How to Recover Temporary Files in Windows 11/10/8/7

Home > HowTos > File Recovery Tips Updated by Nancy on August 21, 2024 | Approved by Jennifer Allen

Can temp files be recovered? This is a question that worries many users. Whether it is Word file or Excel sheet, you must know how to recover temp files on your Windows system. But before we move on to the recovery part, let’s learn a thing or two about temp files.

The temp files, saved with extension .tmp are the ones which are used by Windows for backup purpose. These files hold the content that is unsaved or edited in any file recently. The feature is provided so that in cases of abrupt malfunction in the system working, your lost files can be recovered. Sometimes, the temp files can’t be found on the system, and you’ll have to rely on third-party software for recovery.

So, here we will make an attempt to restore temporary files in Windows 11/10/8/7 and get your files back as soon as possible.

Quick Navigation
Part 1. How to Restore Temp Files in Windows 11/10
Part 2. How to Recover Temporary Deleted Files on Computer with Software

Part 1. How to Restore Temp Files in Windows 11/10

Most of the temporary files are stored in the folder, which is called the Windows Temp folder. However, the location of the folder might differ from one system to another or even for different users' profiles. But you don’t need to worry about finding the folder. In order to find temp file, you need to understand that once you close the program, the file gets erased. Plus, as the file stores a different type of data, it is hard to open the files without knowing what is inside it.

  1. For Windows 11/10, use Cortana and open the Search box. For Windows 8.1, right-click on the Start button and choose the Run option. And for Windows 8.0, open the Apps screen and access Run. In the earlier versions of Windows, you can simply click on the Start button to open the Search box and find Run. In the Run window or search box, enter "%temp%" and hit the enter key. This command will open the designated temp folder on your system.
  2. The default location of the folder is most likely to be- C:\Username\AppData\Local\Temp.
  3. Inside the temp folder, you will find the files that are relevant for various apps that have been accessed recently.

To open a temp file, you first need to know that the file you are looking for, by default, have the app icon so that you can identify the type of temp file. Plus, temp files contain raw information. So, you have to be careful with them; otherwise, you’ll end up losing the file permanently. In this way, you can recover temporary Word files, PowerPoint and more data in Windows PC.

In the above section, we know where we will find the temp files. As soon as you come across the relevant file, right-click on it and select "Open with" option.

You have to specify the app for the temp file in order to access the information stored in it. To convert the temp file into the desired file like Word, Excel, or PDF, you can rename the file according to the default extension of the apps, i.e., .docx, .xlsx, and .pdf.

The catch with recover temporary files is that it is not necessary that you will be able to find the file on your system.

How to Recover Temporary Deleted Files on Computer with Software

Now that you know that temp files can also get lost, you might be panic. But there is no need as the iBeesoft Data Recovery tool is here for your help. So, regardless of how and when you lost your files, the software can recover deleted temp files on Windows 10 or any other Windows OS version. There are several reasons why data from your system might get lost, and this software is designed to get back everything in a seamless manner. Being a powerful and safe data recovery tool, you will be able to retrieve images, archives, videos, documents, etc. with one-click.

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  • Recover deleted, lost and temporary files even without backup.
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Step-by-step Guide for How to Recover Deleted/Lost/Temporary Files

Once you know how easy it is to recover temporary deleted files on computer, you won’t even try any other option. Here is the step-by-step guide that you can follow to get back the files you lost.

  1. Run iBeesoft
  2. Just download the software on your system, and it will be ready for recovery right away. After then, launch the program.

  3. Specify the Location
  4. On the next screen, you will see the available space on the drive where the file could be found. Specify the location and press the Scan button on the top. The recover temp files software will scan the entire drive space and display the results on the screen.

  5. Preview & restore temporary files in Windows 11/10/7
  6. Once the scan is finished, you can start looking for the files you want. Filter the results according to the file type and format. Then select the files, have a preview, and hit the "Recover" button.

Wait for a while, and you will have the temp files you need on your computer.

At last, we can assure you that using iBeesoft Data Recovery is the optimal way for data retrieval. You will be able to recover temp files without any delay or quality loss. What else do you want???