How to Fix My Computer is Automatically Deleting (3 Ways)

Why My Computer is Automatically Deleting Files?

Recently, more and more users have reported that they encountered my computer is automatically deleting files problem. This article summarizes a few common causes for this problem so that you can fix it after understanding the causes.

• Windows Storage Sense feature: The main reason for this problem is due to a newer feature of Windows called "Storage Sense". If you turn on this feature, it will automatically delete unused files and temporary files when your computer is running low on disk space. It can also delete old files from the Downloads folder and Recycle Bin to free up space.
• Windows Defender thinks the file is malware: Another possible reason why your files are deleted is that Windows Defender thinks it is malware. Windows Defender's active protection may mistakenly threaten and delete your files, and consider them to be infected with malware.
• Installed the wrong Windows update: If you installed an incompatible or faulty Windows 10 update, the Storage Sense feature will remove or delete files from your computer.

How to Fix My Computer is Automatically Deleting Files

After understanding the reasons, you can learn how to stop my computer from deleting files by itself. Next, this article will introduce 3 useful methods in turn. Each method includes a detailed graphic tutorial. Keep reading for more information.

Fix 1. Turn off Storage Sense

To solve the "my computer is automatically deleting files in Windows 10" problem, you can turn off the Storage Sense feature in Windows 10. This feature will automatically delete unused files and temporary files as well as old files in the Downloads folder and Recycle Bin regularly. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Open the Settings app. Click the System > Storage. You can switch the Storage Sense to Off.

Step 2. If you don't want to disable this feature totally, you can re-configure Storage Sense by clicking Change how we free up space automatically.

Step 3. Click the box under Delete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for over and select Never. Also, click the box under Delete files in my Downloads folder if they have been there for over and choose Never.

Fix 2. Exclude Files from Windows Defender

If the file was deleted because Windows Defender mistakenly thought it was a malware, you can fix the "my computer is automatically deleting files" problem by excluding files from Windows Defender. Please follow the steps below.

Step 1. Open the Windows Security app from your Start Menu. Then click on Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings.

Step 2. Scroll down to Exclusions and click Add or remove exclusions.

Step 3. Click + icon to add an exclusion and select File, Folder, File Type, or Process, then specify the exact files, folders, or even file types that you don't want to get deleted or removed by Windows Defender.

Step 4. Save the changes. If you don't want Windows Defender to remove the .dll files, click File Types and type in the .dll and .exe file extension, click Add. After this, those files that you’ve set to be excluded won’t be removed or deleted again.   

Fix 3. Uninstall Faulty Updates

As we all know, sometimes the newly installed Windows system deletes or removes files from your computer without asking for your consent. Therefore, the problem may be caused by a faulty Windows update. You can uninstall the faulty update to fix the problem. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Press Win+R to open the Run window and input control panel to open the Control Panel.

Step 2. Click Programs > Programs and Features and select View Installed Updates.

Step 3. Click the Installed On column header to sort the updates by dates.

Step 4. Locate and right-click on the large-sized, major updates that you’ve recently downloaded, and select Uninstall.

When the uninstall process completes, restart your PC.   

Best Way to Prevent Windows Deleting Files Automatically

Usually, the “my computer is automatically deleting files” problem will cause data loss. To better protect your data, you can choose a free and secure file backup software to backup your files regularly. AOMEI Backpper Standard is a good choice that can help you backup your files against data loss due to system upgrade, system crash, careless deletion virus attack, etc. As a free and professional backup tool, it also has the following advantages:

• 4 backup solutions: It supports 4 backup solutions including File Backup, Partition Backup,  System Backup and Disk Backup to meet your multiple backup needs.
• Schedule backup: It supports scheduled backup so that you can backup your files with fixed intervals (Daily/Weekly/Monthly).
• Incremental backup: It can only backup the changed parts so that you can save your backup time and promote backup efficiency. Especially when you perform the scheduled backup, the incremental backup method would be very helpful.
• Multiple destination paths: It supports multiple storage devices, such as local drive, external drive, USB, HDD, SSD, etc.
• Various operating systems: It supports various operating systems, such as Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, XP, Vista, etc.

Then you can follow the graphic tutorial below to prevent data loss from Windows deleting files automatically.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Standard, install and launch it. Then click Backup > File Backup.

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder, then select the files or folders you want to backup.

Step 3. Choose the destination for your backup.

Step 4. Confirm all your operations and then click Start Backup.

Notes:

• Options: You can choose the different compression levels (high/normal/low), different backup modes, write comments to your backups and set up email notifications.
• Schedule: You can set the file backups with fixed intervals such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger or USB plug in. And the last two are available in the Pro version.
• Scheme: You can select different backup methods (Full/Incremental/Differential backup) or enable automatic backup cleanup feature.

★ How to backup files to AOMEI Cloud

There is a growing trend to backup files to cloud storage. You can backup files to AOMEI Cloud if you have an AOMEI account. It offers you 1TB free storage for 15 days after you sign up for an AOMEI account.    

Summary 

This article describes the causes of the “my computer is automatically deleting files” problem and the different solutions for each cause. If you are also encountered this problem, you can try the methods mentioned in the article to help you.

This problem often leads to data loss, so for better data protection, we recommend you to backup your files regularly with AOMEI Backupper Standard. It provides multiple backup methods and backup frequencies to meet your various needs. When your files are accidentally deleted, you can use this file backup to make a quick fix and then access all your data normally.

Besides, this software is an excellent restore software that helps you restore not only files but also systems, disks and partitions. Even if you want to restore your system to a computer with different hardware, its Universal Restore feature can help you reach the goal easily. You can download the software to discover more functions!