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Recover a deleted game save

Updated
22 Oct 2026

This page walks you through getting a deleted save back, from the easiest places to check to a last-resort scan. Stop using the drive now, and copy anything you recover to a different drive.

Stop and check the easy places

When: The save folder or files have vanished

  1. Stop playing, and don't install or download anything to the affected drive.

  2. Open the Recycle Bin, find the save folder or files, right-click and choose Restore.

  3. If the saves were in Documents and you use OneDrive, look in the OneDrive folder in File Explorer. Then check the OneDrive web recycle bin: sign in at onedrive.com, open Recycle bin, select the items and click Restore.

Source

Restore a previous version with File History

When: File History was turned on before you lost the save

  1. Open File Explorer at the folder that used to hold the save.

  2. Right-click the folder and choose Restore previous versions.

  3. Pick a version from before the deletion. Use Open in File History to preview it first.

  4. Expand Restore and choose Restore to... so the files go into a new folder instead of overwriting what's there.

Source

Undelete with Windows File Recovery

When: The files aren't in the Recycle Bin and you have no backup

  1. Install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.

  2. Run it as administrator. Example: winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\. The destination (E:) must be a different drive.

  3. If Regular mode finds nothing, try again with /extensive.

  4. Look for the Recovery_<date and time> folder on the destination drive.

Source

Last resort: file carving

When: Windows File Recovery found nothing

  1. Run PhotoRec from a different drive than the one you're recovering.

  2. Choose the partition and file types, and pick a destination on another drive.

  3. Expect the original file names to be lost. Sort the results by type and date to find your save. We haven't confirmed exactly how PhotoRec names the files.

Source

What to know

  • If you deleted files from a folder synced with OneDrive, the Windows Recycle Bin can bring them back. Select the file, right-click and choose Restore. It returns to its original folder. Files deleted in the cloud, or online-only files, don't show in the local Recycle Bin. Source
  • The OneDrive web recycle bin keeps deleted items for 30 days on personal accounts, and 93 days on work or school accounts unless your admin changed it. Once you empty an item from that bin, it can't be restored. Source
  • OneDrive version history keeps file versions for 30 days. Right-click the file and choose Version history to restore an older one. It also works from File Explorer if the OneDrive app is installed. Source
  • OneDrive's "Back up your folders" covers Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos. That's why saves in Documents (for example Documents\My Games) may have moved into your OneDrive folder. If you stop the backup, you choose whether files stay only in OneDrive or only on the PC. Source
  • Stopping folder backup can fail with "Some files couldn't be moved" if some files are cloud-only. Set them to "Always keep on this device" first. Source
  • File History backs up your libraries (Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop) to an external drive or network location. To restore, right-click the folder and choose Restore previous versions. A plain Restore replaces the current version and can't be undone, so use Restore to... instead. For library content, right-click the real folder, not the library. Source
  • Windows File Recovery (winfr) is a command-line app from the Microsoft Store. It's for local files you deleted that the Recycle Bin can't bring back. The source and destination must be different drives, and it can't recover from cloud storage or network shares. Use Regular mode for recently deleted files on NTFS. Use Extensive for older deletions, formatted or corrupted disks, and FAT or exFAT. Source
  • Microsoft says that to improve your chances you should use the computer as little as possible. Deleted files' space is marked free and can be overwritten at any time. On an SSD, that space may already have been overwritten. Source
  • PhotoRec is free, open-source recovery software (GPL). It ignores the file system and only reads from the source disk. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS and more. Never save recovered files to the same partition. Source
  • Recuva has a free version (Pro is paid) and a deep-scan mode. It can recover files from damaged or newly formatted drives. Source
  • If Controlled folder access is on, it protects Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Favorites by default, and blocks untrusted apps from changing files there. See the fix-corrupted-saves page for details. Source

Mistakes that make it worse

  • Any use of the PC can overwrite the space of deleted files. Stop writing to the disk. Source
  • Recovery is less likely on an SSD, because the freed space may already be overwritten. Source
  • Never recover to the same drive or partition you're recovering from. Source
  • Restore previous versions from File History replaces the current version and can't be undone. Use Restore to... instead. Source
  • Files deleted from the cloud, and online-only OneDrive files, don't show in the local Recycle Bin. Source
  • OneDrive items you deleted permanently from the recycle bin, or that are older than 30 or 93 days, can't be restored. Source

Tools people use

  • Windows File Recovery: A command-line undelete tool from Microsoft (winfr).
  • PhotoRec / TestDisk: Recovers files by their signature, whatever the file system. Third-party tool: use at your own risk, back up first, and always save results to another drive.
  • Recuva: A recovery tool with a graphical interface and a deep-scan mode. Third-party tool: use at your own risk, back up first, and save results to another drive.

Third-party tools are not ours. Back up first and use them at your own risk.

What we couldn't confirm

  • We couldn't confirm whether "Restore previous versions" also shows older copies from System Protection restore points when File History is off. Don't count on it.
  • We couldn't confirm Recuva's license terms, or whether its free version works reliably on an SSD or Windows 11. We also didn't check TestDisk's license separately.
  • We couldn't confirm the license terms of Windows File Recovery.

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