How To Restore Deleted Files Windows 8.1

Windows eight includes new features that allow you to recover your data and the entire system. File History lets you easily restore deleted or modified files.

Windows viii includes several new features that let you to recover your data every bit well every bit the entire system. One of those is File History, which lets you restore deleted or modified files. Here I'll bear witness you how to turn on File History, configure it and recover files that are accidentally deleted.

Update: Windows 8.1 is no longer receiving mainstream support from Microsoft. But File History is a characteristic that is still congenital into Windows ten and information technology works essentially the same mode.

Windows viii.i reached the finish of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018, and will accomplish end of Extended Support on January 10, 2023. With the general availability of Windows 8.1, customers on Windows 8 had until January 12, 2016, to move to Windows 8.1 to remain supported.

Turn on and Configure Windows eight File History

File History is turned off by default in Windows 8 and yous'll demand to enable information technology. Before turning it on, you need to have an internal or external drive connected to your PC.

Check out our guide on how to turn on File History.

Or, if you accept a Windows Home Server or a NAS, check out our guide on how to make File History back up to a network location.

Configure File History

After y'all accept File History turned on, at that place are some options to configure in Advanced Settings.

Here you can set how often to save copies of files. It'south set to back up every hour, merely you might want backups more or less frequently.

Past default, File History backs up everything in Libraries, Favorites, Contacts, SkyDrive (if installed), and all items on the Desktop. There's a lot of folders in Libraries similar My Music, My Videos, and My Pictures. The number of files in those folders can add up chop-chop, making the File History backup rather large.

Tip: Yous can likewise adjust the size of the Offline Enshroud. This feature replicates a percentage of the full file history. Having that cache is quite handy on a laptop when you don't have the external drive available or aren't connected to your home network. Information technology's fix to use 5% of your local disk infinite by default. But y'all can set it equally low as 2% or a higher amount which maxes at 20%.

You have the power to exclude folders and Libraries from File History if you want to tone it down a scrap. Click the Add push and browse to the folders you don't desire to be saved. This gives yous the ability to salve space past only saving copies of your most of import documents. Hither I'm excluding my music and video Libraries.

Recover Files from File History

After y'all take File History configured, it works in the groundwork and you'll basically forget nigh it until it'south needed. If you lot accidentally delete or alter a document and need it back, this feature is a lifesaver.

Yous can launch it from the Start screen by using the keyboard shortcut WinKey + W to bring upward Settings Search — type: file history then click its icon under the results.

Yous can also become to it by clicking the File History button on the Windows Explorer Ribbon. It'south easiest to navigate to the location of the file y'all need, and launch it.

At present you tin can recover the file y'all need. The virtually recent backup of the files will appear, but you can navigate dorsum in time to earlier dates. That allows you to recover files that were modified on a sure engagement.

To recover a file, right-click it and select Restore or hold Ctrl and highlight each file yous need and click the green restore button. If you lot want to place a file in another directory, select Restore To.

You can as well recover all files in a directory if you need them. Don't select whatever files and merely click the greenish restore button.

Another interesting feature of File History is the ability to preview documents in the recovery window. This makes it easier to find exactly what y'all're looking for.

This is just one of the crawly features in Windows viii that lets y'all save and recover your data. For more bank check out some these other features: