This page offers three methods to help you open shortcut files and convert shortcut files into original files in Windows 10/8/7 PC. If your saved files turned into shortcut format on USB/SD or other storage devices, relax and follow the details below to open and recover shortcut files to original ones now.
Summary
- Convert Shortcut Files To Original
- How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File To Excel
- How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File Online
Problem: USB Flash Drive Files Changed to Shortcuts
'Anyone who knows how to solve my problem, please help me! I use a USB flash drive as a backup drive to store the very important files and documents. This morning when I inserted the flash drive into my laptop and tried to open a file, to my huge surprise, all of my files in it turned into shortcuts. Actually, the file names are the same as I saved earlier, but the used space shows 0 bytes. I believe the files are still there, but how to convert shortcut files into original files without destroying the file quality?'
It's a common problem that's happened to almost all of us. The error results from USB shortcut virus. You cannot access the file which is infected by shortcut virus, however, if you check the property you'll find that the used space is as same as the original file, which means the shortcut virus just changed your files into some icons but doesn't eat them up. To open the actual data file infected by shortcut virus, you should remove the virus by the first attempt, and then try to recover shortcut virus files with the following suggestions.
Troubleshooting: How to Open and Convert Shortcut Files into Original
Here are three general methods you can apply to solve the problem and try to recover shortcut files. The application of the three methods is descending from more complex to simple. Please choose a preferred method according to your own technical background.
Method 1. Convert Shortcut files into original files by CMD command
1. Press Windows + R and type: cmd.
2. Type: chkdsk E: /f and hit Enter. (Replace E: with the drive letter of your device where you lost or deleted files.)
3. Type: Y and hit Enter.
4. Type E: again and hit Enter. (Replace E: with the drive letter of your device where you lost or deleted files.)
5. Type: attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and hit Enter.
2. Type: chkdsk E: /f and hit Enter. (Replace E: with the drive letter of your device where you lost or deleted files.)
3. Type: Y and hit Enter.
4. Type E: again and hit Enter. (Replace E: with the drive letter of your device where you lost or deleted files.)
5. Type: attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and hit Enter.
Method 2. Show hidden files to open shortcut files
1. Open your USB Drive
2. Open Folder Options
3. In 'Hidden files and folders' click 'Show hidden files and folders'
4. Remove and click 'Hide protected operating system files'
2. Open Folder Options
3. In 'Hidden files and folders' click 'Show hidden files and folders'
4. Remove and click 'Hide protected operating system files'
Extra advice: recover deleted files by the shortcut virus
Download and install EaseUS free data recovery software. Follow the tips and steps strictly.
Step 1: Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
Convert Shortcut Files To Original
Select the disk partition or storage location where you lost files and click 'Scan'.
Step 2: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will start a scanning process to find lost files.
The scanning process will automatically start to find all of the files.
How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File To Excel
Step 3: Preview and restore lost files.
How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File Online
![How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File How To Convert Shortcut File Into Original File](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123718627/535419958.jpg)
You can filter scan results by file type, select found files and click 'Recover' to get them back. You should save the files to another safe spot in your PC/storage device, not where they were lost from.
HomeYodot File RecoveryFolder RecoveryRecover Folders Converted to Shortcut
“I have copied few folders from external hard drive to my Windows computer and before transferring all folders was correct. But soon after transmission all folders got converted to shortcuts. I plugged in my external hard drive to check for those folders but unfortunately the folders present in it have also been converted to shortcut. When I clicked on particular folder it displayed folder is empty even though it contained lots of files. Can someone please help me to get over my problem? I really want my folders back. Thanks in advance!”
The above mentioned situation has been faced by almost all users who rely on computers for their day to day activities. Most of the times, this type of situations occur when external storage media is infected with viruses namely QWERT, AUTORUN, BUOUFO and so on. These viruses hide the files and make them inaccessible. To fix these issue you should remove the viruses using DOS command. Here is the procedure to unhide files from shortcut folders:
- First of all click on start button and write “Run” over the search box
- You will now find a window with a search box, just write “CMD” on it
- Now you can see a black window which is called as Windows DOS
- Enter attrib -h -r -s /s /d H:*.*. Here “H” indicates letter of your drive in which the folder is being saved
- Press “Enter” button to complete the process
![Convert shortcut files into original files by cmd command Convert shortcut files into original files by cmd command](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123718627/514084859.jpg)
After applying this method, you can find another copy of folder without shortcuts. Copy those folders and paste them to different location. Now delete folders which have been converted to shortcuts. You can open and access files from folder which you have recovered using DOS command. In case viruses still hides the files present in folder, then run antivirus software. But disadvantage of running antivirus software is it will remove the folder along with viruses. So in that condition, the best way to recover folders that turned into shortcut is by use of ultimate file recovery software.
Application to recover folders converted to shortcut:
If want to recover folders converted to shortcut, then Yodot File Recovery is the best file recovery application that can be chosen. Make use of simplified user interface that can easily assist even a novice user to complete the recovery process instantly. ‘Search box’ option will help you to search for particular type of files in case you are finding difficulties to save required files. This recovery software includes two view types Data View and File Type View; which eases your file selection. Moreover, this software recovers files deleted after disk cleanup, Shift+deletion, formatting, reformatting, hard drive corruption, and other data loss scenarios. You can easily restore files such as Word (DOC,DOCX), PowerPoint (PPT,PPTX), Access (MDB), Database (SQL), Outlook data files (PST and OST), Outlook Express (DBX), archive files (ZIP, RAR), PDF and lot more file types from shortcut folder from various storage devices. This tool runs on various computers running with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 operating systems.
Procedure to recover shortcut folders:
- Download and install Yodot File Recovery software to your computer, if you have lost folders from external storage device then connect it to a healthy computer
- Run the software and start the restore process by following the steps displayed on the screen
- You can see two options “Deleted File Recovery” and “Lost File Recovery” on the main screen
- Choose anyone in order to move to next step
- The software now displays all the drives present in your computer, select the drive from where you want to recover files
- Choose the file types that you need to recover otherwise click on “Skip” button to select all by default
- Start the scanning process, after completion, choose preferred location to store the recovered files
Instructions:
- The main cause for folders turning to shortcut is connecting external storage media to virus infected computer, ignore this mistake
- Schedule scan in your antivirus software once a week to remove viruses
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