When using data recovery software, we can find files that were accidentally deleted from folders and permanently remove them from the Recycle Bin.
Have you just lost a valuable file that would take you days to recover? Don't panic! The 21 best free data recovery software applications on this list can help you retrieve your data, and you won't even have to spend a penny on them.
1. Recuva data recovery software
Recuva is a Windows program that allows users to find and recover files on both internal and external storage devices. It is available in both Free and Pro versions. Here is a list of Recuva's main features:
- Recover various files: Images, music, documents, videos, compressed files, emails.
- Recover files from your computer, memory card, iPod, document folder, recycle bin, or a specific location on a CD/DVD.
- Allows basic and advanced scanning.
- Permanently delete files securely.
- Save the scan results to a text file.
Recuva is 100% clean and safe, with no viruses or malware included. Although there are advertisements for purchasing a Pro version within the app, Recuva still offers the best free data recovery service and provides all basic features for free to users.
Furthermore, Piriform Software, the developer of Recuva, also owns CCleaner (a free system optimization software), and has a long history of creating excellent free software since 2004, with millions of users worldwide. All of this together proves Recuva is safe for Windows.
The free version can be used for data recovery; users can not only scan files for free but also recover unlimited data, unlike other free data recovery programs that only allow the recovery of 1 or 2GB of data.
However, Free Recuva has limitations in terms of recovery speed, automatic updates, technical support, and features. If you want more advanced features, you might consider the Pro version.
- Recover deleted data with Recuva Portable in Windows 7
2. Puran File Recovery data recovery software
Advantage
- Provides two ways to view the list of deleted files.
- Supports running as a portable version.
- Scan NTFS and FAT12/16/32 file systems.
- It's easy to see if the file can be successfully recovered.
Disadvantages
- Free for home use only, not for commercial or business purposes.
- Not updated since 2016
Puran File Recovery is a free data recovery software for Windows operating systems, allowing users to recover deleted or lost files and partitions from any storage medium, such as hard drives, pen drives, memory cards, mobile phones, CDs, and DVDs. It also supports file recovery from formatted drives. The user interface is clear and easy to understand, so anyone with basic or no prior experience with such programs can learn how to use this data recovery program.
- Recover deleted disk partitions with Active Partition Recovery
Puran File Recovery's most outstanding feature is its user-friendliness. It contains all features in a single window, except for the Custom Scan List. You can scan, search, and recover deleted files without switching between tabs or windows. This is ideal for beginners looking for a simple data recovery solution.
Puran File Recovery has a convenient feature called Custom Scan List, but it's only available for deep scans. Custom Scan List allows you to flexibly select specific file extensions you want to scan. For example, if you know that the file you lost is a PSD file, you simply check the box next to PSD and then run the Custom Scan List feature when recovering the file.
However, choosing file extensions isn't the only interesting thing about Custom Scan List. You can customize the scan list with new file types. If you can tell Puran that a certain file format starts and ends with a specific set of bytes and store its size in the header, the tool will be able to find those files using its scan process for you.
Download : Puran File Recovery
3. Disk Drill data recovery software
Advantage
- Organize deleted files by category for easier viewing.
- Allows you to filter results by size and/or date.
- Supports both fast scan and deep scan modes.
- Works with several different file systems.
Disadvantages
- You are only allowed to recover 500MB of data.
- It must be installed on an HDD (no portable version).
- You cannot see what the recoverable file will look like before proceeding with the process.
Disk Drill is a great free data recovery program, not only because of its features but also because of its very simple design. According to Disk Drill's website, it can recover data (up to 500 MB) from most storage devices such as internal and external hard drives , USB devices, memory cards, and iPods.
Disk Drill can preview image files before recovering them, pause and resume scanning, perform partition recovery, back up entire hard drives, filter files by date and size, run quick and full scans, and save results so they can be easily imported to recover deleted files. Disk Drill works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as macOS.
Key features of Disk Drill include:
- It helps recover lost files from formatted or unmountable partitions.
- Disk Drill can scan hard drives and partitions that have been deleted or lost. External memory devices such as flash drives (USB drives) and SD cards can also be scanned and data recovered through Disk Drill.
