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What to Do Immediately After Accidentally Deleting Files

Steps to maximize recovery chances after accidental deletion.

Last updated August 23, 2026

  1. Stop writing to the source device. Avoid downloads, installs, or saving new files to the affected drive.
  2. Do not install recovery software on the affected drive. Install RecoverIQ on a different system drive or external destination.
  3. Scan read-only. RecoverIQ opens supported devices read-only during scanning.
  4. Recover to a different physical drive. Never restore files back to the same device you are recovering from.
  5. Consider imaging failing media. For unstable drives, create a sector image before repeated scans.