Can You Recover Deleted Files From A Backup?

Introduction

Backing up your files is one of the most important things you can do to prevent data loss. However, even with a backup, sometimes files get deleted that you didn’t mean to get rid of. The good news is, in many cases, you can recover deleted files from a backup.

I’ll go through when you can and can’t recover deleted files from a backup, how the process works, and tips for successful recovery. With some effort, you may be able to get those files back.

When You Can Recover Deleted Files from a Backup

You are most likely to be able to recover deleted files from a backup in these situations:

• You have a full backup of the files. A full backup contains all your files, not just changes since the last backup. This gives you the best chance of finding deleted files in the backup.

• The files were deleted recently. If you delete a file and then immediately realize you shouldn’t have, you have a good chance of getting it back from a recent backup.

• You have multiple backups. Having backups from different points in time improves your odds of finding deleted files.

• The backup drive is undamaged. You can only recover deleted files if the backup itself is still intact and readable.

When You Cannot Recover Deleted Files from a Backup

These circumstances will prevent you from restoring deleted files from a backup:

• The files were deleted before the last backup. If you delete files and then make a backup, those files will not be in the backup.

• You have an incremental or differential backup. These backups only contain changes since the last full backup, so they won’t have files that were deleted.

• The backup does not contain the deleted files. For example, if you exclude certain file types or folders from the backup.

• The backup drive is corrupted or unreadable. If the backup itself is damaged or unreadable, you cannot extract files from it.

How Recovering Deleted Files from a Backup Works

When you can recover deleted files from a backup, the general process looks like this:

1. Identify a backup that contains the deleted files. This needs to be a full backup made before the files were deleted.

2. Connect the backup drive to a computer. Attach the external drive or access the backup file from its storage location.

3. Browse the backup. Look through the folders and directories just like you would with a normal drive.

4. Find the deleted files. Once you locate them, you can copy the files back to your main system.

5. Restore the copied files. With the files recovered, you can move them back to their original locations.

Tips for Successful Deleted File Recovery from Backup

Here are some tips to help increase your chances of restoring deleted files from a backup:

• Use reputable backup software. Quality software is more reliable for backups and restoration.

• Do frequent full backups. The more backups you have to choose from, the better.

• Keep multiple backups. Rotate through a few backup drives to have multiple recovery points.

• Don’t overwrite backups right away. Let them sit for a few weeks in case you need to retrieve deleted files.

• Store backups separately. Keep them disconnected from your main computer to prevent them from being affected.

• Test your recovery process. Delete non-essential files, restore from backup, and verify that your process works.

Conclusion

Recovering deleted files from a backup takes some effort but is possible in many cases if you have the right backup available. Follow best practices for backups and recovery to ensure you can restore lost files. With the right preparations, you can rescue deleted files from your backups.