If you enabled File History (it's disabled by default), all you have to do is use it to recover the file. File History saves the state of the included folders at a specific time.

After checking the Recycle Bin, Microsoft's command-line option is worth a try. But a dedicated recovery tool is often your best bet for retrieving a deleted file. Here's how to use one.

If you are using Windows XP or an earlier version of Windows, you cannot recover files with the Volume Shadow Copy feature. Windows System Restore cannot recover deleted or overwritten documents.

How to Tell if My File Has Been Overwritten or Corrupted. Though it happens rarely, overwritten or corrupted files on your PC are a serious issue, potentially setting your valuable work back by ...