We’ve all done it. Deleted a file thinking we’ll never need it, then 2 weeks later we need it! Besides tools like Dropbox or Apple’s Time Machine that can backup your files before you delete them, how can you get files back from an empty Recycle Bin?

PCMag to the rescue. A recent article by Eric Griffith details some software tools that can help restore files that seemingly don’t exist. Some cost money while others don’t. If software can’t save you, they even talk about places to send your hard drives to restore files.

In the end, with hard drive costs so low, and the prevalence of free cloud storage, maybe the lesson to be learned is not to delete anything? But then would we all need to be on Hoarders?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/q43txpv, public domain