Restore Previous Versions of Files with ShadowExplorer
Every once in a while you’ll find yourself needing to go back and recover a file from back in time. Either you accidentally deleted it, saved over a previous version, etc. The best tool I’ve found for this is ShadowExplorer.
ShadowExplorer depends on shadow volumes that Windows occasionally makes of your machine. As ShadowExplorer explains it: From time to time, Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 creates point-in-time copies of your files. This allows you to retrieve older versions from files you accidentally deleted or altered. This service is turned on by default on all versions of Windows Vista/7, but Microsoft grants access to these copies only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. This is where ShadowExplorer comes into play. For more information on Shadow Copy, visit Microsoft's website.
Simply download ShadowExplorer from their site, install and away you go. You’ll see a list of shadow volumes to explore and then it’s a matter of finding the lost file you’re looking for and exporting them back to the present.