Text files are a popular way to store information, from personal notes and important documents to configuration files and application logs. However, sometimes it can be impossible to open a TXT file. The reason for this may be file system corruption, deletion or loss of the file, errors in applications or other software, computer virus attacks, or software malfunction when forcibly closing a program. There are several ways to recover deleted text files or recover at least some of the information contained in them. But if the file has been permanently deleted, then it might be a bit tricky to recover it with manual methods.
Why Manual Methods to Recover Deleted TXT Files Fail?
There are many shortcomings of manual methods; that’s why they are not recommended to recover Notepad TXT files. Some limitations are:
- If the deleted file has been overwritten by new data, then manual recovery will not work.
- If a text file is deleted using the Shift + Deleted combination or the computer was turned off during the process, no recovery is possible.
- Large text files need special tools for successful recovery compared to smaller ones.
- Deleted text files cannot be recovered from formatted hard drives.
How to Recover Deleted Text Files from Desktop?
When manual methods are insufficient, only Windows data recovery software that can get back all your lost or deleted text files can help you. Kernel Windows Data Recovery tool is capable of recovering corrupted, inaccessible, or permanently deleted data with complete meta properties intact.
It works on all Windows systems and helps to recover deleted Text files from desktop, hard drive, USB drive, SSD, and more. Recover files from NTFS/FAT file systems or RAW drives/inaccessible partitions. Moreover, the free version allows users to preview deleted files before purchasing the tool.
Recover Deleted Text Files: Step-by-Step Process
- Launch the tool, and on the home screen, you can see three scanning modes, namely: Quick Scan, Deep Scan, and File Trace. Select your desired scan mode.
- Select the directory to be scanned, then click Next to continue.
- Your selected drive details (Volume capacity, File system, etc.) will be shown. Click Next to continue.
- Now the scanning progress will be displayed.
- All the deleted data will be recovered, and you will be able to preview content. Select the required files and click the Recover
- Now, browse and provide the location to save your recovered files. Click OK.
- You will receive the confirmation that your files are saved. Now you can go to the saving location and access the file.
Final Say
Recovering a deleted text file might be complicated if it is corrupted or inaccessible due to a storage device malfunction. Although checking the file’s permissions, trying to recover the previous version, using a backup, or attempting to open it in another text editor can help in some cases, these methods are not universal.
In other words, if none of these options work, you should not continue trying different approaches since they might harm the file’s content. Instead, you should use an efficient free data recovery utility to recover unsaved text files easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to recover permanently deleted files without backup?
You can recover permanently deleted files without a backup using Kernel for Windows data recovery software.
Can I recover inaccessible text files from a hard drive?
If the file is recoverable, data recovery software can scan the hard drive and identify recoverable file data.
How can I prevent TXT files from becoming inaccessible?
Make sure that you have recent backups of important data, safely remove external storage devices, protect your computer against malware, avoid interrupted file operations, and regularly check storage devices for errors.
