Most people don’t think about data recovery until something disappears.
Maybe you deleted a folder and then emptied the Recycle Bin. Maybe a USB drive suddenly started asking to be formatted. Or you formatted the wrong partition and realized what happened a few seconds too late.
It happens.
Deleted data can sometimes still be recovered, especially if the drive hasn’t been used much since the files disappeared. That’s why it’s usually a bad idea to keep downloading files, installing programs, or copying things onto the affected drive.
If you need recovery software for Windows, these are seven options worth trying.
1. Stellar Data Recovery Free
Stellar Data Recovery Free would be my first pick for most people.
It’s not the kind of program that expects you to understand file systems before you start. Open it, choose what you’re trying to recover, select the drive, and scan.
Once the scan finishes, you can look through the results rather than blindly restoring everything.
The free edition starts with 1 GB of recovery. Stellar also offers another 1 GB through its social-sharing option, taking the total free allowance to 2 GB. Individual files recovered through the free allowance are limited to 100 MB.
It works with common Windows file systems such as NTFS, FAT, and exFAT. Hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards — the usual stuff is covered.
There’s a Deep Scan as well. You probably wouldn’t use it first because it takes longer, but it can help when a normal scan doesn’t find the missing files.
For someone searching for Free Data Recovery Software, Stellar is one of the easier programs to pick up without reading a manual first.
Features
- Quick Scan and Deep Scan
- Works with HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards
- Preview files before recovering them
- Supports NTFS, FAT, and exFAT
- RAW drive scanning
- BitLocker recovery when the recovery key is available
- Windows 11 support
- 1 GB free recovery, with an option to unlock another 1 GB
Pros
- Doesn’t take long to figure out
- Previewing files is genuinely useful
- Deep Scan gives you another option when the first scan fails
- Covers most common Windows storage devices
- The free version is enough for smaller recovery jobs
Cons
- 1 GB isn’t much if you’ve lost videos or a large photo folder
- Individual files are limited to 100 MB under the free allowance
- You’ll need a paid version for bigger recoveries
2. Recuva
Recuva isn’t new, and it looks like it.
That said, there’s a reason people still use it.
If you deleted a file yesterday, emptied the Recycle Bin, or removed photos from a memory card, Recuva is a fairly painless thing to try before moving on to heavier recovery software.
There’s a normal scan and a Deep Scan. The deeper option takes longer, obviously, but can pick up files the first pass misses.
It can scan internal drives as well as USB sticks, external drives, and memory cards.
Nothing about Recuva feels particularly fancy. That’s almost the point.
Features
- Normal and Deep Scan modes
- Internal and removable drive recovery
- Supports photos, documents, video, music, and other common files
- Can scan damaged or formatted drives
- Secure overwrite feature
Pros
- Small and lightweight
- Easy to install
- Good for straightforward deleted-file recovery
- Core recovery functions are free
Cons
- The interface feels dated
- Not as feature-rich as newer recovery suites
- Some extras require Recuva Professional
3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free
EaseUS feels more polished than Recuva. More buttons too.
That can actually help when a scan produces a ridiculous number of files.
You can search the results, filter by file type, and preview files before recovering them. If you’re looking for one Excel sheet inside thousands of scan results, those filters save a lot of pointless clicking.
The free edition offers up to 2 GB of recovery.
It handles hard drives, SSDs, USB storage, and memory cards, so it’s suitable for most everyday Windows recovery jobs.
I wouldn’t call the interface minimal, but it’s easy enough to understand.
Features
- Up to 2 GB of free recovery
- File previews
- Search and filtering
- Pause and resume scanning
- HDD, SSD, USB, and memory-card support
- Windows 11 compatibility
Pros
- Good interface for large scan results
- Filters make finding specific files easier
- 2 GB is a decent free allowance
- Works well for normal documents, photos, and media files
Cons
- Bigger jobs require payment
- Some advanced tools are locked behind paid plans
- Feels slightly overbuilt if all you need is one deleted file
4. MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free
MiniTool doesn’t really need much explanation.
Pick the drive. Scan it. Look through the results. Recover what you need.
The free version gives you up to 1 GB of recovery.
That’s not much for video, but a gigabyte can still hold a lot of Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and smaller images.
It can scan HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. There’s also a preview function, which becomes important when you only have 1 GB to work with.
You don’t want to burn through the allowance recovering random files you don’t actually need.
Features
- Up to 1 GB of free recovery
- HDD and SSD recovery
- USB and SD-card support
- File preview
- File-type filters
- Supports documents, images, audio, video, and archives
Pros
- Fairly easy to use
- Preview works well
- Covers the common storage devices
- Fine for recovering documents and smaller folders
Cons
- The 1 GB limit can disappear quickly
- Not great for recovering lots of video
- Some advanced features require upgrading
5. Disk Drill for Windows
Disk Drill looks good.