- Disk Drill can also retrieve data from a damaged hard drive.
- Disk Drill offers various scanning options and capabilities. For scanning options, it can perform quick and deep scans to search for lost, deleted, corrupted, or problematic files.
- File sorting and scanning by type can also be performed with Disk Drill.
Disk Drill can be used to safely recover deleted or lost files on a computer. Disk Drill was tested on three computers: Windows 10, Windows 7, and a MacBook Pro. When running the software on these computers, the systems continued to function normally without causing any damage to the hard drives or data.
4. SoftPerfect File Recovery data recovery software
SoftPerinf File Recovery is a free and simple tool for recovering files and saving accidentally deleted data from hard drives, USB flash drives, CF and SD cards, and other storage media. It supports popular file systems such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, and NTFS5 with compression and encryption features.
The application's interface is based on a standard design. You can start by selecting the local partition you want to browse for deleted data. You can ask the search tool to find all available files or enter a specific title and extension.
If you're looking for a program to recover files and restore them to their original state, SoftPerfect File Recovery is a suitable free solution. With this file recovery application, you can quickly scan hard drives formatted for Windows such as FAT32 or NTFS and recover them to their original location or a location of your choice. The user interface of SoftPerfect File Recovery is very basic and only includes a few different functions: specifically, scanning and recovery.
If some important files disappear and you can't find them in the Recycle Bin, don't panic. Try the SoftPerinf File Recovery utility. It's very easy to use. Just download File Recovery to a USB flash drive or other drive, avoiding copying or downloading anything to the drive where the files went missing. Then run the File Recovery .exe file, search for the missing files in their previous location, and see if it can help recover the deleted files.
Download : SoftPerfect File Recovery
5. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard software
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an excellent file recovery program. It retrieves files very easily with just a few clicks. The user interface of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is very similar to Windows Explorer. This tool will recover files from hard drives, optical drives, memory cards, iOS devices, and any other device that Windows considers a storage device. It also recovers partitions.
Data Recovery Wizard can only recover a total of 500 MB of data; if you want more, you have to pay a fee. Data Recovery Wizard supports Mac and Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, as well as Windows Server 2012 , 2008, and 2003. It recovers data from internal and external hard drives, as well as USB devices, memory cards, iOS devices, music players, and similar devices.
The EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard program offers several features:
- Supported operating systems include macOS 12 through 10.9; Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7; and Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012, 2008, and 2003.
- You can browse deleted files by path, similar to Windows Explorer, as well as by file type or by the year and month the data was deleted.
- The scan results can be backed up and reopened in the future so you can recover deleted files later without having to rescan the entire drive.
- Deleted files found by EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can be sorted by their name, date, and file type.
- Although a deep scan takes longer to complete than a quick, standard scan, it can thoroughly inspect the drive.
- The search tool allows you to search through scan results to find a file by its name or extension.
- Windows users can recover files from not only Windows file systems but also from drives formatted with Mac's HFS+ file system. All supported file systems are listed on the download page.
Advantage
- The program is easy to use (no complicated settings or confusing screens).
- It is possible to view the files before restoring them.
- Multiple files can be recovered at the same time.
Disadvantages
- Only 2 GB of data can be recovered for free.
Download : EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
6. Wise Data Recovery software
Wise Data Recovery is one of the best options you'll find anywhere if you want to recover data, photos, and files without paying for any additional software, and its capabilities are enhanced when you upgrade to the Pro version.
That sounds great in theory, especially for those who don't want to spend any cash, but the market for free data and photo recovery software is incredibly competitive and has many top contenders – so any successful app needs an intuitive design along with a wide range of features.
This software allows you to recover deleted files for free and can also help recover files after a hard drive failure or reformatting. Besides the Windows version, Wise Data Recovery also has a Mac option. It's compatible with Macs supporting M1, M2 & T2 chips, but the free version only allows you to recover a maximum of 1GB of data, not as generous as the Windows versions.
