How to Handle ZIP/RAR File Recovery

If you use a computer much, you have probably come across archive files at some point. These ZIP and RAR files act as compact storage units, they bundle multiple files with metadata to save space or make them easier to share.

But what happens when one of these archives gets accidentally deleted? You’ve basically lost an entire folder in one swift click. It’s often not as dire as it seems. We’ve assisted many people in this exact situation, and now will walk you through a couple of effective methods to recover deleted RAR files—or any other archive format, for that matter.

Before we start

We don’t want to waste your time, so we suggest you take a quick look at the table below to see if the information we are about to present will help address your situation.

Chances of Successful ZIP/RAR File Recovery

Our internal statistics show that most of our readers don’t use backups on their PCs. If there’s no backup your best chance lies in data recovery software. These tools are specifically designed to dig up deleted or lost files from various storage devices. However, even with these tools, recovery isn’t 100% guaranteed. Its success depends on several key questions:

• ⏱️ How much time has passed since the ZIP or RAR archive was deleted? Time is critical. Deleted files remain on the storage device until their space is overwritten. Every additional write operation to the drive where archives were stored decreases those odds.
• 💾 Have you continued using the storage since the file was deleted? Drive activity matters. Writing new files or modifying existing ones can overwrite deleted data. For example, saving a 10 MB file could overwrite the same-sized portion of your deleted archive. The less you’ve used the drive, the better your chances.
• 🗑️ Was the file permanently deleted or just moved to the Recycle Bin? Files in the Recycle Bin are easy to restore—just right-click and select “Restore.” If you’ve emptied the bin or used Shift + Delete, recovery software becomes necessary.
• 🔧 What type of storage device are you using? HDDs (hard drives) hold onto deleted files longer since they don’t erase data right away. SSDs (solid-state drives) are trickier because they use TRIM, a feature that can wipe deleted files almost instantly. But here’s the twist—whether the SSD is internal or external also makes a difference. External SSDs connected through a USB Type-A or Type-C hub might not get the TRIM command, which means the deleted archives could still be recoverable. Internal SSDs, on the other hand, almost always run TRIM, which often makes recovery impossible.

How to Recover RAR files with Data Recovery Software

The reason data recovery tools can retrieve permanently deleted files (or files that were on the drive before quick formatting) is that modern operating systems don’t actually delete the data. Instead, they “mark” the space as available for new files.

There are plenty of data recovery tools available on the Internet, and while they may vary in features and pricing, they all essentially work the same way. These programs scan your storage device for traces of deleted files and try to piece them back together to restore access. The key difference lies in their effectiveness, speed, and ability to handle different file types—some are better suited for archive files like RAR and ZIP than others.

Here’s how to recover deleted ZIP/RAR files with Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill. Make sure you install it on a separate drive—not the one where the deleted archive file was located.
2. Select the storage device that contained the deleted archive file.
3. Click the Scan for lost data button to start the scan for recoverable files.
4. Disk Drill will go through several scan modes to dig up as much data as possible.
   • Quick scan looks for recently deleted files still linked to the file system. It’s fast and works great if the file was deleted but hasn’t been overwritten.
   • After the quick scan is done, Disk Drill switches to a Deep scan. This mode can recover files even if the file system has been lost, corrupted, or reformatted—whether to a new type or the same format.
   • There’s also a Signature scan that can identify deleted files based on their unique file signatures. For example, RAR and ZIP files have specific patterns that allow the software to locate them, even when no file structure exists to guide the search.

   

5. While the scan runs, you’ll see results show up in real-time, neatly organized into categories like Archives, Documents, and Others. Click on Archives, and you’ll see a list of all found archive files, including RAR and ZIP formats.
6. You might also notice some other archive formats like TAR, CAB, LZH, GZIP, or 7Z, if you want to narrow things down further, use the search bar at the top-right corner. Type .rar or .zip to filter the results to those specific formats. If you remember part or all of the file’s name, you can type that into the search bar as well. For example, typing “project” will display all files with that keyword in their names.
7. When you’ve found your archive file, checkmark it and click the Recover button at the bottom. Disk Drill will then ask you to choose a location to save the recovered file. Just like we mentioned earlier, choose a different drive from the one you’re recovering from.

The basic version of Disk Drill, which is free, limits recovery to 500 MB. While that might not seem like much, it’s actually better than what some competitors offer. For smaller files, it’s often enough to recover a couple of archives without spending a dime.

