How Do I Recover Overwritten Files Easily [2024 Guide]

By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: June 4, 2024

Technology offers us to work conveniently with our devices and to save our various important files such as photos, music, videos, documents, applications and many others where we can easily access and navigate to these files any time when we need them.

However, we cannot always have it as infallible. There are times that mistakes happen such as when we accidentally overwrite a file and save the changes while working on it. Data issue is a common problem that anyone can encounter. This involves loss of data may it be deleted, missing or corrupted data.

This article will guide you on how to recover overwritten files. There are several methods presented here that will help you roll back the changes and restore the file to its original or previous versions.

Moreover, a data recovery tool is also introduced to quickly and safely recover overwritten files and lost or deleted data in any sort of format from any of your devices. Recovering files will not be difficult now because of the available data recovery program such as FoneDog Data Recovery which is discussed more in detail below.

Before We Recover Overwritten Files:

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Part 1: How to Recover Overwritten File Using Previous Versions Part 2: How to Recover Overwritten File Using Backup and Restore Part 3: How to Recover Overwritten File on Mac via Time Machine Backup Part 4: How to Recover Overwritten File on Mac Using Previous Versions Part 5: How to Recover Overwritten File via Undo Option Part 6: How to Recover Overwritten File via Cloud Backup Part 7: How to Recover Data Loss Using FoneDog Data Recovery Part 8: In Summary

Part 1: How to Recover Overwritten File Using Previous Versions

This section will teach you the basic process on how to recover the overwritten files from your computer by restoring its previous versions in Windows OS. This may work for those files that are recently overwritten or not many computer operations have been done yet on the device.

As soon as you realized that you have overwritten a file and saved it, stop immediately in doing further work on your computer and do recover overwritten files right away. Make sure that you have backups to restore.

Step 01: On your Windows computer, go to Start.
Step 02: From the list of programs, select Computer. Alternatively, you can go to This PC or My Computer located on your desktop.
Step 03: Search and navigate to the folder location where your overwritten file is saved beforehand.
Step 04: Right-click on the folder and click Restore previous version. It will display a list of the previous versions for the folder with date and time.
Step 05: Double click to select the previous version of the folder which you believe is associated to the overwritten file that you want to recover.
Step 06: Drag the previous version which you want to recover from the folder to the location where you want it to be saved after the recovery.
Step 07: Open the file to check if the overwritten file has been restored to its previous version.

If after doing the steps above in restoring the previous versions of the file do not work, read the discussion of the data recovery tool in Part 7: How to Recover Data Loss Using FoneDog Data Recovery.

How to Recover Overwritten File Using Previous Versions

Part 2: How to Recover Overwritten File Using Backup and Restore

This section will provide the basic information on how to restore an overwritten file on your computer by using Backup and Restore in Windows. Make sure that you have the backups to recover overwritten file and that the device or media drive where you saved your backup file is connected to your computer before you do the file recovery.

To know how to create a regular backup of your files, use File History and follow these steps:

Step 01: Go to Start
Step 02: Select Settings then Update & Security.
Step 03: Click Backup then Add a drive.
Step 04: Select the external drive or a network location to store your file backups.
Step 05: Click OK.

For Windows 10

Step 01: On your computer, go to the taskbar. Type restore files on the search box and click on Restore your files with File History.
Step 02: Search for the overwritten file that you want to restore. You can use the arrows to see all the versions of the file.
Step 03: When you have found the right version of the file to recover, click on Restore and it will be saved to its original location. If you want to specify a different location, right-click Restore then select Restore to and choose a new location to recover overwritten file.

For Windows 7

Step 01: Launch the Control Panel by going to your taskbar. On the search box, type Control Panel. Or click on Start and select Control Panel from the programs list.
Step 02: Go to System and Maintenance.
Step 03: Select Backup and Restore.
Step 04: Click Restore My Files.
Step 05: Another window will appear. Follow the step by step instructions to proceed and recover overwritten files.

How to Recover Overwritten File Using Backup and Restore

Part 3: How to Recover Overwritten File on Mac via Time Machine Backup

This section will provide you with the step by step instructions on how to recover overwritten files using the Time Machine backup in Mac. The Time Machine is a utility that will do a regular backup of your files automatically when set.

Step 01: Launch Finder on your Mac computer.
Step 02: Click Application and open the Time Machine.
Step 03: Go to Finder and click on All My Files.
Step 04: On the Time Machine app, find the overwritten file in the backup list.
Step 05: Use the timeline found on the screen to see the previous versions of the overwritten file, noting the date and time that your file has been worked on.
Step 06: Select the previous version of the file you wish to restore. You can also preview the file by pressing the space bar key.
Step 06: Click Restore. This will recover the previous version of your overwritten file.

Part 4: How to Recover Overwritten File on Mac Using Previous Versions

This section provides the information on how to recover overwritten files in Mac by utilizing the Mac file system which you can roll back to the previous versions of the file and restore it.

To revert the file to its last opened version

Step 01: Open the document file on your Mac computer.
Step 02: When the file is opened, click on File, then select Revert To.
Step 03: Next, choose from the options: Last Opened, Last Saved, or Previous Save.
Step 04: Check to see if the previous version of the file has been restored.

