How to recover Notepad documents on a Windows 10 computer?

March 18, 2019 |

greater than 3 minutes

You may have experienced the fear of losing a Notepad document. This type of an issue can have you asking, “Can I recover a notepad file on Windows 10?” The answer is yes, and it is a fairly simple issue to resolve. The only thing that you really need to know is where to search for your lost document. With this step-by-step guide, you’re going to learn how to restore lost text documents you had in Notepad.

There are many ways that your text file might get accidentally deleted. But with the four methods that will be given to you, you’ll be able to recover deleted Notepad files. Start by using the first solution below.

Method 1: Check your Recycle Bin

This should be the first place that you check for the deleted file. As long as Windows hasn’t been configured to automatically bypass the bin on your PC, then you will most likely recover deleted documents from there. Here’s how:

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  • Open your Recycle Bin by clicking the icon on your desktop.
  • Search for your lost .txt file. Select the document if you find it. You can also select multiple files by holding the ctrl key as you select each item that you want.
  • Click on the Restore the selected items button after your files are highlighted.
  • Click on the folder that originally had the text document. You should find it restored in there.

If you weren’t able to find the Notepad document in the Recycle Bin, there is another way to recover your file. The next method is important in ensuring you will be able to do so.

Method 2: Do not save any new files

Your file has been effectively deleted if it isn’t in the Recycle bin. But the file hasn’t been entirely erased yet. What deleting a document does is it removes the item from the file system database and then sets the file to be overwritten. As long as you haven’t saved a lot of other files that overwrite the original data, there is still a good chance of recovering the document. So if you don’t save additional files after the document was deleted, then you’ll have a better chance of restoring the document.

Method 3: Use File History to back up files in Windows 10

This method isn’t necessarily going to help you recover the lost document, but it will ensure you can restore a document if the original file is ever deleted in the future. Here’s how you can back up files with File History in Windows 10:

  • In the search bar located next to your start icon, enter back up.
  • Choose Backup Settings.
  • Plug a USB drive into the computer and then choose to back up to that drive by clicking Add a drive. In the Settings window, the Automatically back up my files setting will appear.
  • Click More options and then click Add a folder to back up folders where you would usually save text files.

After following these steps, Windows will back up files in the selected folders whenever you insert your USB drive. This will allow you to easily open backup copies of any Notepad documents that disappear. The final method below will explain another way to possibly recover your lost document.

Method 4: Check the AppData folder

Checking the AppData folder is another possible method of recovering your lost file because this folder temporarily holds files. Your file may be stored in there, and you can recover it by following these steps:

  • Enter %appdata% after you press the Windows Key + R. Press Enteror click OK when this is complete.
  • Enter the name of the Notepad file in the search bar in the top right corner.
  • When you look through the list of results, you should be able to see your file.

If you regularly back up your Notepad documents, then you can avoid this kind of scare. It’s also beneficial to download the Auslogics BoostSpeed software to ensure your PC is running as optimally as possible. This tool has an automatic memory and processor management feature that gives your active applications the maximum amount of resources to guarantee smooth and fast performance. When your computer is running optimally, you’ll consistently have great experiences every day.

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You may still have some questions after reading this article if your issue isn’t resolved to your liking. If you do, then please leave detailed questions and/or comments in the comments section below. We will assist you in the best way possible to help you recover that lost file or files, so you can rest assured that all of your hard work was not lost.

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