The free version of Wise Data Recovery is one of the most generous free photo recovery options you can find. Its 2GB recovery limit is better than most free competitors, and you can use the free download on countless systems with no time limit.
Impressively, Wise Data Recovery keeps its feature set virtually identical across all product levels, so if you decide to pay for the product, you'll get benefits in other areas as well.
Advantage
- It's free to recover recently deleted files.
- Works with most Windows file types and file systems.
Disadvantages
- Subscribing to Pro is a bit expensive.
- exFAT file system is not supported for Mac users.
Download : Wise Data Recovery
7. Restoration Data Recovery Software
Restoration is an extremely lightweight, portable, and easy-to-use free data recovery program for Windows.
Although it lacks some features found in other file recovery software on this list, this program also includes several unique features that you might find useful.
Boasting an easy-to-navigate user interface, Restoration – developed by TELUS – is a free tool for finding and recovering deleted files with just one click. This tool comes without intrusive ads, subscription offers, or paid features.
Restoration scans for deleted files by selecting the drive from the drop-down menu, with the option to enter part or all of the file names, or to check 'Include used clusters by other files' and 'Include even if the file is zero' to perform a specific search.
The names, sizes, and locations of the scanned deleted files will be displayed for your reference, and these files can be restored by clicking the 'Restore by Copying' button . Unfortunately, there is a possibility that your restored files may be corrupted or refuse to open.
Overall, Restoration does what needs to be done without requiring payment. With the ability to search for deleted files by filename or the phrase used, you can recover any file in a snap. However, you should use this feature at your own risk of file corruption.
Advantage
- Really easy to use.
- Portable program
- Several ways to sort the results
- It is possible to search for deleted files that are empty.
- Allows you to overwrite deleted data.
Disadvantages
- Supports up to Windows XP (officially; but still works on some newer operating systems).
- It's not possible to recover entire folders at once, only individual files.
- It doesn't specify how the file can be recovered before you try to restore it.
Download : Restoration
8. FreeUndelete data recovery software
The name FreeUndelete says it all. It's a free data recovery software, very similar to other recovery utilities on this list. FreeUndelete's biggest advantage is its user-friendly interface and "deep folder search" functionality (meaning files available for recovery aren't displayed in a large, unmanageable list). It will recover files from hard drives, memory cards, and other similar storage devices on or connected to your computer. FreeUndelete works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Supported file systems include NTFS 1.0, NTFS 2.0, FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32.
It's worth noting that FreeUndelete is free for personal use only. The developer doesn't charge any fees, so you can directly download and use a fully functional copy of the program. The program doesn't install any spyware or adware. FreeUndelete doesn't flood the user's screen with pop-up ads or force users to subscribe to mailing lists.
Please note that a purchase is required for use in a business environment. Registered business users receive guaranteed customer support. For individual users, customer support is not guaranteed and is subject to the workload of support staff.
Advantage
- It is possible to recover files from multiple storage devices.
- The user interface is simple and easy to understand.
- There is a portable option.
- Useful filtering and sorting options
- Restore entire folders at once, as well as one or more files.
- Let us know the success rate of the recovery process before you begin.
Disadvantages
- This product is for home users only and is not intended for business or commercial purposes.
Download : FreeUndelete
9. ADRC Data Recovery Tools software
ADRC Data Recovery Tools contains a collection of DIY recovery tools that support a wide variety of drives and file systems.
This software features an extremely simple GUI, making it easy for beginners to use. It performs essential recovery functions with minimal complexity. It gives you full control to recover files, back up disk images, restore backup images, copy files from hard drives with bad sectors, clone drives, and back up, edit, and restore your boot parameters.
The tool is completely free! It will not install any spyware or adware. It does not display pop-up ads or force any form of subscription to mailing lists.
ADRC Data Recovery Tools backs up and restores images from hard drives as well as any removable media. With just one click, it will perform a full drive backup and restore. A popular application is creating a floppy disk image to transmit over the Internet and then downloading the image to write back to the floppy disk. Users can also back up disk images for safekeeping. It's an ideal way to back up all your operating system files, data, and programs.
The program is designed to be compact. In fact, the entire program is under 130kb in size, and you can fit it anywhere (such as a floppy disk) and run it from there.
