Updated on November 24th, 2020

Windows 8 provides makes it faster to start up and shut down system and allows users to easily undelete files. This feature of Windows 8 is known as “Restoring Previous Versions” which enables users to restore deleted files without many efforts. “Previous Versions” of your files are file backups or replicas that are created by system. How to enable this function?

This function is called “System Protection” that creates restore points every week or after significant change happens (such as install programs). Restore points will not be created if “System Protection” is disabled. You need to set the disk space that will be taken by this function to save restore points.

Let’s see how Windows files can be recovered with the feature through a simple example:

Imagine some files of your previous files have been deleted by mistake from your Windows 8 based system, and you have enabled the option “System Protection” for your system, then deleted files can be restored just by dint of following these steps:

1. Find the folder that held those lost files and right click it.

2. Then, select the item “Previous Versions” and a list of previous versions of this folder will be generated.

3. Select the version that you want to recover and double click it. Then you’ll see deleted files and you can copy and paste them or just drag them to a safe place.

With these simple steps, you’ll be able to restore your deleted files in Windows 8. However, if the restore point is not created or the option is disabled when files get lost, then lost files won’t be found in previous versions using this method. Besides, lost files can’t be restored if that restore point is deleted by the tool itself due to the hard drive space limitation arranged to saving restore points.

In such cases, it is recommended to use deleted data recovery freeware such as Eassos Recovery Free which is able to recover deleted files for free. Wizard interface guides users to perform undelete files step by step. Such tool neither requires the option “System Protection” be enabled nor lost files have restore points. Therefore, if you haven’t enabled the option, then prepare data recovery freeware to safeguard files on hard drive or USB drives.