If you deleted files or folders by mistake with WinDirStat, do you know how to get them back? In this post, MiniTool shows you how to use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover files and folders deleted by WinDirStat.

Want to recover files and folders deleted by WinDirStat? From this post, you can find out how to do this job using the Recycle Bin and MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

What Is WinDirStat?

The full name of WinDirStat is Windows Directory Statistics. It is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Microsoft Windows. After you open it, it will give you a visual representation of how space is utilized on your hard drive or other storage devices.

The program scans your disk and displays a graphical representation of files, folders, and their sizes, allowing you to quickly identify which files or directories are taking up the most space. This can be particularly useful for identifying large or unnecessary files that you may want to delete to free up disk space.

WinDirStat is popular among users who want to manage their disk space efficiently and keep their systems organized.

What if You Mistakenly Delete Files and Folders Using WinDirStat?

WinDirStat has two ways to delete files and folders on a Windows computer. After you right-click on the item you want to remove, you will be able to find two available deletion options: Delete (to Recycle Bin) and Delete (no way to undelete!).

delete files and folders using WinDirStat
  • Delete (to Recycle Bin): If you select this option, the deleted file or folder will be moved to the Recycle Bin. If you are regretful, you can just go to the Recycle Bin to restore it.
  • Delete (no way to undelete!): If you choose this option, your selected file or folder will be permanently deleted from your PC. This way will delete the file or folder bypassing the Recycle Bin. It means that you cannot find and restore the deleted item from the Recycle Bin. However, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover WinDirStat deleted files and folders.

In the next part, we will introduce these two ways to help you recover files and folders deleted by WinDirStat:

  • Restore WinDirStat deleted files and folders from the Recycle Bin
  • Recover permanently deleted files and folders using MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Way 1: Restore WinDirStat Deleted Files and Folders from the Recycle Bin

It is very easy to restore files and folders from the Recycle Bin. Here is a full guide:

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin from the desktop. You can also use other ways to open the Recycle Bin.

Step 2. Find the files or folders you want to restore. However, there are always numerous items in the Recycle Bin. If so, you can search for the file or folder using its name. You can just type the filename or folder name into the search box on the top-right corner.

Tips:
In the Recycle Bin, you can find the original location of the item in the Original Location volume.
find the needed files and folders in the Recycle Bin

Step 3. Right-click the file or folder you want to restore, then select Restore from the context menu. After that, the restored item will be moved to its original location. You can repeat this step for the next file or folder you want to restore.

Additionally, you can also multi-select the files and folder at once, then right-click them, and select Restore. This can restore multiple files and folders at once.

click Restore in Recycle Bin

Alternatively, you can drag and drop the files and folders to your desired folder.

drag and drop files and folders to your desired folder

If you cannot find the needed files and folders in the Recycle Bin, these items should be permanently deleted. If so, you will need to use third-party data recovery software to get them back. For example, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Q+A: Where Do Your Restored Files Go from Recycle Bin on Windows
Q+A: Where Do Your Restored Files Go from Recycle Bin on Windows

You can restore deleted files from Recycle Bin if they are not permanently deleted. But where do restored files go from Recycle Bin? Find the answer here.

Read More

In the next part, we will show you how to perform WinDirStat deleted file recovery using this MiniTool data restore tool.

If you delete files by mistake using WinDirStat, you can go to the Recycle Bin to check if the deleted items are there. If yes, you can restore them to the original location.Click to Tweet

Way 2: Recover WinDirStat Deleted Folders and Files Using MiniTool Power Data Recovery

About MiniTool Power Data Recovery

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is the best free data recovery software that can work on all versions of Windows, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 7.

You can use this file recovery tool to recover files like images, videos, audio files, documents, and more from hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, memory cards, USB flash drives, and other types of data storage devices. Moreover, if the deleted files and folders are not overwritten by new data, this tool can help you get them back.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery can work in different situations to help you recover missing files. Here are some common application scenarios:

  • Accidental deletion of files or folders.
  • File loss due to formatting of a disk or partition.
  • Data loss resulting from a corrupted or damaged file system.
  • Files lost due to a virus or malware attack.
  • Recovery of files from a deleted or lost partition.
  • Data loss that is caused by unexpected system shutdowns or power failures.
  • Retrieval of files from an inaccessible or RAW partition.
  • Recovery of files from a crashed or inaccessible hard drive.
  • Restoration of files lost during the partition resizing process.
  • Recovery of files from external storage devices like USB drives, memory cards, or external hard drives.