Probably better than most recovery software, actually.
The interface is clean and the scan results aren’t difficult to understand. It also shows a recovery-chance indicator, which gives you an idea of whether a deleted file is likely to come back intact.
That’s useful. A file showing up in a scan doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still recoverable.
Disk Drill supports internal drives, external drives, USB devices, memory cards, and disk images.
Then you get to the free limit.
It’s 100 MB for standard recovery on Windows.
That’s enough for a few documents. Maybe some smaller images. For anything substantial, you’ll reach the ceiling almost immediately.
Features
- Multiple scanning methods
- File preview
- Recovery-chance indicators
- Internal and external storage support
- Byte-to-byte backup
- Recovery Vault
- Windows 11 support
Pros
- Very polished interface
- Scan results are easy to work through
- Recovery-chance estimates are helpful
- Includes some useful disk tools beyond basic recovery
Cons
- 100 MB of free recovery is very restrictive
- Larger files push you into the paid version quickly
- More elaborate than necessary for a simple undelete job
6. PhotoRec
PhotoRec is completely different.
It isn’t trying to win a design award. It isn’t trying to sell you a larger recovery allowance either.
It’s free. Open-source. And surprisingly capable.
PhotoRec searches the actual contents of a drive for recognizable file signatures rather than depending entirely on the existing file system.
That matters when the file system itself is damaged.
Say a memory card has been formatted and the folder structure is gone. PhotoRec may still be able to identify JPEGs, videos, documents, and other files by looking at the underlying data.
There is a price to pay, just not in money.
Your filenames may be gone. The original folders may be gone too.
You can end up recovering hundreds of files with unhelpful names and then spending an evening sorting through them.
Still, if the alternative is losing the files completely, that’s not a terrible deal.
Features
- Free and open-source
- File-signature based recovery
- Supports hundreds of file types
- Useful after formatting or file-system damage
- Works on Windows and other operating systems
- QPhotoRec graphical interface available
Pros
- No small recovery quota
- Completely free
- Can work in situations where the file system is badly damaged
- Supports a huge number of formats
Cons
- Not especially friendly for first-time users
- Original filenames may disappear
- Folder structure usually isn’t preserved
- Recovery results can take ages to sort through
7. Windows File Recovery
Microsoft has its own data recovery tool.
You’d think that would mean a big friendly Windows interface.
Nope.
Windows File Recovery runs through Command Prompt.
You use winfr commands and tell it which drive you’re recovering from, where recovered files should go, and how you want the scan performed.
If Command Prompt doesn’t bother you, it’s a useful tool. It doesn’t have the usual commercial free-recovery cap, either.
If Command Prompt does bother you, pretty much every graphical program above will feel easier.
Features
- Made by Microsoft
- Command-line recovery
- Works with internal drives
- Supports external drives and USB storage
- Different recovery modes
- No paid upgrade
Pros
- Free
- No commercial recovery quota
- Comes directly from Microsoft
- Useful for people already comfortable with Windows commands
Cons
- No regular graphical interface
- You have to learn the command syntax
- Not convenient when you’re browsing through lots of recovered files
- Doesn’t recover directly from cloud storage or network shares
Which One Would I Pick?
For a recently deleted file, Recuva is still worth keeping around. It’s quick and doesn’t make a simple problem complicated.
PhotoRec is more interesting when something has gone badly wrong with a drive or memory card and you don’t mind sorting the recovered files yourself.
Windows File Recovery is free and capable, but I’d mostly recommend it to people who already use Command Prompt comfortably.
EaseUS and MiniTool are both easier to work with visually. Disk Drill has arguably the nicest interface here, but 100 MB doesn’t give you much room to actually recover anything.
Stellar Data Recovery Free is the one I’d start with.
Mostly because it sits in the middle.
It’s simple enough for someone who has never used recovery software, but it doesn’t feel stripped down. You get previews, Deep Scan, removable-drive recovery, RAW drive support, and BitLocker recovery if you have the key.
You can also try recovering a meaningful amount of data before deciding whether you need a paid tool.
If your problem is more complicated than a deleted folder or formatted USB drive, Stellar has a broader set of Data Recovery tools as well.
And one last thing.
If the files are important, stop using the affected drive.
Seriously.
Don’t download recovery software onto that same drive if you can avoid it. Don’t copy new files there. Don’t keep using the computer normally for three days and then try recovery.
Deleted data only has a chance while the old space hasn’t been overwritten. Once new data lands on top of it, software can’t magically bring the original bytes back.
