GUIDE · SSD AND TRIM · 15 OCTOBER 2026
Recover deleted files from an SSD: what TRIM changes
Why deleted files on an SSD are usually gone within moments, how to check whether TRIM is on, and what can still be found on SSDs, HDDs and disk images.
What TRIM does
When you delete a file or format a volume, Windows tells an SSD which blocks are free (TRIM). The drive then erases them in the background, and reads of those blocks usually return zeros. After that, no recovery program can bring the data back: it is not hidden, it is erased by the drive itself.
How to check
In an administrator command prompt, fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify reports whether Windows sends delete notifications (0 means it does). Frame Witness also reads whether the device reports TRIM and says so in its findings.
What can still be found
Files the drive has not erased yet, data on hard drives, which never erase freed space on their own, data on most USB sticks and memory cards, and anything inside a disk image made before the deletion. Frame Witness reports how much of what it read is blank, so you know early.
What we tested
An SSD was only emulated, in a virtual machine with a VHDX disk that receives TRIM: after a format, the freed areas read as zeros and nothing was recovered, as expected. No physical SSD has been tested.
What cannot come back
- Overwritten data. Bytes that new files replaced are gone for every program.
- Full and overwrite formats. A full format in Windows writes zeros over the volume; an overwrite format or a wipe does the same with other patterns.
- SSD TRIM. A drive that receives TRIM usually erases freed blocks itself.
- Encryption without the key. A BitLocker volume, or a phone with file-based encryption, cannot be read without its key.
Frequently asked questions
Can deleted files be recovered from an SSD?
Rarely. If TRIM ran, the drive erased the freed blocks. Recovery is possible only for data the drive has not erased yet, or from a backup or disk image.
Does disabling TRIM help after deleting?
Changing the setting afterwards does not restore blocks the drive already erased.
Try it on your own source
Download Frame Witness for Windows (version 1.0.14, Authenticode-signed by Aurelio Avila, SHA-256 fa22d6c7f97da0b4e5efa889e5abb9e4d98815a9b76ac0087424944b21bad6c2). The free account gives a quick scan of the first 8 GiB, up to 100 results, previews and saving files up to 1 MiB each; full scans and larger files need a licence, with current prices on the pricing page.