How to recover deleted files from an SSD?

I accidentally shifted-deleted a folder from my SSD yesterday. About 14GB of project files, no Recycle Bin.

I know SSDs handle deletion differently from hard drives. Is there any realistic chance of getting these back? Running Windows 11, Samsung 870 EVO.

SSDs are trickier than HDDs because of TRIM. When Windows detects a deletion, it can send a TRIM command to the drive telling it to wipe those sectors ready for reuse. On a busy system, that can happen fast.

That said, TRIM doesn't always run instantly. If the drive hasn't been heavily written to since the deletion, sectors may still hold the data.

First thing: stop using that SSD now. Every write shrinks the recovery window.

SysTools Windows Data Recovery handles SSDs and can do a deep scan even on TRIM-enabled drives. Run it from a different drive, not from the SSD you're trying to recover.

1

Install SysTools on a separate drive or USB. Do not install it to the affected SSD.

2

Select the SSD partition and run a deep scan. This can take a while on larger drives.

3

Preview recovered files before saving. Save to a different drive.

Running the deep scan now from a USB install. Already seeing some of the folder names in the preview. Very hopeful.

Got 11GB of the 14GB back. The remaining 3GB were in a subfolder that was probably TRIMmed. Good enough. Marking solved, cheers Edwin.