Recover a Deleted Jupyter IPYNB Notebook on Windows

Updated on Oct 21, 2026 | by Qiling

Quick Navigation:

Understand the Missing .ipynb File
Check Copies and Protect the Source
Recover with Qiling Deep Data Recovery
Verify the Recovered File
Frequently Asked Questions

A Jupyter .ipynb file contains notebook cells and outputs in a structured document. The code may also exist in Git or an exported script, but those copies may not contain the same markdown and outputs.

Understand the Missing .ipynb File

Check the working directory, Recycle Bin, Git history, cloud versions and Jupyter checkpoints first. A checkpoint is an older copy, not a guaranteed record of every unsaved edit. If the notebook was deleted while a kernel was running, stop writing to the affected storage.

There are three different situations: the file was deleted, its folder or storage location changed, or the file still exists but does not open. Find out which happened before running a scan. A disk scan can find some deleted local files; it cannot create content that was never saved or repair every damaged file.

Check Copies and Protect the Source

Search the project folder and its checkpoint subfolder for the notebook name.
Inspect version control or team storage for a committed or synchronized copy.
Keep an exported HTML or Python script as reference, but verify that editable cells and metadata are present in the restored .ipynb.

Stop creating new datasets and notebooks on the source disk. Save candidates on another drive and avoid executing untrusted recovered code.

If the disk disconnects repeatedly, clicks, or shows severe read errors, avoid repeated scans and seek a stable copy or professional help. Results also depend on whether the deleted blocks have been overwritten, especially on SSDs.

Recover with Qiling Deep Data Recovery

Qiling Deep Data Recovery can scan storage visible to Windows for deleted local files. Start only after checking existing copies. A result in the file list is a candidate, not proof that the file is complete.

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Step 1. Check the Best Available Copy

Open the likely backup or version-history location first. Copy any surviving .ipynb and related files to a safe destination. If no complete copy is available, close applications that write to the source and launch Qiling Deep Data Recovery.

Step 2. Choose the Scan Mode

Choose Fast Scan for recent deletion or Recycle Bin Scan after emptying the bin. If the first pass misses the file and the device remains stable, use the deeper scan option in the results rather than repeatedly writing to the source.

Choose Qiling recovery scan mode for .ipynb

Step 3. Select the Source Location

Select the disk holding the notebook file, which may differ from the data directory. Confirm the disk model, capacity and drive letter before starting the scan. Never select the recovery destination as the source by mistake.

Select original storage location for .ipynb recovery

Step 4. Review Matching Files

Filter for .ipynb and compare dates, sizes and expected notebook names; keep multiple versions. If the original folder is not shown, also search by file type and date. Do not discard earlier versions solely because one preview looks promising.

Review matching .ipynb recovery candidates

Step 5. Recover to Another Drive

Select the best candidates, click Recover, and save them to a different physical drive. Keep the recovered originals unchanged; test copies so a failed open or import cannot damage your only result.

Save recovered .ipynb files to another drive

Verify the Recovered File

Open a copied notebook without running all cells. Check cell order, markdown, kernelspec and output references before execution.

If a recovered file is incomplete, compare older backups and alternate scan results. Do not rename an unrelated file to .ipynb and assume its contents have been restored. Once you have a verified copy, include both the native file and any required companion files in a separate backup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a checkpoint always the latest version?

No. Compare its timestamp and content with other copies.

Can an HTML export replace an IPYNB?

It can preserve a view, but usually not the same editable notebook state.

Should I run recovered code immediately?

No. Review the cells and dependencies first.

A research workflow may also depend on saved R objects, project settings, or report source files. Recover the missing component using the matching guide: Recover Deleted R .RData workspace files on Windows; Recover Deleted R .rds data files on Windows; Recover Deleted RStudio .Rproj project files on Windows; Recover Deleted R Markdown .Rmd documents on Windows; Recover Deleted Quarto .qmd documents on Windows.