOS, the operating system tells the SSD which blocks are no longer in use, and the SSD erases them in the background, often within minutes. Once that happens the data is physically gone and no lab can recover it. Deleted files on an internal SSD are usually unrecoverable.
Phones are similar. Modern iPhones and Android phones encrypt storage and also clear deleted data on the flash, so files deleted from the phone itself generally can't be recovered once they're out of the Recently Deleted album or trash. Memory cards and USB flash drives often don't erase deleted data the same way, so recovery from them is frequently possible.
What not to do
- ✕Don't keep using the device — downloads, updates, and even browsing can overwrite deleted data.
- ✕Don't install recovery software onto the same drive — installing it can overwrite the very files you're trying to recover.
- ✕Don't save recovered files back to the same drive — recover them to a different drive.
- ✕Don't factory reset or restore a phone to look for deleted files — a reset erases the encryption keys and makes everything on it unrecoverable.
- ✕Don't run disk cleanup, defragmentation, or optimization — these rewrite free space where deleted files still sit.
How we recover it
Check whether recovery is realistic
We look at the device type, whether TRIM or encryption applies, and what's happened since the deletion, and tell you honestly if the data is likely gone.
Image the device
The drive or card is copied sector by sector so the original isn't changed.
Recover from file-system records
Where the file system still holds records of deleted files, we restore them with their names and folders.
Recover by file signature
Where records are gone, we search the image for files by their content patterns. These often come back without original names.
Verify and return
Recovered files are checked so they open, then returned on a secure return drive.
Can the data be recovered?
Deleted files on a hard drive, memory card, or USB drive are often recoverable if the device stopped being used soon after. Files that have been overwritten cannot be recovered. Deleted files on an internal SSD with TRIM are usually gone, and data deleted from a modern iPhone or Android phone is generally unrecoverable once it's left the device's own Recently Deleted or trash folder. We won't suggest otherwise, and you pay nothing unless we recover your data.
Recovery by device
Related guides
Deleted Files — common questions
Where should I look before paying for recovery?
Can you recover files deleted from my SSD?
Can you get deleted photos back from my iPhone or Android phone?
I deleted photos from my camera's SD card. Is there hope?
How much does deleted files recovery cost?
Other failures we recover from
Recover from deleted files — pay only if it works.
Confirm online, ship free, and pay nothing unless we succeed.
Confirm & get my free label