How to recover files lost in cut and paste

Cutting and pasting files to move them around your computer is simple and quick, but it has been known to go wrong. We’re going to show you how to recover files that have been lost in the transfer.

An example problem here is moving 75GB of files from folder ‘A’ folder ‘B’. Only 25GB appears in B and the other 50GB seems to have disappeared into the ether, not even showing in A any longer. The hard drive is still showing as the same amount full rather than with 50GB more free space.

The first thing to do is avoid panicking. There may be a simple solution to the issue to try searching for the files if you can remember what they’re called.

If at all possible, stop using your computer for any other actions the moment you notice the data being missing. This more you use your computer after the event, the higher the chance that the data has been overwritten.

Try looking in your temp folder by going to Start > Run > ‘%temp%’ or the files may be hidden so try Tools > Folder Options > View > and tick “Show hidden files” in Explorer to see if they reappear in the original location.

If this doesn’t work then there are a few software programs you can download which might help.

Our recommended data recovery tool is called MiniTool Power Data Recovery and can recover data from a number of different storage devices. The good news is that it’s free, so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

You can find the software and guide to using it on their website here.