Watching movies online can be a hassle; Especially when there is a lot of buffering. This is one of the biggest reasons for people to download their movies and watch them offline. However, I found this specific query in a forum where people were asking to recover a downloaded movie that was removed from their PC.
Since I am familiar with some tricks that can get your deleted files back, I made this blog. I’ve included methods to retrieve a downloaded movie on your laptop. You will find all the different ways to recover your deleted movies and other files here.
How to Retrieve a downloaded movie on your laptop?
- Check the Downloads folder
- Restore from the Recycle Bin
- Switching back to a previous version of the folder
- Use the Backup and Restore utility
- Windows File Recovery Method
Check the Downloads folder
There is a possibility that the movie you downloaded is still in the Downloads folder. The directory that you download files to, may not necessarily be the Downloads folder. Users can get their files saved to any location.
If you are not aware of where the files are located, there’s an option to find them. Check the procedure below –
- Open the browser that was used to download the file.
- Go into the Downloads section of the browser.
- Navigate to the downloaded file and open its options menu. Here, you should be able to see an option to open the file’s location.
- Clicking on the Show in Folder option will bring up a file explorer window. This is where you will see your downloaded files, with the specific file highlighted.
Restore from the Recycle Bin
There is a chance that the deleted file still stays in the recycle bin. However, you will not be able to recover the deleted files if they are permanently deleted (Shift + Del). Windows users can access the recycle bin through its desktop icon.
- Launch the Recycle bin window and locate the deleted movie.
- Right-click on the file and wait for the pop-up to appear.
- Choose the Restore option.
You can go back to the downloaded directory and access it through the file explorer.
Switching back to a previous version of the folder
Windows users can return to a saved restore point of the folder. This is a part of the backup feature. This may not be available for all folders. You can return to a folder version that has the deleted files. Here’s how you can –
- Push the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
- Search for the System Protection option. Now, open the best search result.
- On this page, click on the Configure button.
- Now, check the Turn on system protection radio button and confirm this.
- Select OK to save the changes and close the Window.
- Launch a File Explorer window (Windows + E).
- Navigate to the directory where the deleted file used to be. Right-click on it and open the Properties window.
- Move to the Previous versions tab. Under the folder versions section, you will see a layout of the files you removed.
- Select the file or folder you want to recover. Then, click on Restore.
When you are done, you can access the file like it was never deleted.
Use the Backup and Restore utility
- Bring up the search box in the taskbar. The shortcut for this is to push the Windows + S keys.
- Search for the restore files feature. There is a slight chance that you could get multiple search results. Make sure to choose the one with the Control Panel.
- Under the File history section, look for the folder with the deleted folder.
- Select the folder and choose the Restore option. When the process is done, take a look at the file location.
This option requires the user to turn the File History on, previously. If you haven’t got this feature enabled already, please proceed to the next solution.
Windows File Recovery Method
Microsoft Windows has an exclusive utility to recover lost files. This Windows File Recovery tool doesn’t have a standalone app or interface. Instead, you will have to use it through the Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell tools.
If you wish to use this tool, you will need to use the following steps –
- Open the Windows PowerShell tool. This can be quickly launched through the Quick Link menu (Windows + X).
- The script to recover files can vary. But I have included a generalized layout below –
winfr (source-drive): (destination-drive): /switches- Execute the command by hitting the Enter key.
- Press Y on your keyboard to confirm this.
Recovering deleted files in macOS
- Time Machine Backup
- Using the Put Back option
- Undoing the Deleted files
- Terminal command execution
Time Machine Backup
- Open the Time Machine feature through the Spotlight menu.
- Select all the files that you want to recover. You can use the up and down arrow keys to navigate through this window. Pushing the space bar will allow the user to preview it.
- When the files are selected, the Restore button will be highlighted. Click on it to recover the files.
Using the Put Back option
When a file is dragged to the trash on your Mac, you can get it back this way. It is important not to have cleared the bin to recover files this way.
- Bring up the Trash bin window. The icon is available on your desktop.
- Now, we have two alternate actions to restore the files –
- Drag the necessary files back to your desktop and drop them.
- Right-click on the files and choose the Put back option from the context menu.
The second option will send the recovered files back to their previous directory. In some cases, the files can also get restored to the desktop.
Undoing the Deleted files
MacBook users can undo the files they deleted. This might seem very similar to restoring the files from the trash. If you are quick enough, you can restore the deleted files immediately after they are removed.
If the files are just removed, use the following steps –
- When the wrong files are deleted, stay in the same directory. It is important not to close the window before recovering the files.
- From the menu bar, click on the Edit menu to expand it.
- At the top of the drop-down menu, choose the Undo Move of option.
Alternatively, you can push the Command and Z keys to undo the most recent actions in the directory.
Note: This technique will not work after the trash is cleared or when the files are permanently deleted.
Terminal command execution
Like Windows, the macOS also has a command line to execute in case of recovering files. Use the procedure below, if you want to recover files through the Terminal window.
- Launch the Finder tool.
- Choose the Applications option and go into the Utilities option.
- Here, launch the Terminal tool. When the Terminal script window appears, execute the below commands in the given order –
cd .Trash"ls -al ~/.Trash"- “
mv filename ../"
- Hit the Return key after each command to run them.
- Close the window and check the Home directory. This is where recovered items are stored.
Recovering deleted files on Chromebook
If you want to recover recently deleted files in a Chromebook, you have to be fast. When a file is deleted from your Chromebook laptop, it can be recovered within 30 days; Once you go over the 30-day limit, there is no way to recover them.
Chromebook devices do not have storage sufficient enough to host a recycle bin. This means that you will be recovering your deleted files through the Google Drive trash.
Users who wish to recover files that have been deleted within a month can use the following steps –
- Launch the Chrome web browser.
- Type in
chrome://flagsin the browser’s address bar and hit Enter.
- Locate the Enable Files trash feature and enable it. You will have to use the drop-down menu at the side of the feature.
- Reboot the device to apply these new changes.
- When the Chromebook is booted up, open the Files window. On the menu panel on your left, the recycle bin will have newly appeared.
From this location, Chromebook users can recover their deleted files.
If you are looking to download free movies on a laptop, there are several options for you. You can use an online client to download or watch free movies online. A torrent tool is not only a way to download movies for free but also a platform to watch movies offline.
There are also torrent websites with thousands of movies and TV shows online. We recommend using the official platforms for the best quality movie streaming.
We hope that this article has helped you retrieve the movies you removed from your laptops. Using third-party recovery tools is also an efficient option to get the files back. Happy Streaming!