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Accidentally deleted a file from your computer and you don’t have a backup? Don’t worry, if the file was delected very recently there is a good chance you will be able to get it back. Here’s what to do.

  1. Check the Recycle Bin – Double click on the Recycle Bin on your desktop. If you see the file your after right click it and select Restore.
  2. Stop working on your computer – If the file was not in the Recycle Bin then you need to stop working on your computer. This is because when you delete a file from your computer that file is not really gone, all that happens is the space that that file occupies becomes available for reuse. So the more new files you save the more likely that the deleted file will be over written.
  3. Use a file recovery program – There are a lot of file recovery programs available, one free option is Undelete Plus. With Undelete Plus you can filter and sort by file name all the deleted files it finds, so it’s easy to find the one you’re after. To learn more about Undelete Plus click here.

If you are using Vista and would like to restore an old version of a file you have saved over click here to learn how.