How to Recover Files Disappeared from Desktop on Windows 10

If files disappeared from your desktop and you’re looking for ways to recover them, you’ve come to the right place. Before you let panic set in, know that there are many recovery options out there, and there’s a high chance you’ll be able to retrieve these files using the right tools and techniques.

Why Did My Desktop Files Disappear & Can I Recover Them?

We can attribute files missing from the desktop to a variety of possible reasons:

How to Recover Files Disappeared From Desktop

Regardless of the reason behind your desktop files’ disappearance, you can effectively retrieve them using powerful tools like data recovery software. If you’re unfamiliar with tools like this, worry not — we’ve detailed the steps you need to follow below.

Option A: Disk Drill

Whether this is your first time attempting data recovery or you’ve had your fair share of experiences with data loss in the past, Disk Drill is one of the best data recovery software you can use to restore files missing from your desktop.

It is easy to use because of the intuitive interface, but also powerful enough to recover missing, formatted, and accidentally deleted data.

Follow these steps to retrieve files that disappeared from desktop using Disk Drill:

1. Download Disk Drill for Windows and then run the installer.
2. Launch Disk Drill when the installation process is finished. You will be greeted with a list of devices and drives available for recovery.
3. Choose your system drive where the files from the desktop were located, then select Search for lost data.
4. Wait for Disk Drill to finish scanning. You can also pause the scan once the files you are looking for are found by the software.
5. Check the boxes beside the files you wish to restore. Click Recover.
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   Pro Tip: Use the search bar on the upper-right portion of the window to help you find the desktop documents faster.

   

6. Select a new location for the desktop files that disappeared. Click OK.
7. Wait for the recovery process to finish.

Option B: Recuva

Recuva is a relatively well-known data recovery tool for a reason: it’s straightforward to set up, lightweight, and affordable. It’s not as polished (nor as powerful) as Disk Drill, but if you are willing to forego some features and recovery mileage to save a bit of money, then it’s an option worth considering.

To use Recuva to recover files that disappeared from the desktop on Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Download the Recuva software.
2. Run the installer and wait for the process to finish.
3. Use the Recuva Wizard to jumpstart the file recovery process. You will be given a series of questions to answer — mostly descriptive questions about the files you are trying to recover. Click Next.
4. Click Start. Recuva will begin scanning your device.
5. Browse the window containing the scan results to look for the desktop files that disappeared. Tick the boxes of the files you want to restore.
6. Select Recover.

Additional Methods of Recovering Missing Desktop Files & Folders

Desktop files missing but you’d rather not use specialized recovery software right away? Try the following methods instead.

Method 1: Check the Recycle Bin

If your desktop documents disappeared and you suspect that you may have accidentally deleted them, checking if you can recover data from your computer’s Recycle Bin is the most logical first step.

Here’s how to restore Windows 10 desktop documents via the Recycle Bin:

1. Look for the Recycle Bin on your desktop. Double-click the icon to launch.
2. Check the contents of the Recycle Bin and try to locate the files missing from the desktop.
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   Tip: Use the search bar (highlighted in the image below) to help you locate specific files faster.

3. Right-click on the files and/or folders you want to recover and then click Restore. This will restore the files to their original folder.

Method 2: Use Windows Search

Windows Search lets you scan your computer for specific files and folders. This is useful in cases where files disappeared from the desktop on Windows 10 because they were moved to a different location — intentionally or otherwise.

Follow these steps to utilize Windows Search:

1. Click the Windows icon on the lower-left corner of your desktop. Alternatively, you can simply press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Begin typing the name of the file or folder you’re looking for. Windows will narrow down the search results as you type.
3. Browse the search results to look for the missing desktop documents.
4. Click on a document to open it directly. You may also right-click and select Open file location if you simply want to open its enclosing folder.

Method 3: Check Hidden Files and Hidden Desktop Icons

Not all files on your computer are visible when you browse your desktop or the File Explorer. If a desktop folder is missing, it’s possible that it may have been hidden.

There are two possible scenarios here:

1. All your desktop icons are hidden.
2. Some specific files or folders are hidden.

Scenario 1: Solution

If your desktop is completely blank — that is, even shortcuts and software icons have disappeared — then it’s likely that scenario #1 applies to you.

To fix it, do the following steps:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select View.
2. Click Show desktop icons.

This should make all the icons on your desktop visible, including any Word documents, Excel files, images, and folders.

Scenario 2: Solution

This solution will make all hidden files and folders on your computer visible.

Follow these steps to see hidden files on your device:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select the View tab and look for the Show/hide panel.
3. Tick the box for “Hidden items.”

You should now be able to see all the hidden files when browsing different folders. Go back to your desktop and check if the disappeared files are now visible.

Method 4: Use Windows Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore is a feature adopted from Windows 7 that lets you keep backups of the operating system and subsequently retrieve any missing files from these said backups. Note that the keyword here is previously — meaning Windows Backup should have already been enabled before the desktop documents disappeared.

Here is how you can set up Windows Backup:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type Control panel.
2. Click the Control Panel to launch it on your computer.
3. Look under System and Security and click Backup and Restore.
4. Click Set up backup.
5. Select the drive where you want the backups to be saved. Click Next.
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   Note: Use a separate drive that’s different from your main hard drive. Most importantly, make sure it has enough space to accommodate the backup.

   

6. Choose which libraries you want to back up. You can also let Windows choose for you. Click Next.
7. Review your selection and click Save settings and run backup.

Once you already have Windows Backup set up and running, then you can already use it to restore files missing from your desktop.

Here are the steps to do it:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type Control panel.
2. Click the Control Panel to launch it on your computer.
3. Look under System and Security and click Backup and Restore.
4. Under the Restore section, there’s a button named Restore my files. Click on it.
5. Select the desktop folders and files you want to recover. You can use the Search, Browse for files, and Browse for folders options to help you out. Click Next.
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   By default, Windows will restore files to their latest version. If you want to retrieve a different version, click Choose a different date.

   

6. Select a new location for the recovered files. Click Restore.

FAQ

Conclusion

If files disappeared from your desktop on Windows 10, know that there are many data recovery tools and techniques available at your disposal. A desktop folder missing doesn’t have to lead to permanent data loss, thanks to features like Windows Backup and Restore and powerful data restoration software like Disk Drill.