Download : ADRC Data Recovery Tools
10. CD Recovery Toolbox Data Recovery Software
CD Recovery Toolbox is developed to recover corrupted files on CDs, DVDs, HD DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, etc. You can use it to recover lost information due to some mechanical damage to the disc (scratches, various marks on the surface) or due to incorrect burning. The program can recover data considered lost.
The tool scans all CDs and DVDs and finds the files and folders located on them. However, note that some information on the disc may not be recoverable. Not all files and folders can be found – it depends on the extent and location of the damage. Therefore, the tool finds the maximum amount of information possible. It then displays a list of all available files and folders for recovery. The user can now select the files and folders to recover. Those specific items will be recovered while others will be ignored.
The program recovers the maximum amount of information from corrupted files. This significantly reduces the risk of data loss. Key features of the program include:
- Recover information from any CD and DVD.
- Recover files larger than 4 GB
- A potential shortage of free space on the hard drive has been detected for storing the recovered files.
The tool not only has a complete set of data recovery features but is also user-friendly and convenient. The program interface is designed as a step-by-step wizard, where the user must perform a single action on each page of the wizard. The wizard makes using the tool very simple and convenient even for beginners. The fact is that almost every PC user needs a tool to recover information from CDs and DVDs, there's no doubt about that. As you know, these storage media are widely available. They are quite powerful, versatile, durable, and importantly, inexpensive. The problem is that they aren't very reliable.
Download : CD Recovery Toolbox
11. UndeleteMyFiles Pro data recovery software
UndeleteMyFiles Pro is a professional tool that helps users recover deleted files. It works with files deleted from hard drives, USB flash drives, CF and SD cards, as well as other storage devices.
The features are simple yet extremely useful. Mail Rescue recovers deleted files from email folders. Media Recover helps recover media files, and File Recover does the same for general and other system files. Advanced options include file search, file deletion, and emergency disk image. Searching for deleted files allows users to preview files before recovering them.
UndeleteMyFiles Pro can recover a single file as well as an entire folder. The file deletion tool provides an extra layer of security by permanently deleting files from the PC. Emergency disk imaging allows users to save all data on a specific drive and then retrieve lost data without fear of overwriting existing data with the lost data. The program's interface is very simple, and deleted files can be recovered in a two-step process, further enhancing its ease of use.
Download : UndeleteMyFiles Pro
12. MiniTool Power Data Recovery software
Unlike other data recovery software on this list, Power Data Recovery needs to be installed on the computer. This isn't the best approach because installation can overwrite deleted files, making recovery difficult. Another drawback of Power Data Recovery is that users can only recover 1 GB of data with the free version.
However, this program quickly finds deleted files and can recover files from both internal drives and USB devices. Additionally, Power Data Recovery allows searching within deleted data, recovering multiple folders or files at once, exporting a list of deleted files to a TXT file, and filtering files by name, extension, size, and date. Power Data Recovery works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000, and Windows Server 2008/2003.
Download : MiniTool Power Data Recovery
13. BPlan Data Recovery software
BPlan Data Recovery is a file recovery program, similar to others on this list. It doesn't look like a typical recovery software, but it can retrieve various types of data such as images, documents, videos, and other file types. BPlan Data Recovery works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Download : BPlan Data Recovery
14. PhotoRec data recovery software
This free file recovery tool, PhotoRec, is a bit difficult to use because it's limited by its command-line interface and the recovery process involves multiple steps. PhotoRec can recover files from hard drives, optical drives, memory cards, and from any storage device on your computer. PhotoRec supports Windows 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008, 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95, as well as macOS and Linux.
Note: PhotoRec is part of the TestDisk software, but you can open the file named "photorec_win" (on Windows) to run it.
15. iBoysoft Data Recovery Free Data Recovery Software
Another free data recovery program is available from iBoysoft. This program is severely limited in that it can only recover 1GB of data, but if you only need to recover a few files, or even just videos or a music collection, the 1GB limit won't be a problem.
iBoysoft Data Recovery Free starts by selecting the hard drive to scan, then displays all deleted files in a standard folder structure as you see above. You can browse through them just like in Explorer and easily select the files you want to recover.
