How To Recover Files Deleted By Windows Defender?

Summary: To recover files deleted by Windows defender, you need to enable the “allow on device” option from the protection history menu. For persistent deletions, add a file exception. If you still face the Windows defender deleted files issue, you could be facing physical/ logical problems with your hard drive. In this case, you should call in a professional data recovery service like Stellar Data Recovery. Get FREE Quote

Microsoft has an inbuilt anti-malware program called Windows Defender. It comes pre-activated with all Windows devices.

It is a very useful tool, and is good enough to keep your computer safe.

At times, however, it can become a nuisance, deleting files that you need.

Some users over on the Microsoft Forum reported getting the following error, fairly frequently:

This is because Windows Defender quarantined the file that the user attempted to access.

In this article, we will teach you how to recover files deleted by Windows Defender, and how to restore quarantined files.

Let’s get started.

Table Of Contents

Through the course of this article, you will learn the following things:

1. How To Recover Files Deleted By Windows Defender?
2. How To Restore Quarantined Files?
3. How To Stop Windows Defender From Deleting Your Files?
4. What If Your Files Still Go Missing?
5. Frequently Asked Questions

And without any further ado, let’s learn how to recover data deleted by Windows Defender.

How To Recover Files Deleted By Windows Defender?

Sometimes, Defender can flag your files as malware, when they aren’t. This especially tends to be a problem with Excel spreadsheets that have macros enabled.

It’s a fairly common problem, judging by all the “Windows Defender deleted my files!” comments over on Microsoft Forum.

No matter — to recover files deleted by Windows Defender is easy.

Simply go to the protection history menu, and reverse the action.

Here is how to recover files deleted by Windows Defender.

Use The “Allow On Device” Option (For Individual Files)

Note: This method only works for individual files that keep getting blocked by Defender.

Say that you are trying to run a file (most commonly a .exe executable file or game) and Defender keeps blocking.

You’ve tried reinstalling it, changing the location, and even renaming it, but to no avail.

This method is the easiest way to recover files deleted by Windows Defender.

1. When you try to run your file, you will get a pop-up notification that says “Virus & Threat Protection: Threats Found”. You need to click on the pop-up when it appears.

2. If you didn’t manage to click the pop-up in time, click the bell icon in the bottom right corner.

This will bring up your notification history. You can click the “threats found” notification from there.

3. Once you click the notification, you will get a page titled “current threats”.

There, you will see the file you just tried to run. Click the arrow next to the file name.

4. From the drop-down menu, click “Allow On Device”, and then click “Start actions”.

5. In the pop-up dialog box, click yes.

You can now try running your file again, and it should work just fine.

Another way to recover files deleted by Windows Defender is through the “protection history menu”.

The next section details how to restore these deleted files through the protection history menu.

How To Restore Quarantined Files?

Sometimes, you get an error message saying “Your file was quarantined by Windows Defender”, or “Your file was quarantined by Windows X Hours/ Days Ago”.

This means that the file has been quarantined by Defender. It is just like being deleted — the file cannot run, be renamed, or relocated.

The only difference between quarantined files and deleted files is that you can still see quarantined files.

Here is how to restore quarantined files on Windows 10 or 11.

1. Open Up your settings menu. You can do this from the start menu, or by hitting the Windows Key + I.

2. Next, navigate to the “privacy and security” section within the settings menu.
3. From there, open up the “Windows Security” tab. It is the first option in Windows 11.

4. Click on “Virus & Threat Protection”. Again, it is the first option in Windows 11.
5. Click on “protection history”. Then, click on “filters”.
6. From the “filters” drop-down menu, select “Quarantined Items”.
7. Follow steps 3 to 5 from the section above.

We have already dismissed our quarantined files, so you can’t see them here. However, simply click your quarantined file, and select “allow on device”.

Then you should be good to go — no more “Windows Defender deleted my files!” complaints.

So we’ve learned how to recover files deleted by Windows Defender through the protection history menu.

But what if Windows Defender keeps deleting your files? It can get quite irritating.

How To Stop Windows Defender From Deleting Your Files?

Having to recover Windows Defender deleted files over and over again can become frustrating.

Here is how you can stop Windows defender from deleting a particular file, particular folder, all of a certain type of file, or windows process.

Add “Exclusions” To Windows Defender

If you have some files, folders, or executables (processes) that you trust, but Windows keeps blocking them, try this method.

