Losing data on a Windows device can be a distressful experience. Whether your files or folders on Windows PC are deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, storage drive corruption, or any other reason, the good news is that you can always retrieve lost files. There are several manual methods as well as free data recovery software tools available online that you can use for easy and quick recovery.
In this comprehensive article, we will discuss the top 5 free data recovery software programs for Windows PCs that you can use to recover lost or missing files in windows as well as lost partitions, and corrupted data. So let’s get started!
Must-Have Features in Your Free Data Recovery Software
Here are certain important features to check in your free data recovery software:
- File Type Support: Make sure your free data recovery software is able to recover various types of files like documents, photos, videos, and emails.
- Storage Device Compatibility: Check if your software can recover files from multiple storage devices, including hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards.
- User-Friendly Interface: Your software must offer an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface to simplify the recovery process, especially if you are not a tech geek.
- Preview Feature: Check if the software allows you to preview recoverable files before performing the actual recovery to verify if you are retrieving the correct data.
- Quick and Deep Scan Options: There are many data recovery tools which offer both quick and deep scan options. Quick scans can retrieve recently deleted files, while deep scans can find files that are unable to locate in basic scanning.
Top 5 Free Data Recovery Software
Below is a list of the top 5 free data recovery software for Windows that stand out for their effectiveness, ease of use, or broad compatibility. You can check and compare their features and then select the one that best suits your requirements:
1: Stellar Data Recovery Free
Stellar Data Recovery Free is an all-in-one free data recovery software designed by Stellar, a well-known data recovery and repair brand. This data recovery tool is well-suited for the recovery of all types of data that have been deleted due to any reason, including accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and many more.
The Stellar Data Recovery Free Software is known for many amazing features, such as:
- The software supports the recovery of data lost or deleted from any internal or external storage devices, such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, etc.
- Recover deleted data of up to 1 GB for free, without any credit card.
- Retrieve data from formatted, encrypted, or corrupted drives.
- The software is available for both Windows and Mac devices.
- It allows you to preview the recovered data after completing the storage scanning.
Here’s how to recover data using the Stellar Data Recovery Free software:
Step 1: Download, install and launch the Stellar Data Recovery Free tool on your Windows device. From the homepage, select the type of file you need to restore and click Next.
Step 2: Now, select the folder location where your deleted data was earlier stored and hit the Scan button. Wait till the scanning process is completed.
Step 3: Select the files that you need to restore and click the Recover button to save the selected data at the desired location.
2: Recuva
Recuva is a popular data recovery software, mainly known for its user-friendly interface and effective recovery capabilities. The software is an excellent choice for both novice and experienced users. This software is perfect for recovering a variety of deleted files, lost either accidentally or intentionally.
Key Features:
- Recuva supports recovery of various types of files deleted from any internal or external drive, such as your hard drive, memory cards, and many more.
- This software not only recovers data but can also securely delete files to prevent recovery by others.
- The intuitive and easy-to-use interface of the software makes it easy to navigate through the recovery process.
- Supports recovery of files from damaged or newly formatted drives.
3: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
Next in the list of top 5 free data recovery software for Windows is EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, which provides powerful recovery capabilities with a simple interface. The software supports a wide range of file types and storage devices.
Key Features:
- Allow users to recover files, photos, documents, videos, etc., after accidental deletion, partition loss, formatting, and other data loss scenarios.
- Can easily recover lost partitions and restore data from damaged or inaccessible partitions.
- Guide users through the quick recovery process with a clear and straightforward interface.
4: Disk Drill
Disk Drill is another versatile data recovery software available for both Windows and Mac users. The software offers a comprehensive solution for easily recovering lost or deleted files in a few easy steps. The software is known for its modern interface and powerful recovery capabilities.
Key Features:
- The software utilizes several recovery algorithms to ensure smooth data retrieval with a high success rate.
- It is capable of protecting your specific files and folders with advanced data protection algorithms to avoid future data loss.
- Supports recovery of files from various file systems, such as FAT, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, and more.
5: MiniTool Power Data Recovery
Last but not least, the MiniTool power data recovery software is a reliable and easy-to-use data recovery option and is compatible with a wide range of storage devices. The software is mainly designed to recover data lost or deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes and other data loss scenarios.
Key Features:
- Provide specific modules to recover deleted files, corrupted partitions, lost partitions, and other multimedia files.
- It supports the recovery of data from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and other storage devices.
- The software allows you to filter and preview files before performing the actual recovery.
Conclusion
Data loss on Windows can be a significant inconvenience and can occur to anyone at any time. With the right data recovery software, you can easily restore your lost files. The above-mentioned are the top 5 free data recovery software for Windows, which offer robust features and reliable performance to restore your valuable data. By considering features, like file type support, storage device compatibility, user interface, performance, etc. you can select the best free data recovery software to effectively recover your lost data. Hope, this article helps you in getting the right software and your lost data back!