Besides the ability to filter results by extension and search by filename, the only thing you can do before restoring is to preview the file, but only if it's smaller than 5MB.
When you exit the results screen, you have the opportunity to save the results to an SR file, which you can later reopen in iBoysoft Data Recovery Free to process along with the list of deleted files. This is great because you won't have to rescan the drive to continue sifting through the results.
This program works on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It is also available for Mac computers (10, 9+).
Advantage
- Quick installation
- A brief guide to file recovery.
- Extremely minimalist design
- Allows restoring files to any folder you choose.
- Supports both fast scan and deep scan modes.
- The scan results can be saved to an SR file.
Disadvantages
- Data recovery limit is 1GB.
- Must be installed onto a drive (no portable option)
- The file's state is not displayed before you restore it.
Download : iBoysoft Data Recovery Free
16. Glarysoft File Recovery Free Data Recovery Software
Glarysoft File Recovery Free is a user-friendly file recovery program. While it doesn't have a wide range of options and can't quite match some of the higher-ranked choices on this list, it performs well and is easy to use.
Select a drive, scan for deleted files, then select the files you want to recover. You can recover everything even while the scan is still running, which is great because you don't have to waste time waiting. The ability to pause the scan is also supported.
You can filter by file type, deletion time, size, and keywords. There's a setting you can adjust to select which file extensions belong to which category, such as ensuring that MP4 is listed as video; you can also add your own options.
Glarysoft File Recovery Free works with FAT, NTFS, and EFS file systems.
Advantage
- Viewing the list of deleted files is easy and user-friendly.
- Restore to any folder you want.
Disadvantages
- It cannot be used in portable mode, so you must install it.
- The setup attempts to install a program different from this one.
- The file recovery rate is not displayed.
Download: Glarysoft File Recovery Free
17. iCare Data Recovery Free Data Recovery Software
iCare Data Recovery Free has two scan options, so you can choose between a faster scan which may not capture everything and a deeper scan which takes longer to complete but is likely to find more deleted files.
One of the best features of this program is its ability to preview text and image files. You can even browse deleted folders in thumbnail view to quickly see which files you want to recover. Hundreds of file types are supported, so it's likely that iCare Data Recovery Free can recover almost anything you've deleted.
Windows users can download this program as a portable tool or as a regular, installable program. iCare Data Recovery Free works with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
Advantage
- A portable version is available.
- Allows you to preview the file.
- Search within the list of results.
- Supports multiple file types
Disadvantages
- It doesn't look very modern.
- It is not possible to pause the scanning process and resume it later.
- Runs only on Windows
Download : iCare Data Recovery Free
18. Windows File Recovery software
Advantage
- The method has been approved by Microsoft.
- Works with both internal hard drives and external storage devices, including SD cards.
- Many options.
Disadvantages
- Requires Windows 11 or 10.
- Operates on the command line.
- It needs to be restored to a different drive.
Even Microsoft has a data recovery tool, but it's not as user-friendly as most other programs. It runs on the command line, so you have to type everything you want to do. However, it's still fairly easy to use.
To recover files this way, download and install Windows File Recovery, then search for it in the Start menu to open it. Once you are on the screen shown above, you can enter a command like this to recover PNG images from the Downloads folder on drive C and copy them to the Images folder on drive E:.
winfr C: E:Images /n UsersjonfiDownloads*PNGBecause this process requires a bit more manipulation than using a standard application where you simply point and click buttons and menus, please see Microsoft's help page for more information and examples. This page explains how to recover single files or multiple file types at once, how to use wildcards, etc.
Only Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can download this tool.
Download: Windows File Recovery
19. iBeesoft Data Recovery Free Data Recovery Software
Advantage
- Great for beginners.
- Preview files up to 100MB.
- Pause/resume support.
- Instant search.
- Search by category (for example, only compressed files or documents).
Disadvantages
- Data recovery is free for a maximum of 2GB.
- There are no advanced search options.
