Lost or deleted an important file?
These free file recovery tools could help you get it back
1. Recuva
Recover files accidentally deleted from your Recycle Bin, quickly and easily
Recuva is purely concerned with helping you get accidentally deleted files back, but to this end it makes things as easy and stress-free as possible. It opens by default to a file recovery wizard, which advanced users can subsequently skip: from here, choose the type of file you're trying to recover (picture, documents, compressed, emails and all files are among those on offer) and it'll focus its search accordingly.
You can target your search to a specific location or search all your drives, and you can opt to choose a quick or deep scan. The latter takes much longer, but flushes out more results. Then click 'Start' and wait for the scan to complete.
Once done, your results are presented, with each recovered file given a rating depending on its condition. You can recover files direct from here or switch to Advanced Mode for a frankly better view, offering file preview, information and a peek at the file's header. Recuva is also available as a portable app - essential for any emergency toolkit.
2. DMDE Free Edition
The most effective way to recover files from a dead hard drive
Our favourite free file recovery tool is often overlooked. DMDE Free Edition scores major points because it's capable of recovering data from a wide array of drives, including 2TB+ drives rescued from a fried external drive enclosure with proprietary formatting (it's a long story).
DMDE may not be the simplest tool to use, but it's one of the most effective, and our step-by-step file recovery guide will help you with the basics.
DMDE works by letting you select a drive and then identifies all mountable partitions, with the most obvious choices highlighted. If successful, you're then shown a File Explorer-like view to browse the drive and recover what data you need from it.
There are restrictions on the way you can recover data from the free version, but there's no limit to how much you recover. If you want a simpler and faster recovery process, just upgrade to the Express or Standard edition.
Read on to discover four more of our favourite tools for recovering lost data in an emergency. Have we missed a program that's saved your skin in a near-disaster? Let us know in the comments below!
3. TestDisk & PhotoRec
Recover lost files from any media, with support for hundreds of file formats
Don't be fooled by the name, PhotoRec recovers far more than just photos. It works with a wide range of file systems and media, from hard drives to CD/DVD, USB flash drives and memory cards, and there are builds for Mac and Linux, giving you flexibility to recover data from a different computer if necessary.
It also has deep knowledge of over 200 file formats, which helps with reconstructing lost files, and comes packaged with TestDisk, which can be used to recover partitions.
The main complication is the user interface – it's a command line affair, with no mouse support. At first glance this appears complicated, but the program steps you through the process via a series of menu screens, and because it mounts the target drive in read-only mode, there's no danger of data being lost if you take a wrong turn – you can't write data to the drive you're recovering from, for example.
4. MiniTool Partition Recovery Free
Lost a whole partition? MiniTool's excellent recovery software can help
One of the most frightening data loss experiences is when an entire drive or partition goes missing. Often this can be traced to an accidentally deleted partition or one where the partition header has corrupted. If the issue is this simple, getting the partition back can be done quickly and easily without leaving Windows using MiniTool Partition Recovery Free.
Just fire it up, select the drive containing your lost partition, then choose whether to scan the entire disk or just a portion of it (say the part where your missing partition should be). Choose between full and quick scans, then sit back and let the program do its work.
Don't panic if it appears to become non-responsive, just be patient and eventually it'll list all detected partitions on the drive. Select all of them – including your missing partition – and click 'Finish' to restore it.
You can also double-click a partition to view its file contents – perfect for verifying it's the one you're after.
5. Paragon Rescue Kit 14 Free Edition
Can't boot into Windows? All is not lost with Paragon Rescue Kit
All of the recovery tools we've covered so far assume you're able to boot into Windows to use them. But what happens if Windows won't boot at all? This is where Paragon Rescue Kit comes into play.
The best time to install it is now while your PC is running, otherwise you'll need to do so on a working Windows PC. Once done, you'll need a blank CD/DVD or flash drive (512MB or larger – if you're planning to recover data to this drive, go for the biggest drive you can) – the setup wizard does the hard work.