You can first try MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free to scan the target drive and see if it can find the items you want to retrieve.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

WinDirStat deleted files recovery with MiniTool Power Data Recovery

You can use these steps to recover files and folders deleted by WinDirStat:

Step 1. Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your PC.

Step 2. Launch the software. Then, you can see all partitions that are detected by this software under Logical Drives.

If you only know the original partition of the deleted files and folders, you can select the target partition to scan. However, if you need to scan the whole disk, you can switch to the Devices tab and click the Scan button next to the target disk.

scan the drive in which the deleted items were previously saved

This software also supports recovering data from a specific location like the desktop, Recycle Bin, or a specific folder. If the WinDirStat deleted files and folders were previously saved to one of these locations, you can let MiniTool Power Data Recovery scan this specific location.

Here are 3 relevant articles:

This entire scanning process will last for a while. You should wait patiently until the whole scanning process ends, guaranteeing that you get the best data recovery effect.

Step 3. After scanning, you can see the scan results. By default, this software displays the scanned files by path. Usually, there are 3 paths: Deleted Files, Lost Files, and Existing Files. If you want to recover the deleted files, you can open the Deleted Files folder to find them.

scan results

Step 4. Select the needed files and click the Save button. After that, you will see a Select a directory to save files interface pop up. Then, you need to select a destination location on the pop-up interface to save files. In order to avoid deleted files from being overwritten, the destination folder should not be the original location of the deleted items.

save the selected files

After these steps, the needed files and folders are back. Then, you can directly use the recovered files.

With the free edition of this data recovery software, you can recover no more than 1GB of files for free. If you need to recover more data using this software, you need to upgrade to a full edition. To do this, you can go to the MiniTool’s official store to select a suitable edition as per your situation.

If your files are permanently deleted, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get them back.Click to Tweet

Safeguard Your Computer

You have seen that important data on your computer may be deleted unintentionally. To protect your data, you’d better make regular backups of the data on your PC. So, as for Windows backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth trying.

About MiniTool ShadowMaker

MiniTool ShadowMaker is the best backup software for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7. Additionally, it is a professional backup tool that provides data protection services and disaster recovery solutions for PCs.

You can use MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up files, folders, partitions, disks, and systems. Having a backup copy enables you to restore data in the event of a disaster, such as a file or folder deletion, system crash, or hard drive failure.

Here are the reasons you should choose MiniTool ShadowMaker:

  • Regular system backups to protect against system crashes or failures.
  • Incremental or differential backups to save storage space and time.
  • Full disk or partition backups before performing major system updates or upgrades.
  • Backup and restoration of individual files or folders to recover accidentally deleted or modified data.
  • Creation of bootable media for system recovery in case of system failure or unbootable situations.
  • Scheduled backups to automate the backup process so as to ensure data protection without manual intervention.
  • Backup and restoration of system settings and configurations for system migration or transfer to new hardware.
  • Clone disk or partition to transfer operating system and data to a new hard drive or SSD.
  • Backup and restoration of files from external storage devices such as USB drives, network drives, or NAS (Network Attached Storage).
  • Backup and restoration of system state and files for disaster recovery purposes.

MiniTool ShadowMaker has a trial edition. The backup and restore features are free to use for 30 days in this trial edition. So, you can first try it and see if it is the backup tool you want.

How to Back up Files and Folders Using MiniTool ShadowMaker?

Follow this guide to back up files and folders on your PC:

Step 1. Download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker on your device.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2. Launch the software. Then, click the Keep Trial button to continue.

Step 3. Switch to the Backup tab from the left menu. Then, go to SOURCE > Folders and Files > select the target files and folders from the next page.

select Folders and Files

Step 5. Click OK to go back to the Backup interface.

Step 6. Go to DESTINATION and select a location to save the backup later.

Step 7. Click the Back Up Now button on the bottom-right corner and then this software begins the backup process.

click Back Up Now

This backup software will begin to backup the files and folders you select. You should wait until the backup process ends.

If you want to keep using this backup tool 30 days later, you will need to upgrade it to a full edition.

Bottom Line

You can see that it is easy to recover files and folders deleted by WinDirStat. However, to use the Recycle Bin or MiniTool Power Data Recovery depends on the data loss situation you are facing.

If you can find the deleted files in the Recycle Bin, you can just restore them from the Recycle Bin. However, if the files are permanently deleted, you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get your files and folders back.

If you encounter issues while using MiniTool data recovery software or backup software, you can contact us via [email protected].

  • linkedin
  • reddit