- It needs to be installed onto a hard drive (there is no portable version).
- The original folder cannot be restored; manual selection is required.
Similar to some of the other apps on the list, this tool is completely free to use, but you are limited to recovering only 2GB of data. If you need to recover a large video file or a lot of data, you should choose a different tool or pay for the full version.
iBeesoft's file recovery program is very easy to use. The program itself is ad-free and straightforward. The start screen lets you choose a hard drive or folder to recover files from, or you can choose the Desktop or Recycle Bin.
The website states that it supports over a thousand file types, so it's highly likely that it includes all the common files you might need to recover. iBeesoft Data Recovery Free can recover deleted files from a variety of devices beyond regular hard drives, including cameras, memory cards, and music players.
One highly appreciated feature is the instant search tool, which allows you to sort column headers to find the largest deleted files and group file types (such as listing all MP4s side-by-side), and settings that let you specify what to search for, rather than everything (e.g., Archives, Pictures, Video, Audio ).
This program has been tested for data recovery in Windows 11 and it works as advertised. iBeesoft Data Recovery Free also runs on Windows 10, 8, and 7.
Download: iBeesoft Data Recovery Free
20. Orion File Recovery Software
Orion File Recovery Software is a simple application that does exactly what the developer promises - it recovers files that you may have misplaced or deleted.
One of the features that makes Orion File Recovery Software user-friendly is that every time you open the program, it launches a recovery wizard. This means that specifying the criteria the application will use to search for your files couldn't be easier. For example, Orion File Recovery Software will search for music, images, documents, and other file types, whether you remember the file names or not.
Depending on the size of the drive you've chosen to search, Orion File Recovery Software may take more or less time to find what you're looking for. However, in practice, Orion File Recovery Software works quite quickly and displays all results in a very clear grid format. From here, you can recover or delete files, in addition to its convenient recovery and security features.
The success of file recovery applications depends on many factors. Orion File Recovery Software is no exception, but overall, the results—especially for a free application—are very promising. While there's no guarantee you'll get back everything you're looking for, Orion File Recovery Software is a great place to start.
Orion File Recovery Software is a surprisingly effective file recovery application.
Advantage
- Indicates the file's "recovery potential" to determine whether the recovery process was successful.
- Allows you to run scans of specific file types or all types.
- Scan various types of storage devices
- Simultaneously delete the data permanently.
Disadvantages
- The setup process may attempt to install unrelated programs.
Download: Orion File Recovery Software
21. Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition data recovery software
Stellar Data Recovery is one of the best data recovery tools available, with highly customizable searches, a huge file type library, and deep scanning capabilities. However, while several paid plans are available, the free option is also quite impressive.
Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition offers up to 1GB of free data recovery for both Windows and Mac users. This allows users to retrieve deleted, lost, and unavailable objects from hard drives, USB drives, or almost any other storage device. All advanced data recovery tools are available, including the ability to 'preview' from within Stellar Data Recovery, so users can check which files can be recovered even if they exceed the free 1GB limit.
During testing, Stellar was able to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin without any problems. Formatted drives were slightly more difficult to recover (only about half of the files could be recovered). However, with a damaged hard drive, Stellar was able to recover 80% of the missing files. The scan was completed in a few seconds.
Overall, Stellar Data Recovery is an excellent file retrieval tool with powerful advanced options for businesses. In its simplest form, it allows anyone to recover lost data from a computer or external storage device. The user-friendly interface of this free program makes it well worth using.
The only concern is whether the 1GB of free recovery space is enough for your needs, but if not, one of the paid options is definitely worth considering.
Advantage
- Guide you through the wizard.
- Allows you to choose where to recover your data.
- Quick installation
- Review documents and images before restoring.
Disadvantages
- The recovery limit is only 1GB in total.
- It's not possible to recover any files larger than 25MB (unless you pay).
- The search engine is poorly designed.
- There is no portable version option.
- The files must be restored to a separate hard drive.
Download: Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition
See more:
- How to recover deleted data on a computer
- Guide to recovering data after restoring an iPhone.
- Instructions on using File History to back up and restore data.