Now insert the disc or flash media into your non-booting PC and restart, selecting said media from the boot menu. You'll find yourself at a menu offering a multitude of options from recovering lost partitions, fixing boot issues and – crucially – a file-transfer wizard for getting data off a target drive. If all else fails, this could be a lifesaver.
Other Softwares:
1. 7-Data Recovery Suite
All-in-one Data Recovery Software Rescuing Your File Under Almost Any Condition
http://7datarecovery.com/file/7data-recovery-suite.exe
Complete and capable data recovery software for rescuing files under almost any conditions including: accidentally deleted files; damaged or formatted hard drive; lost/deleted partition; photo or video lost from local drive, memory card, or camera; file lost from mobile phones, etc.
- >Recover data from both local drives and mobile storage devices
- >Recover documents, emails, photos, videos, audio files and more
- >Recover 1 GB data for free with the Free Edition
2. Restoration (Windows)
Restoration is a tiny, no-frills, portable recovery tool. You can use it in all versions of Windows and Windows file systems. It lacks some of the advanced functionality of other nominees but does have basic file-name search and the ability to sort by file parameters such as size and filename. Despite its tiny size, it performed just as well as the other nominees when tasked with restoring files from our test disks. Restoration weighs in at a mere 406k and would make a great addition to any Windows-based USB toolkit.
3. Undelete Plus (Windows)
Undelete Plus used to be commercial software but has gone on a lengthy "limited time offer" freeware run. This file recovery app works on all versions of Windows and incarnations of the FAT and NTFS file systems. Like Recuva, Undelete Plus assigns a recovery probability to files it finds based on how damaged the file is. You can sort files by type, set filters based on time and size to avoid sifting through every deleted file on your disk, and keep folder structures intact when you perform your recovery.
Now that you've had a chance to look over the contenders for best free data recovery tool, it's time to cast your vote and see who wins the crown.
Which Free Data Recovery Tool is Best? (Poll Closed)
Total Votes: 3,130
If you have a file-recovery tip, technique, or tool you're dying to share. sound off in the comments and help your fellow readers get their data back.
More:
1. Puran File Recovery
Puran File Recovery is one of the better free data recovery programs I've seen. It's very easy to use, will scan any drive that Windows sees, and has a lot of advanced options if you need them.
One particular thing to note - Puran File Recovery identified more files on my test machine than most other tools so be sure to give this one a shot in addition to Recuva if it didn't find what you were looking for.
Puran File Recovery will even recover lost partitions if they haven't been overwritten yet. Puran File Recovery v1.2.1 Review and Free Download
Puran File Recovery works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It's also available in portable form for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, so it doesn't require installation. More »
2. Disk Drill
Disk Drill is an excellent free data recovery program not only because of its features but also due to the very simple design, making it almost impossible to get confused.
The Disk Drill website says it can recover data from "virtually any storage device," such as internal and external hard drives, USB devices, memory cards, and iPods.
Disk Drill can also preview image files before recovering them, pause scans and resume them later, perform partition recovery, back up an entire drive, filter files by date or size, run a quick scan versus a full scan for faster results, and save scan results so you can easily import them again to recovery deleted files at a later time.
Disk Drill works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Mac OS X. More »
3. Glary Undelete
Glary Undelete is an excellent free file recovery program. It's very easy to use and has one of the better user interfaces that I've seen.
The biggest advantages in Glary Undelete include the easy "Folders" view, a Windows Explorer-style view of recoverable files, and a prominent "State" indication for each file, suggesting how likely a successful file recovery will be.
One disadvantage of Glary Undelete is that installation is required before you can use it and it asks you to install a toolbar, which you can of course decline. Aside from those facts, Glary Undelete is top notch.
Glary Undelete can recover files from hard drives and any removable media you might have including memory cards, USB drives, etc.
