When you delete a file from your computer, it's actually just moved to the Recycle Bin, where it's temporarily stored until the Recycle Bin is emptied. This gives you an opportunity to recover accidentally deleted files and restore them to their original locations.

For information about permanently deleting files, see Permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin.

Watch this video to learn how to recover files from the Recycle Bin (0:50)

To recover files from the Recycle Bin

Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking the Recycle Bin on the desktop.
Do one of the following:
- To restore a file, click it, and then, on the toolbar, click Restore this item.
- To restore all of the files, make sure that no files are selected, and then, on the toolbar, click Restore all items.
The files will be restored to their original locations on your computer.

Recovering an item from the Recycle Bin

Notes

If you delete a file from a location not on your computer (such as a network folder), the file might be permanently deleted rather than stored in the Recycle Bin.
If the Recycle Bin doesn't appear on your desktop, see Show or hide the Recycle Bin.

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