To restore the previous versions of the file

Step 01: Open the document file on your Mac computer.
Step 02: When the file is opened, click on File, then select Revert To.
Step 03: Select Browse All Versions.
Step 04: A timeline will be shown for the previous versions. Click the tick marks to search for the previous version you wish to recover.
Step 05: Select the previous version of the file you want to restore. Then, select the option Restore your document to this version.
Step 06: Click the Restore button located below the right window.

How to Recover Overwritten File in Mac Using Previous Versions

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Step 01: Launch the Numbers app on your Mac computer.
Step 02: On the Numbers app, open the document which you want to restore to its previous version.
Step 03: When the file is opened, click on File, then select Revert To.
Step 04: Select Browse All Versions.
Step 05: The view will be changed. Two windows are shown side by side. The left window is for the current version while on the right is for the previous versions.
Step 06: On the right, scroll and find the previous version that you wish to restore among the different versions.
Step 07: Click the Restore button located below the right window.

Part 5: How to Recover Overwritten File via Undo Option

This simple method will teach you how to recover overwritten files by undoing the changes or deletion in the folder.

On your Windows computer

Step 01: Go to the folder where your file is saved.
Step 02: On the folder, find the file that was overwritten taking note of the file name, date and time of the file.
Step 03: Press the CTRL + Z keys to undo the changes or deletion.
Step 04: Check to see if the file changes have been rolled back.

On your Mac computer

Step 01: Go to the folder where your file is saved.
Step 02: On the folder, find the file that was overwritten taking note of the file name, date and time of the file.
Step 03: Press the CTRL + Z keys to undo the changes or deletion.
Step 04: Check to see if the file changes have been rolled back.

How to Recover Overwritten File via Undo Option

Part 6: How to Recover Overwritten File via Cloud Backup

This simple process will guide you on how to recover overwritten files from your Google Drive and iCloud if you have made backup copies of your files in the cloud. This will need you to connect to the cloud and log on to your account.

Recover overwritten files from Google Drive backup to your computer

Step 01: Launch your web browser. Log on to your Gmail and access Google Drive.
Step 02: On the left pane, navigate to the folder where you saved your files to be recovered.
Step 03: Select the files that you want to download from the cloud backup and restore it to your computer.
Step 04: Click Download to download the files. Wait until it has completed downloading the files.

Recover overwritten files from iCloud backup to your computer

Step 01: Launch your web browser. Log on to com.
Step 02: From your home screen, navigate to the files that you want to be recovered.
Step 03: Select the files that you want to restore.
Step 04: Click Download located on the top right corner of the page. Wait until it has completed downloading the file.

Part 7: How to Recover Data Loss Using FoneDog Data Recovery

Data issues will not be a problem anymore, thanks to FoneDog Data Recovery, a reliable and professional data recovery program that will allow you to restore any type of file from any device such as computers including Recycle Bin, hard drive, USB flash drive, memory cards, digital cameras, and other removable drives.

You can recover any format of files such as an image, audio, video, document, archive and other files from any problematic situation. FoneDog Data Recovery securely and safely recovers your files without you worrying about any data loss.

With this tool, you can do three easy steps such as launch, scan, and restore. Available for both Windows and Mac operating systems, the FoneDog Data Recovery tool offers a free version for you to try.

You can also purchase the tool with a 30-day money-back guarantee and full-packed features.

Step 1. Launch the FoneDog Data Recovery Application

Launch the FoneDog Data Recovery program after you have downloaded and installed the application. Open the shortcut icon located on your desktop or click its pinned icon on the taskbar (if a shortcut is created or the app is pinned to the taskbar). You can also look for the FoneDog Data Recovery tool by going to Start and search it from the Programs list.

Step 2. Select the File Types and Disk Drives

You can recover any type of files such as a photo, video, audio, email, document, archive, and other files. Select the file types to recover and the disk drives (hard disk drive or removable drive) where you want to recover overwritten files. It is important to note that while doing the restore, make sure a good connection is established between the computer and the media device.
Select the File Types and Disk Drives

Step 3. Scan and Show the Files

Select the scan mode: quick or deep scan. If the first scan does not return the files that you want to restore, you can do the next scan mode which is the Deep scan. It takes longer to complete but returns more results. Click on the Scan button to proceed. Results will be returned based on the options you have selected or entered.
Scan and Show the Files

Step 4. Preview and Recover the Overwritten Files

You can choose to preview the files that you want to recover after the data scan and filter the results. Select the files that you want to restore and click the Recover button. Wait until the recovery process has completed its run making sure that you do not shut down or restart your computer during the process to prevent errors.
Preview and Recover the Overwritten Files

Part 8: In Summary

Mistakes happen such as in the case of overwriting files in our devices. It makes us disappointed when we experience this kind of situation. But you do not need to worry as there are several processes discussed in this tutorial guide on how to recover overwritten files.

It is recommended to always create regular backup copies of your files in other devices aside from your computer so that when systems fail or accidental overwriting and deletion of files happen, you can easily restore the files.

When you have accidentally overwritten a file, stop immediately from doing anything on your computer. Then, do the file recovery as soon as possible. Save the recovered files on another drive or location different from the location where the overwritten file is saved.

If all else fails, FoneDog Data Recovery will help you restore your files of any type may it be an image, audio, video, email, document and other types of files. You can recover the data from any of your devices in any problematic situation. Do the data recovery conveniently and safely with a high success rate and secured data.

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