Glary Undelete is said to work in Windows 7, Vista, and XP, but it also works fine in Windows 10, Windows 8, and versions older than Windows XP. I tested Glary Undelete v5.0 in Windows 7. More »
4. Pandora Recovery
Pandora Recovery is another excellent free file recovery software program. It's super easy to use and has the best wizard to help you undelete files that I've seen in any file recovery app.
A more advanced "Surface Scan" is available in Pandora Recovery that should recover more files than the standard search as long as they are of a popular format.
Pandora Recovery will undelete files from hard drives, memory cards, etc. Nearly anything that stores files that you can also connect to your PC should be supported.
You will need to install Pandora Recovery to your hard drive which is a major reason I haven't ranked it higher than some other file recovery tools.
Pandora Recovery lists support for Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, and 2000 but it worked perfectly well for me in Windows 10, 8, and 7. More »
5. SoftPerfect File Recovery
SoftPerfect File Recovery is another superb file undelete program. It's very easy to search for recoverable files. Anyone should be able to use this program with very little trouble.
SoftPerfect File Recovery will undelete files from hard drives, memory cards, etc. Any device on your PC that stores data (except for your CD/DVD drive) should be supported.
SoftPerfect File Recovery is a small, 500 KB, standalone file making the program very portable. Feel free to run File Recovery from a USB drive or floppy disk. Scroll down a bit on the download page to find it.
Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008 & 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95 are all supported. According to SoftPerfect, 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems are also supported.
I tested SoftPerfect File Recovery v1.2 in Windows 10 without any issues. More »
6. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is another great file undelete program. Recovering files is very easy to do with just a few clicks.
My favorite aspect of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is that the user interface is structured much like Windows Explorer. While that may not be everyone's ideal way to display files, it's a very familiar interface that most people are comfortable with.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will undelete files from hard drives, optical drives, memory cards, and pretty much anything else that Windows sees as a storage device. It also doespartition recovery!
Please know that Data Recovery Wizard will only recover a total of 2 GB of data before you'll need to upgrade. I almost didn't include this program because of that limitation but since most situations call for undeleting much less than that, I'll let it slide.
Data Recovery Wizard supports Mac and Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003. More »
7. Wise Data Recovery
Wise Data Recovery is a free undelete program that's really simple to use.
The program installed very quickly and scanned my PC in record time. Wise Data Recovery can scan various USB devices like memory cards and other removal devices.
An instant search function makes it really quick and easy to search for deleted files that Wise Data Recovery has found. ARecoverability column shows the likelihood of a file being recovered with Good, Poor, Very Poor, or Lost. Just right-click to restore a file.
Wise Data Recovery works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. There's also a portable version available. More »
08. FreeUndelete
FreeUndelete is self explanatory - it's free and it undeletes files! FreeUndelete is another great file recovery tool, very similar to other undelete utilities around this rank in my list.
The major advantage of FreeUndelete is its easy to use interface and "folder drill down" functionality (i.e. files available for recovery are not shown in a big, unmanageable listing).
FreeUndelete will recover files from hard drives, memory cards, and other similar storage devices in, or connected to, your PC.
FreeUndelete works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. More »
Any Data Recovery
Retrieve accidentally deleted data
If you accidentally delete files on your computer then Free Any Data Recovery can helpretrieve data such as documents, photos, multimedia files and emails, etc.
Any Data Recovery works on both your PC hard drive and removable drives such as USB sticks, memory cards, mobile phones and iPods. Free Any Data Recovery has two modes - Normal and Deep Scan - and allows you to preview files before actually recovering them.
It's also easy to use with a setup wizard for first time use.
Source:
1. http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/best-free-data-recovery-tools-1321723
2. http://lifehacker.com/5237503/five-best-free-data-recovery-tools
3. http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/tp/free-file-recovery-programs.htm
3. http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/tp/free-file-recovery-programs.htm
You can target your search to a specific location or search all your drives, and you can opt to choose a quick or deep scan. The latter takes much longer, but flushes out more results. Then click 'Start' and wait for the scan to complete.
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