Delete and restore a practice file
Use a computer with a mouse and keyboard. This practice desktop is designed for clicking, right-clicking, dragging and typing with physical keys, rather than touchscreen use on a phone or tablet.
A deleted file can have a way back
You are going to delete Practice note.txt, restore it from the Recycle Bin and open it again.
You will learn how restoring a local practice file returns it to its original folder.
In this local-file example, Delete removes Practice note.txt from Documents and puts it in the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin keeps it there until it is restored or permanently removed. Restore puts the same file back in its original folder.
We will delete only a prepared sample, find it in the Recycle Bin, restore it and open it again in Documents. You do not need to empty the Recycle Bin or permanently delete anything.
Follow the note out and back
Follow the instruction popup to delete Practice note.txt yourself, find it in the Recycle Bin and restore it to Documents. Open the restored note to check its words. Afterwards, Try it gives you a fresh desktop to practise independently. Click Check my work when you finish, or use the optional hints underneath.
In Documents, click Practice note.txt once, then click Delete, the bin icon at the top. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. Right-click the note using your right mouse button to show its menu, then click Restore. Click Documents on the left and double-click the restored note. Its saved words are still there.
Bring the practice note back
Delete Practice note.txt, restore it from the Recycle Bin, then open it in Documents. This is a fresh, disposable sample inside the webpage. The exercise cannot delete or restore files on your computer.
Click Practice note.txt once, then click Delete, the bin icon in the top command bar. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. If File Explorer covers it, click the minus sign at the top right to minimise that window first. In the bin, right-click the note using your right mouse button and click Restore in its menu. You can also click the note once, then click Show actions, the three dots in the top command bar, then Restore in its menu. Click Documents on the left, then double-click Practice note.txt to read it again.
Where should you look now?
Practice note.txt was deleted from Documents. You select it in the Recycle Bin and choose Restore. Where should it be now?
In Documents, with no copy left in the Recycle Bin.
Try this outside the practice desktop
You have practised inside this webpage. If you feel ready, you can repeat the skill in Windows on the same computer, outside the practice desktop. This is optional. The steps below use your actual apps and files, so use only disposable practice items. Files made in the webpage do not appear in Windows File Explorer.
The useful check is a round trip: original folder, Recycle Bin, original folder again. This lesson covers a local file that uses the Windows Recycle Bin.
- 1
Choose a practice folder you know is stored on this PC, outside OneDrive or other cloud storage. If you are unsure where that is, use the webpage practice instead. This exercise needs a disposable local file.
- 2
Press the Windows logo key, type Notepad and click the app in the results. Hold Ctrl, press N and release both keys to start a new blank note. Click its writing area and type a short practice note. Click File near the top left, then Save as. In the Save as window, double-click folders to reach your chosen local practice folder. Click the File name box. Hold Ctrl, press A, then release both keys to select the existing name. Type Practice note.txt and click Save. Click the X at the top right of Notepad to close it.
- 3
Press the Windows logo key, type File Explorer and click the app in the results. Double-click folders to reach the place where you saved your practice note. Note this location so you can return to it. Click Practice note once to select only that file, then click Delete, the bin icon in the top command bar. If Windows asks to delete it permanently, click Cancel.
- 4
Hold down the Windows logo key, press D, then release both keys to show your desktop. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon, clicking twice quickly, to open it. Find Practice note. The Original location column shows the folder it came from; check this if more than one file has the same name.
- 5
Right-click your note using the right mouse button to show its menu, then click Restore. With a keyboard, click the note once, hold Shift, press F10 and release both keys to show that menu. Press the arrow keys until Restore is highlighted, then press Enter.
- 6
Click the X at the top right of the Recycle Bin window to close it. Click the yellow folder icon on the taskbar to return to your original File Explorer window. If small window previews appear, click the one showing your practice folder. Double-click the restored note to read it. Its words should still be there. Click the X at the top right of the app window when you have finished.
PC practice is optional. Network locations, some removable drives and Shift + Delete can bypass the Windows Recycle Bin. Cloud storage can use a different bin or recovery process, and online-only files may not appear in the PC’s bin. Do not empty the bin for this exercise.
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