How to Recover Files from Formatted Hard Drive FREE

Help! Can I recover files from formatted hard drive?

Formatting a hard drive that stores important files can be very frustrating, you can not access to it and want to recover files from formatted hard drives.

Luckily, Microsoft uses “Quick Format” by default when formatting disks, a process that simply deletes files from the drive and does not overwrite data, leaving users with a good chance of data recovery. If you don't change it to full format, you can easily undo quick format. But the success rate varies due to different factors. Please pay more attention to: 

1️⃣ Stop using this drive immediately, for example, don’t add new items to the formatted hard disk, otherwise, your files will be overwritten.

2️⃣ HDDs are easier to recover than SSDs. 

• HDDs keep physical memories of your data when you format a disk, so you can easily recover files from it.
• SSDs will send a TRIM command to mark deleted data blocks as no longer needed and wipe all the data blocks completely. If you act quickly, there is still a chance to recover data from a formatted SSD.

3️⃣ The sooner you start data recovery, the higher the success rate.

How to recover files from formatted hard drive without backup

This part offers 2 methods to recover data from formatted drive without backup, including FastRecovery and Windows File Recovery.

▶ Method 1. Formatted data recovery through FastRecovery 

FastRecovery is a professional data recovery software to recover deleted files without backup from formatted hard drives in simple steps. 

Step 1. Select your scenario

Install and run FastRecovery first. Then, Partition Formatted Recovery. You can also choose a more suitable alternative. All of them can help you retrieve data without causing any damage.

Step 2. Click the Scan button 

Locate the formatted drive and click Scan. 

Step 3. Scan the formatted drive 

The program runs the deep scan automatically to find files on the formatted drive. During scanning, you can click the Stop or Pause button if you select the wrong disk or something goes wrong.

Step 4. Find lost data quickly

Wait for the process to complete, then select files by Type (default) or Path, with options to sort, search, filter, and preview files. 

👉Under the Type section: 

• Specify the data type and click the arrow next to type, size, date modified, etc., to sort files. 
• To locate files quickly, type the file name or extension (e.g., docx for Word files) in the search box.
• Or use the filter feature, similar to the Type category, allowing you to further specify the size of files, from less than 512 KB to 1GB above.
• Once found, double-click the files to preview.

👉 Under the Path section: Directly navigate to the original location where you saved deleted files. Sort files if needed.

Step 5. Recover files from formatted hard drive

Select the needed files or folders and click "Recover" to recover files from the formatted hard drive. Please choose a new location to store your recovered data. Otherwise, your data will be overwritten.

 

The free edition can recover files from formatted hard drive over 500MB. Once exceeded, please upgrade FastRecovery to the advanced editions.

▶ Method 2. Recover files from formatted hard drive free with Windows File Recovery

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. For details, go to how to use Windows File Recovery.

The syntax:

winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

The recovery mode corresponding to different file systems and scenarios:

File system	Scenarios	mode
NTFS	Deleted recently	Regular
NTFS	Deleted for a while	Extensive
NTFS	Formatted disk	Extensive
NTFS	corrupted disk	Extensive
FATandexFAT	Any	Extensive

The winfr switches:

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 Segment​​​​​
/segment	Segment mode; recoversfiles under NTFS drives using file recordsegments.	Segment
/signature	Signature mode; recoversfiles under all file system types using fileheaders.	Signature
/u	Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.	NTFS Segment

Besides, you still need to check the file system of the formatted hard drive. Because different file systems have different modes to use. It’s advised to choose extensive for the NTFS file system after formatting the disk.​

Right-click the hard drive and select “Properties”. Then, locate the file system option and confirm it is NTFS or FAT32.

Step 1. Get Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. Type “Windows File Recovery” in the Search box and select “Run as administrator”.

Step 2. Type a command based on the example and press “Enter” to recover files. To recover the folder “Test” from formatted F: drive (NTFS) to E: drive, type:

winfr F: E: /extensive /n \Test\

You can try Windows File Recovery, but it may not retrieve your deleted files every time. And you may encounter errors during the file recovery process, such as, “Winfr.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command”, “WinFR requires admin privileges to run”, etc.

How to recover files after format with Backup [Windows & Mac]

Here's how to retrieve data using different backup methods on Mac and Windows.

▶ Method 1. Recover files after format with File History

If you have enabled File History on your computer, then you can recover data from the backup package.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Find File History > Choose Restore personal files.

Step 2. Find the folders or files you want to recover and Click the Restore option.

Step 3. Wait for the process. It may take a few moments to restore the selected files.

▶ Method 2. Recover formatted hard drive from Mac

Time Machine will generate backups on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis. Such as a backup of the past 24 hours, daily backups for the preceding month, and weekly backups for all prior months.

Step 1. Open the window where you lost files.

Step 2. Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, find Time Machine, and click Enter Time Machine.

Step 3. Use the up and down arrows to locate the files.

Step 4. Click Restore to recover your needed files, then your lost data will come back to the previous location.

Further reading: More about formatted hard drive

Classification of hard drive formatting 

In general, formatting is divided into low-level and high-level formatting. To securely format disks, you need to know them and their usage.

Why do you need to format hard drive?

Formatting is a process to delete the data currently on your hard drive, specify a file system compatible with your devices, assign drive letters, 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:

• Use this drive on different devices, especially those with different operating systems, it may have specific file system requirements.
• You are selling or getting rid of your hard drive. It helps prevent anyone from accessing your data or sensitive information on it.
• You upgrade the old disk to a new one and format the old one as an extra storage device.
• Your drive has problems, such as performance issues, file access errors, bad sectors, virus infection, etc.
• Your drive is corrupted due to overheating, fluctuating power supply, mechanical failure, file corruption, firmware problems, etc. In this case, you can only format it to make it behave functionally.

How to securely format disk in Windows 10 or 11

Formatting a 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 the 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 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.

★ File Explorer

Step 1. Connect the disk you want to format. Go to “File Explorer”, 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 have deleted important files on it, please stop using this drive and recover files with data recovery software or backup images immediately.

How to prevent data loss on a hard disk

1️⃣ Take sufficient time before formatting to verify the disk types, format method, and level.

2️⃣ Create a copy of your files automatically. Note single backup only includes data currently on the disk, to include changes made later, you’d better create a scheduled backup task. AOMEI Backupper Standard is a great option.

3️⃣ Avoid browsing suspicious websites or downloading files on them.

4️⃣ After formatting, please stop using the drive to lose data and don’t add new items to it. These operations will make it difficult to recover files from formatted hard drives.

5️⃣ Monitor the status of your disk and move your files before it’s damaged.

FAQ about formatted hard drive recovery