Are you stuck in this situation that Chrome automatically deletes downloaded files on your computer? Even if you choose to keep the file, the file is deleted within seconds. This MiniTool guide tells you how to recover the deleted downloaded files and prevent automatic deletion.
In some cases, your Windows or Chrome automatically deletes downloaded files owing to security reasons. Insecurity files will be removed or quarantined after downloading. Probably, this issue is caused by Chrome issues. You can first try to recover the deleted downloaded files and change Chrome or Windows settings to avoid the issue.
How to Recover Lost Downloaded Files
Way 1. Recover Deleted Downloads in Recycle Bin
If you don’t change the download path of Chrome, you can find downloaded files in the Downloads folder in Windows. When the Chrome browser deletes the downloaded files, files are deleted from Windows and sent to the Recycle Bin. You can try to recover files from the Recycle Bin.
Open the Recycle Bin on your Desktop and look through the file list. You can select View > Details to find files deleted from the Downloads folder. If you have changed the download path of Chrome files, you need to search for the changed folder. Right-click on the file and choose Restore from the context menu.
Way 2. Recover Deleted Downloads in Chrome
If Chrome automatically deletes downloaded files, you can restore the lost files by redownloading from Chrome.
Step 1. Open a new tab in Chrome and click on the three-dot icon at the top right corner.
Step 2. Choose Downloads then find the file that was deleted by Chrome. Once you find the target file, click the link under the file to re-download it.
Way 3. Recover Lost Downloaded Files from Quarantined Folder
If the downloaded file is virus-infected, Windows will block them, thus you can’t find the downloaded files. If you trust the downloaded file, you can follow the steps below to recover your files.
Step 1. Press Win + S and type Virus & threat protection in the search box. Hit Enter.
Step 2. Choose Protection history on the right pane.
Step 3. Click Filters and select Quarantined Items. You can search for the target files from the list.
If the required file is found, choose a destination to restore it.
Way 4. Recover Deleted/Lost Downloads with MiniTool Power Data Recovery
If the wanted files can’t be found with the above three methods, try to recover the deleted files with the help of professional data recovery tools, like MiniTool Power Data Recovery. This file recovery software can restore files lost due to various reasons on Windows and other data storage media. You can get the free edition of this software to deep scan and restore 1GB of files for free.
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You can only scan the folder that is used to save downloads from Chrome (the Downloads folder by default) by choosing Select Folder in the main interface and opting for the target folder.
When the scan process is finished, browse the file list to recover the wanted files. Using the Filter, Search, Type, and Preview features to locate and verify files from the file list. Please choose a new file path to restore files, avoiding data overwriting.
How to Stop Chrome from Automatically Deleting Files
When you can’t recover the downloads automatically deleted in Chrome, you should try the following steps to change the configuration in Chrome or Windows to stop Chrome from automatically deleting files.
Step 1. Click the three-dot icon in a Chrome window and select Settings.
Step 2. Choose Privacy and security > Security, then locate the Safe Browsing section to choose No Protection (not recommended).
Optionally, you can temporarily turn off the real-time protection in Windows Defender to get the wanted files.
If the Chrome browser deletes the downloaded file automatically from time to time after changing settings, there might be problems in Chrome. You can repair or reinstall it to fix the browser issues.
Final Words
It is annoying to experience the situation that Chrome automatically deletes downloaded files. You can try the methods in this post to get the deleted files back and change configurations in Chrome and Windows to against them from deleting files automatically.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Andrea graduated in English and has a keen interest in the IT industry and questions that arise when computers are used. She is passionate about new things and challenging things and has a wide range of interests like playing guitar, gaming, and crafting.