Accidentally formatted hard drive in Windows 10? How to recover files from formatted hard drive in Windows 10 or 11? Read this article to get 3 effective methods and steps to perform data recovery.
"I can't find any way to recover data from the formatted hard drive. I'm using WD Passport 2 TB external hard drive without facing any problems. But I pressed the quick format button by accident. Soon I realized that an important file was in it. What can I do?? How do I recover files from the formatted hard drive?"
- Question from Spiceworks Community
It’s frustrating to find your important files were in the drive after you format it. You lose access to it and want to recover files from formatted hard drive. I can tell you for sure that it is possible. Here are two popular ways, namely using prossional data recovery software and to restore from file backup.
But first? There are a few things you need to know.
HDDs keep physical memories of your data when you format a disk, so you can easily recover files from it. However, SSDs lose all data if your format it. It uses a TRIM command to decide and it will wipe all the data blocks completely.
Quick format simply delete files from the drive and does not overwrite it, so you can easily recover files. But the full format method not only delete files, but also overwrite it with zeros. If you use this method, you cannot recover data from it.
Here we will introduce you to 3 effective methods to recover data from formatted hard disk in Windows 10 or 11. The most direct one is to use data recovery software. Also, you can recover data from formatted hard disk without software, such as, using cmd or backup image.
MyRecover is a professional data recovery software to recover deleted files from formatted hard drive in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc and Windows Server, up to 500MB for free in total.
Step 1. Launch free data recovery software - MyRecover. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.
Step 2. The program runs the scanning process automatically and quickly to find files on the formatted disk partition. You can directly recover files, even if the process is not complete. you want.
You can also use the Filter feature to search the Word files to locate deleted files faster. It has 3 options in the following:
To recover files from formatted hard drive, Word document, for example, click Filter > Type and select Documents. Then, input DOCX in the Search for files or folders box. It will list all of the deleted Word documents in the following window.
Step 3. Select the files or the folders you want to recover from formatted hard disk and click "Recover files" to recover files from formatted hard drive partition. It will display the number of files and the total file size.
Notes:
If you create a file backup in Windows 10 or 11 with Backup and Restore (Windows 7), you can restore files from it. All the backed up files will be included.
Step 1. Go to “Control Panel” > “System and Security”and select“Backup and Restore (Windows 7)”. Then, click “Restore my files”.
Note: If you are using Windows 11, please go to “Settings” > “System” > “Storage” > “Advanced Storage options” > “Backup options”. Then, scroll down to “Looking for an older backup” and click “Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)”.
Step 2: Click “Search…”, “Browse for files”, and “Browse for folders” option to find your deleted files or folders.
Step 3. Select a location to restore deleted files from Recycle Bin. You can choose the original location or browse to a new location. Then, click Start Restore.
Note: If you still don’t have a file backup, you can create one after recovery. Please refer to backup files to external hard drive.
Windows File Recovery is a command-line app to help users recover files from local storage devices like hard drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and memory cards. It requires users to learn its syntax, recovery mode and switches.
The syntax:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
The recovery mode corresponding to different file system and scenarios:
File system |
Scenarios |
mode |
NTFS |
Deleted recently |
Regular |
NTFS |
Deleted for a while |
Extensive |
NTFS |
Formatted disk |
Extensive |
NTFS |
corrupted disk |
Extensive |
FAT and exFAT |
Any |
Extensive |
The switches of winfr:
Switches |
Meaning |
Supported mode(s) |
/n |
Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. |
All |
/y: |
Recovers specific extension groups. |
Signature |
/k |
Recovers system files. |
NTFS Segmentβββββ |
/segment |
Segment mode; recovers files under NTFS drives using file record segments. |
Segment |
/signature |
Signature mode; recovers files under all file system types using file headers. |
Signature |
/u |
Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. |
NTFS Segment |
For details, go to how to use Windows File Recovery.
Besides, you still need to check the file system of the formatted hard drive. Because different file system has different modes to use. It’s advised to choose extensive for the NTFS file system after formatting the disk.β
Right-click the hard drive and select “Properties”. Then, locate the file system option and confirm its NTFS or FAT32.
Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store. Type “Windows File Recovery” in the Search box and select “Run as administrator”.
Step 2. Type command based on example and press “Enter” to recover files. To recover the folder “Test” from the formatted F: drive (NTFS) to E: drive, type:
winfr F: E: /extensive /n \Test\
Notes:
In general, formatting is divided into low-level and high-level formatting. To securely format disk, you need to know them and the usage.
Low-level formatting is to reset a drive to its factory settings, just like erase a disk, and create new sectors and tracks on it. You need to use it when your drive is badly damaged, or it’s infected by viruses, etc. Here are 3 ways to perform it:
High-level formatting is also called quick formatting in layman’s terms and used to reset a used disk or set up a new hard drive, such as, initialize disk, change file system, partition size, format inaccessible drive, etc. It will remove data on the disk and marks bad sectors to fix them. Here are 3 ways to perform it:
Formatting is a process to delete the data currently on your hard drive, specify a file system compatible with your devices, assign drive letter, etc, and therefore readies it for storing new data. In most cases, it causes more harm than good, but that’s not really the case. Sometimes, You need to format your hard drive for reuse. Below are some common situations:
Formatting hard disk without data loss is tricky, but not impossible. You might need to format it if you cannot access data on it because of incorrect file system. Here are ways to securely format disk in Windows 10 or 11.
But first... You need to create a copy of your files on the disk to prevent data loss. The best way is to use a file backup software like Backup and Restore (Windows 7), File History or third-party software, such as AOMEI Backupper Standard. Usually, the last one is easier, more flexible and has rich features.
Then, you could follow one of the methods below to format a disk without data loss.
Quick Format
Step 1. Connect the disk you want to format. Go to “File Explore”, locate and right-click it, select “Format”.
Step 2. Check the capacity, file system and be sure the “Quick Format” option is checked. Click Start to format your disk.
Disk Management
Step 1. Connect the disk you want to format. Type “diskmgmt.msc” in the search box and press “Enter” to open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click the newly connected drive and select “Format”.
Step 3. Confirm the file system and be sure you check the “Perform a quick format” option. Click “OK”.
After formatting, if you find you delete important files on it, please stop using this drive and recover files with data recovery software or backup image immediately.
β Can you undo a format?
Unlike deleting a file, the formatting process cannot be undone.However, you can recover files from a formatted disk if you don’t reformat the drive or add new data to it.
β Does quick format erase data?
In some ways, yes. It deletes file system metadata, making this storage available for overwriting. You can undo quick format with MyRecover easily.
β Is it possible to recover a formatted partition?
Yes, you need a data recovery tool to get files back. But it's hard to recover all formatted files if you have fully formatted partitions in most cases.
β When data is not recoverable?
Your data is not recoverable if your hard disk is a TRIM-enabled SSD, or it is physical damage, or you use secure erase method to wipe a disk.
β How to recover files from formatted hard drive on Mac?
If you did not select "secure erase," your old data will remain on your drive until it is overwritten. So formatting a hard drive on a Mac is still possible. You can restore formatted files easily if you have made regular backup via Time Machine. Otherwise, you'll need a reliable Mac data recovery tool to recover files from formatted mac hard drive.