Everyone has gone through the heart-stopping moment when they find their essential files vanished. Whether it’s a professional paper you invested hours on, a set of priceless photos, or a personal project, losing data can seem like a blow in the gut. Not fear, though; discovering deleted data could be easier than you would have thought.

Why then does first disappearance of files occur? There are numerous justifications. Your data can be erratic from a program glitch, accidental file loss, or hard disk damage. Sometimes it’s our own mistakes—like pushing the wrong button—but other times it’s just one of those computer mishaps that happens out of nowhere. The trick is then on how to find it.

First rule of thumb when you misplace files is to stop using your gadget. Maintaining its usage is appealing, especially if you think the files are permanently deleted. If you constantly add new data, though, you run the risk of rewriting the exact files you want to retrieve. Then stop and momentarily set down your gadget.

Your next move will depend on the situation once you stopped using the device. Usually, recovery tools allow you to fix a minor issue—such as unintentionally deleting a file or handling corruption—yourself. There are many free and paid solutions available that will help you to find those missing files. Scanning your device, they attempt to retrieve files from the depths. But if the issue is more severe—that of actual damage to the hard disk—then recovery tools will not be enough. You should then consult professionals.

Data recovery professionals have the tools and experience to manage hardware issues outside of what recovery programs can handle, just like tech world emergency responders do. Though this is not always guaranteed, these experts can usually restore your data whether your hard drive fails or your equipment is physically destroyed. When all goes according, though, it seems like a miracle.

That said, the best way to stop data loss later on is to stop it initially in general. Regular backups are your friend most often. From a USB stick to an external hard drive to cloud storage, making backups takes little time and might save you avoid a lot of worry down road.

There is still hope even if your best efforts result in data disappearance. Usually with the right tools and some time, you will find something you thought to have disappeared permanently. It is very definitely achievable even if it is not always easy.

Data recovery is really about timing when to act and when to ask help. Using the right approach can help you to save yourself a lot of effort and obtain those crucial documents.