You know where to find the most important files on your PC - the
documents, the pictures, the music - and they're always available when
you need them. So it's easy to assume that's the way it will always be.
The
reality can be very different, though. Maybe you're not paying
attention for a moment and delete something accidentally, perhaps
there's a software bug, or something happens to corrupt your hard drive:
whatever it is, the end result is that you've lost files, folders,
maybe even an entire partition of valuable data.
Don't panic,
though - there's a good chance that your files are still intact,
somewhere on the disc. And if you act quickly then you may be able to
recover everything. All you'll need is reliable free undelete software
to run a scan, and we've found ten free tools which can help.
1. Recuva Free
Recuva is the very best free file recovery software available, hands
down. It's very easy to use but has many optional advanced features as
well.
Recuva can recover files from hard drives, external drives
(USB drives, etc.), BD/DVD/CD discs, and memory cards. Recuva can even
undelete files from your iPod!
Recuva will undelete files in
Windows 8 & 8.1, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008/2003, and older Windows
versions like 2000, NT, ME and 98. 64-bit Windows versions are also
supported. There is also a 64-bit version Recuva available.
Piriform provides both an installable and a portable version of Recuva. I tested file recovery with Recuva v1.51.1036 using their portable version in Windows 8.1.
Undeleting
a file with Recuva is as easy as deleting one! I highly recommend that
you try Recuva first if you need to recover a file.
2. Undelete 360
Undelete 360 is one of the best programs to use for restoring
accidentally or unintentionally deleted files from your computer,
regardless of storage medium.
Built on a very fast and efficient algorithm, the program will
browse, search, and recover files that have been deleted as a result of an accident, a virus, or software and computer failures.
Undelete 360 can recover files deleted from computer hard drives,
USB/thumb drives and memory sticks, the memory cards used in cameras,
smart phones, and other devices, pen drives, and more. The program
supports both file recovery and folder recovery.
3. MiniTool Partition Recovery
MiniTool Power Data Recovery
is an easy-to-use and all in one free file recovery software for home
users.
With this most effective free file recovery tool, you do not need to
have technical background to use it. All the data recovery steps are
logical and easy like 1-2-3. Just follow the data recovery step, and you
will get your lost data back. Unlike other free file recovery software.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is very powerful and professional.
It not only helps you recover deleted files, but also recovers data from
damaged, reformatted hard drive as well. Furthermore, MiniTool Power
Data Recovery not only recovers data from hard disk and RAID device, but
also supports to recover data from CD, DVD disks, memory card, memory
stick, and flash drive.
As a data recovery software suite, MiniTool Power Data Recovery includes five data recovery modules - Undelete Recovery, Damaged Partition Recovery, Lost Partition Recovery, Digital Media Recovery and CD/DVD Recovery. Each data recovery module focuses on different data loss condition.
And we provide Power Data Recovery Boot Disk for you. With our Data Recovery Boot Disk, you could recover data after system crash, hard drive crash and booting problems without Operating System.
4. 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. A Recoverability 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 8, 7, Vista, and XP, including the
64-bit versions of each. There's also a portable version available from PortableApps
5. PhotoRec
PhotoRec is an extremely powerful undelete tool with very few restrictions.
It's
free for everyone, runs almost everywhere (DOS, Windows, Linux, OS X,
more), works with most file systems and device types, uses in-depth
knowledge of more than 200 file formats to help recover your data, and
the bundled TestDisk can even recover a deleted partition.
There is a complication, though: PhotoRec has an extremely basic DOS-like interface which is sure to intimidate many.
This
doesn't make the program complicated - it walks you through every step -
but the focus here is mostly on functionality, so if you're more
interested in ease of use then we'd look elsewhere.
6. 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 listed
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 supports all versions of Windows - 7, Vista, XP, etc. I successfully tested FreeUndelete with Windows Vista.
7. Paragon Rescue Kit Free
If your PC has been trashed so badly that it won't boot at all, then any
undelete tools you've installed previously will be useless. But Paragon Rescue Kit Free
is different. It comes on an image which you burn to CD, and if
disaster strikes then you just boot from the disc and go to work.
The program can recover a lost or deleted partition, for instance. The
Boot Corrector can fix common boot problems and may be able to get your
working again. But if not, Paragon's File Transfer Wizard helps transfer
key files to another local drive, or burn them to CD or DVD. Overall
it's a useful tool: grab a copy now, just in case.
8. 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 probably works fine in Windows 8 and
versions older than Windows XP. I tested Glary Undelete v2.4 in Windows
7.
9. 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.
Pandora Recovery lists support for Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, and 2000 but it worked perfectly well for me in Windows 7.
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.
10. PC Inspector File Recovery
PC Inspector File Recovery
did well in our tests, correctly locating the full set of missing files
on both FAT and NTFS drives. These are clearly presented in a simple
folder view, there's also a simple search dialog to help you locate
files by name, and the program can then restore them to local or network
drives.
Getting to this point may take a while, though, as the
interface is a confusing mess of tabs (we'd recommend you experiment on a
USB key or some other spare drive until you've figured it out).
It's a little odd that the program can preview files as text or a hex
dump, but won't preview JPEGs. PC Inspector File Recovery deserves a
look for its core engine, then, but you'll need some patience to take
full advantage of it.
11. Puran File Recovery
Puran File Recovery is one of the better free file 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 works with Windows 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.
12. 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.
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.
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.
13. 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 partition 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 Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003.
14. Restoration
The Restoration file recovery program is similar to the other free undelete apps on this list.
The
thing I like most about Restoration is how incredibly simple it is to
recovery files. There are no cryptic buttons or complicated file
recovery procedures - everything you need is on one, easy to understand
program window.
Restoration can recover files from hard drives, memory cards, USB drives, and other external drives.
Restoration supports Windows Vista, XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95. I successfully tested Restoration with Windows Vista.
Like
some of the other popular file recovery tools on this list, Restoration
is small and does not need to be installed, giving it the flexibility
to be run from a floppy disk or USB drive.
15. ADRC Data Recovery Tools
ADRC Data Recovery Tools is another great, free file recovery
program. File recovery with this program is uncomplicated and could
probably be accomplished by the average computer user without any kind
of documentation.
ADRC Data Recovery Tools should be able to
undelete files from any non-CD/DVD storage device like memory cards and
USB drives, as well as hard drives, of course.
Data Recovery
Tools officially supports Windows XP, 2000, and 95 but I successfully
tested data recovery with this program on Windows Vista.
ADRC Data Recovery Tools is a standalone, 132KB program making it a very portable file recovery tool that will easily fit on any removable media you might have.