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I wanted to uninstall and delete a application called "Telegram", so I have uninstalled from Ubuntu software(store) and I also wanted to delete all the files related to that(telegram),so I opened files(Ubuntu file explorer) and searched for "tel" to find and delete the folders and files related to telegram,but unfortunately I have selected all(shift+end) files and folders which have appeared there for my query and I have deleted(shift+delete) all of those files and folders.

As of now my system works properly and I haven't faced any issues.What can I do to retrieve those files and place them in their respective folders and directories.

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  • Where is the location of the files that were deleted? Do you have a backup?
    – karel
    Jun 18, 2020 at 10:04

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From your description, it can be assumed that you deleted files from your home directory that contained "tel" in their name or as a word within the file. That could probably mean a lot of files, but indeed, since no system files are affected, your system continues to run normally.

According to the description you provided, you did not delete system files. So there, you can rest assured.

Hidden and visible files in your home folder are personal files. If you had turned "hidden files" on (you do not mention that), then also user configuration files will have been deleted.

Your personal data files are unique to you. The filemanager normally provides a safeguard, where files you delete are moved into a temporary space, the Trash, until you delete them permanently. As you used Shift+Delete, you immediately deleted the files for good. Accordingly, the only secure way to restore all your data is to restore them from your backup copy.

In the absence of that, you can try to recover the deleted files from the hard drive. However, that is not trivial: you may recover the raw data only, loosing file name and file structure. Even if done by a professional service, the outcome may not be quite satisfactory.

Restoring user configuration data can be done from a backup if you had them. Otherwise, loosing these is not that critical (except where you would loose locally stored email in for example thunderbird). If configuration files are lacking, the application will automatically recreate default configuration files.

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  • I just wrote down an extensive answer with what you can do. I will turn it bold. As you can read in my answer, hidden files are the least of the problem: these are user configuration data that mostly are automatically recreated. Occasionally, a program may malfunction if config data is partially deleted, but that is easily solved by deleting the entire config folder of the app (a hidden file or folder in your home folder, or a folder under .config in your home folder.
    – vanadium
    Jun 18, 2020 at 8:22
  • I do not have any backup hard disk and I don't think that I have lost any personal data and I'm not afraid of that.I'm just afraid and don't know how to recover various files and folders that I have deleted and even after retrieving them how do I place them in their respective directories or folders? Jun 18, 2020 at 9:19
  • What are you missing in my answer? Unfortunately, there is no other way. If your system works and you do not miss personal data files, what are you then still worried about? Why would you want to recover files you do not appear to miss?
    – vanadium
    Jun 18, 2020 at 10:17
  • I'm worried about files like drivers or files which are essential for smooth functioning of system. Jun 18, 2020 at 15:43
  • You state your system works properly, so there will be no issue. You deleted files in your home folder and below. There are no drivers there. If there would be a concern with system components, then reinstalling can solve all these issues. According to the description in your question, you did not delete any essential system files.
    – vanadium
    Jun 18, 2020 at 15:47

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