For instance, a game you downloaded elsewhere, or a folder of excel spreadsheets from the office.

1. Open Up your settings menu. You can do this from the start menu, or by hitting the Windows Key + I.
2. Next, navigate to the “privacy and security” section within the settings menu.
3. From there, open up the “Windows Security” tab. It is the first option in Windows 11.
4. Click on “Virus & Threat Protection”. Again, it is the first option in Windows 11.
5. Click on “manage settings” under “virus and threat protection settings”.
6. Scroll down and click on the “Add or remove exclusions” button. You will get a pop-up window asking to “make changes to this computer”. Click on “Yes”.
7. Click on the “Add an exclusion” button. Select whether you want a file, folder, file type, or process.
8. Specify the location of the file/ folder, OR
9. Specify the file type you want excluded, OR
10. Specify the name of the process you want excluded.

Note: Adding a particular file extension to the exclusion list will stop Windows Defender from scanning all files of the same type.

For example, if you choose “.exe”, then all executable files will be able to run freely, even malicious ones.

Make sure that you trust the source of your files if you are doing this.

Also, if you still find yourself needing to recover Windows Defender deleted files, you can also disable the Windows Defender altogether.

What If Your Files Still Go Missing?

After all that, what if you still face problems with Windows Defender deleted files?

You’ve tried everything to recover files deleted by Windows Defender, but nothing seems to work.

Your game or application is still being deleted. The reason could lie in your hard drive.

If your hard drive has been damaged physically, then it could be corrupting your files.

As a result, Windows Defender keeps flagging these continuously corrupted files and quarantines them.

Now, physical damage to your hard drive is not something that can be fixed at home.

Every year, we recover data from hundreds of hard drives where something has gone wrong physically, causing Windows Defender to quarantine or delete those files.

At Stellar Data Recovery, we have the tools, the expertise, and the trained professionals to solve any problems you are having with your hard drives.

We offer a FREE phone consultation and quote.

Also, we at Stellar Data Recovery have a “no recovery, no charge” policy for our standard and priority data recovery service.

Additional Reading: Recover Data from Damaged Hard Drives

Why Stellar Data Recovery?

• Stellar has over three and a half decades (that’s 30+ years) of expertise within the data recovery industry.

• We have over 3 million satisfied customers, in over 190 countries all across the world.
• We have branches in 14 major Indian cities, spread out over the country. This means we can offer turnaround times as low as 1-2 weeks for our data recovery service (priority track option).
• Our Stellar data recovery lab operates in a Class 100 Cleanroom. For every one cubic meter of air, there are less than 100 nanoparticles in the room. This shows how seriously we take our data recovery service, and assures you that your hard drive will not be further damaged by the environment.

With that, we come to the end of this article on how to recover data deleted by Windows Defender.

We hope you found it useful, and we’ll see you in the next one.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the risk of adding a file or folder to the exclusions in Windows Defender?

Adding an exclusion tells Defender to ignore the specified files, folders, or processes. This can be a risky move if the excluded items contain harmful software.

This is because they will not be scanned or blocked by Windows Defender.

As a result, you could potentially be leaving your system vulnerable to malware or viruses.

2. Is it safe to permanently disable Windows Defender if I have another antivirus installed?

It is safe to disable Defender if you have an alternative third-party antivirus.

However, ensure that the alternative offers real-time protection. Aside from that, you have to update your alternative regularly to stay secure.

3. Will Windows Defender affect the performance of my PC?

Defender typically does not interfere with system operation as it is a light application.

However, there have been reports of it causing 100% disk usage on the Microsoft Forum.

These are isolated incidents though.

That said, during full scans or when analyzing large files, you might notice some performance reduction, which is typical for most antivirus software.

4. Can I recover a file that Windows Defender has deleted but is not in the quarantine?

If a file deleted by Windows Defender is not in quarantine, it may be more challenging to recover.

In this case, you need to use third-party data recovery software.

However, if the file has been overwritten by other data on the hard drive, then you have no choice but to opt for professional data recovery services, and even then, recovery is no guarantee.

5. Are there any types of files that are more likely to be falsely flagged by Windows Defender?

Executable files (.exe), scripts, and some software that modifies system settings get flagged very often by Windows defender. This is due to their potential to harm systems if they are indeed malicious.

Additional Reading: Recover Deleted Data From A Windows XP Hard Drive