If you’re dealing with a particularly large archive, the free version still lets you scan and locate the file. This way, you can at least confirm that recovery is possible before any purchases.

Other Ways to Recover Deleted ZIP/RAR Files From PC

As we mentioned earlier, sadly, most people don’t use backups. However, if you’re one of the lucky ones who might have enabled one of the Windows backup features, you could have a much simpler solution. Let’s refresh your memory on the various built-in options Windows provides. Maybe your ZIP/RAR file hides somewhere in a Windows backup or cloud storage.

Option 1: Recover Deleted ZIP/RAR Files with Windows Backup and Restore

Let’s start with Windows Backup and Restore. Originally introduced in Windows 7, this feature is still available and works on Windows 10/11. It allows you to create regular backups of your files and system, which can be used to restore lost or deleted data.

Here’s how to recover deleted RAR/ZIP files with Windows Backup and Restore:

1. Connect the backup storage device to your computer.
2. Press Win + S, type Control Panel, and hit Enter.
3. Go to System and Security and click Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
4. Click Restore my files to open the recovery wizard. This tool will walk you through the steps.
5. Use the Search option to type the name of your ZIP or RAR file if you remember it.
6. If you’re unsure, select Browse for files or Browse for folders to navigate the backup and find your archive.
7. Then click Next. You’ll see two options: Original location (puts the files back where they were) and New location (saves them somewhere else).
8. Hit the Restore button to recover your files. Windows will retrieve them from the backup and save them in the location you picked.

Option 2: Recover Deleted ZIP/RAR Files with File History

The next built-in backup option is File History, a newer and more user-friendly feature compared to Backup and Restore. However, just like its predecessor, it must have been activated beforehand to be of any use. If you set up File History before the deletion of your ZIP or RAR files, this feature could help you recover them easily.

Here’s how to use File History to restore your deleted archives:

1. Open the Start menu and type File History in the search bar.
2. Select File History from the results to open the control panel.
3. In the File History control panel, click on Restore personal files in the left-hand pane.
4. Navigate through the available backups to locate the folder or files you want to restore. You can use the search bar to type part of the file name or extension (e.g., .rar or .zip).
5. Click the round green Restore button to return the files to their original location.
6. If you prefer a different restore location, right-click the files and choose Restore to, then select a destination folder.

Option 3: Recover Deleted ZIP/RAR Files from a Cloud Backup

As we mentioned earlier, most cloud services keep deleted files for up to 30 days. If you’ve used services like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, there’s a good chance your deleted ZIP or RAR files are still recoverable.

Usually steps to recover deleted files from a cloud backup look like this:

1. Open the app or website for your cloud storage service. Sign in with your account.
2. Navigate to the Trash, Recycle Bin, or Deleted Files section. Most services retain deleted files for up to 30 days, but policies can vary by account type.
3. Select the deleted file and click Restore to return it to its original location.

What to Do If the ZIP/RAR Archive Is Corrupted After Data Recovery

If you managed to recover your deleted archive only to find out it’s now corrupted, yeah, that can happen, but it’s not the end of the line. We’ve seen this happen a couple of times, there are a few fixes you can try.

You can use WinRAR—with over 500 million users worldwide, there’s a good chance you already have it installed. As the world’s most popular compression tool, also includes a built-in repair feature that can fix corrupted archives. This tool is often the best place to start.

To repair your file, open WinRAR and locate the corrupted archive:

1. Select the file, go to Tools, and choose Repair archive.
2. You’ll need to specify a destination folder for the repaired file and let WinRAR process it.
3. If successful, WinRAR will create a new version of the archive with a “fixed_” prefix added to the file name.

It’s straightforward, quick, and often works for minor corruption. If WinRAR’s repair tool doesn’t work, you can try your luck with several third-party programs that claim to handle more complex repairs. Tools like Stellar File Repair, DataNumen RAR Repair, and Recovery Toolbox for RAR.

We haven’t personally tested all these apps, so we can’t say for sure whether they’re truly more capable than WinRAR or if it’s just good marketing, but they’re still worth a try.

You can also try to extract files directly from the corrupted archive using WinRAR or 7-Zip. Both programs allow you to skip errors during extraction, which might give you a chance to recover at least some of the files. Just try to extract the archive as you normally would. When the program runs into an error, it will give you the option to skip errors—choose this and let it continue the extraction. This won’t fix the archive, but it’s a simple way to salvage usable files.

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