What to do if Windows 10 Defender deleted my files

by Tashreef Shareef
Tashreef Shareef
Tashreef Shareef
Windows & Software Expert
Tashreef Shareef is a software developer turned tech writer. He discovered his interest in technology after reading a tech magazine accidentally. Now he writes about everything tech from... read more
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4 ways to restore deleted files by Windows Defender

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Windows OS comes with built-in antivirus protection called Windows Defender. If the security program is configured to detect and remediate threats on your device, Windows Defender Antivirus will quarantine suspicious files.

However, at times Windows Defender may delete the files that are not necessarily a threat. If you are sure that the files deleted by Windows Defender are not a threat or you have a use for them, then you may want to restore the deleted files.

Here’s the problem one Windows 10 user shared on Microsoft Answers.

Windows Defender is constantly deleting my files WITHOUT my permission. Due to that I have suffered a lot of data loss. Even if I turn the real time protection off, it turns back on automatically and deletes my files. It is not even adhering to the exclusions I have made.

Restore your files by following the steps below.

How do I stop Windows Defender from deleting files on Windows 10?

1. Restore Quarantine Items

  1. If you are using a newer version of  Windows Security, here is how to find the Quarantined Threats.
  2. Open Windows Security.
  3. Open Virus and Threat Protection and click on Threat History.
  4. Under “Quarantined threats” click See full history.Restore Windows Defender Deleted Files
  5. Now look for the item you want to restore and click on Restore.
  6. Later, you can navigate to Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings > Exclusions and whitelist files to prevent Windows Defender from deleting them again.

Alternatively, do the following if you can’t find the Quarantined Section.

  1. Open Virus and Threat Protection and under Current Threats, click on Scan Options.
  2. Check under “Quarantined Threats” for your removed files.
  3. Here you can delete or restore any removed files with ease.

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2. Restore Quarantine with Command Line

  1. Type cmd in the search box.
  2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as Administrator”.
  3. In the command prompt, navigate to the following Windows Defender folder by typing the following command.
    cd C:\Program Files\Windows Defenderrun command prompt restore files windows defender Windows 10 defender deleted my files
  4. Next, type the following command and press enter.
    dir *.exe
  5. In the Command Prompt type the following command press OK.
    mpcmdrun -restore -listall
  6. This will list all the quarantined items in your system.
  7. Now enter the following command and hit enter.
    mpcmdrun -restore -all
  8. This will restore all the quarantined items from the list to its earlier destination.
  9. That’s it. You have successfully restored all the quarantined items by the Windows Defender.

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