My .PDF files disappeared from my computer. How can I recover them?

[tomh40518947]

My .PDF files disappeared from my computer. How can I recover them?

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

PDF files don't just “disappear¨ from a computer. They are deleted either on purpose or accidentally. There is nothing in either Reader or Acrobat that makes PDF files “disappear” by deleting them.

There are utility programs that can, depending upon disk activity since the file deletions, recover files. Deleting files generally deactivates directory entries but does not usually erase the disk sectors that contained the data. If those sectors weren't subsequently assigned to another file since the time you deleted a file, using such undelete utilities (third party, not part of Windows or MacOS) may successfully recover the file. But time is of the essence in attempting recovery.

Of course, the most dependable method of recovering your PDF files is to retrieve them from your disk backup. You do backup your disks regularly, don't you? 

          - Dov

[ryanaissance]

This is absolutely incorrect.  PDF files can disappear.  If I download a book in pdf format and take specific note of the file name and folder, it can still disappear, never to be found on my computer again, even searching the entire pc with the correct file name.  The pdf files are likely expiring, a heinous practice that all Adobe users are encouraged to duckduckgo a work around.

[try67]

Sounds like your computer is infected with a virus or malware.

[gary_sc]

Hi Ryan,

Are you blaming Adobe when you buy a time-limited book? Really? And here I was blaming Applebees restaurants. Foolish me.

[gkaiseril]

Was this PDF downloaded from a public library?

If so many of those files have a limited life on a system and are controlled by Digital Rights Management, DRM< and before one accesses this type of service, one has to agree to the terms of the service that includes a limited time for access.

If the file was viewed using a browser plug-in, the tile may have been downloaded to a temporary download folder that can be deleted on restart or leaving the browser. This could be for security reasons.

[Dov Isaacs]

My original response still stands. There is absolutely nothing in any Adobe software that deletes PDF files (or any other user data files) without your explicit request for such deletion.

          - Dov