Recover deleted files on PC; it’s possible?

How many times have we had to empty the Windows recycle bin, only to then remember that we had accidentally thrown away a very important file or photo.

Until a few years ago, something like this could throw anyone into panic, to the point of always having to ask for help from a professional in the sector (who could count on expensive and difficult to use programs). Today, however, it is decidedly easier to recover files deleted from the PC by mistake and we don’t even have to take the computer to the technician: we can do everything ourselves, with the right programs!

READ ALSO: Programs to recover deleted or lost photos

1) Free file recovery programs

If the backup is not active and we urgently need to recover a file deleted by accident, we recommend using one of the following free programs as soon as possible. They are all more or less effective, but to obtain the best results we can also try 2 or 3, one at a time, so as to broaden the chances of recovery.

• Windows File Recovery is the official Microsoft tool for Windows 10, simple to use to recover lost files, albeit without a graphical interface.
• Recuva It has very user-friendly interface and is good for quick but occasional recoveries. Recuva is the easiest program to use for novice users, it is among the fastest and is therefore always the first to try to recover deleted files on your PC.
• DMDE is an effective recovery program, simple and fast in disk scanning, with many options to customize the scan.
• PhotoRec e TestDisk: this is one of the most powerful programs around, as it is capable of recovering files even from damaged or no longer accessible disks. Once downloaded and started its executable qphotorec_win.exe (present inside the folder unpacked from the ZIP file), a simple interface will open where you can select the disk on which to operate the recovery and enter the folder where to save the recovered files, finally pressing the Search button. The program will start and recover all the files deleted but still present on the disk, an operation that can also be very long (even 4 hours or more, so it is best to do it at night). At the end we will see the recovered files in the indicated folder, ready to be stored on the PC or moved to backup on an external drive. The program is optimized to recover photos, but can recover any common file type (including documents, videos, PDFs, etc.).
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free for Windows PC and Mac allows you to deeply scan your computer for traces of deleted files. This program is compatible with all file systems and the free version is limited to recovering 2 GB of files.
• Wise Data Recovery it is a program that can also be used in a portable version, without installation, capable of recovering practically any type of file: music, videos, compressed archives, executables, etc. Once a disk is scanned, recoverable files are highlighted in green. Wise Data Recovery is available as both an installer and portable which makes it a good addition to your USB toolkit. The interface is clean and simple to use, with only two buttons needed. The scan is very fast and you can see the files found in a window similar to Windows Explorer.
• Undelete 360 allows you to restore your files with the help of a fast and efficient algorithm. In addition to recovering files from your computer’s hard drive, it can also work on external devices such as smartphones and digital cameras.
• Puran File Recovery is a free portable file recovery program, without installation, simple and immediate.
• DiskDigger it is simple to use and is mainly used to recover images, photos, documents, videos and music from the PC, very similar to Recuva, also in terms of performance.
• NTFS Undelete is an excellent software with a graphical interface that can recover files that have been deleted by mistake. With this opensource tool you can also recover an entire hard disk and find all the files and data, even after it has been formatted.
• Disk Drill allows you to read files that have been deleted by mistake to save and recover them. The program is portable for Windows, works with all types of memories, both hard disks, SD cards and USB sticks and is very simple to use with a guided procedure.
• Paragon Rescue Kit it’s a different program for recover files from a formatted hard drive or from a PC that doesn’t start.
• Stella Phoenix is a very powerful and fast paid program that can be used for free to recover a maximum of 1 GB of deleted files from your PC.

With these programs we can recover many files without having to spend a penny. If too much time passes or the files cannot be found, it is worth switching to professional programs.

2) Premium file recovery programs

These programs listed above, although valid, should be used not with great caution to avoid damaging your computer and losing the entire hard disk and, in the most urgent casessuch as having to recover important data from damaged hard drives, they are no match for professional data recovery programs and therefore for a fee.

To achieve maximum effectiveness we will have to rely on paid programs to recover deleted files, such as those listed below:

• DIY Data Recovery Software serve a recover data from your hard drive, not just by mistaken deletion, but in many cases even from subsequent formatting. It is a very complex program, before using it you must necessarily study the guide and take all the time you need both in preparing the program and during the recovery operations. The cost of the software is very high.
• GetDataBack it is a little less powerful than Easy Recovery but much simpler and faster to use and with the same functions; It also costs a little less.
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Professional: exactly like the free version, but allows you to recover even larger files, at a greater speed, with various scenarios to exploit based on the type of disk and an emergency disk to be able to recover files even from newly formatted PCs ( without Windows). A powerful and effective tool to recover deleted files from your computer.
• Data Recovery Pro: another very effective software for recovering any type of file, also thanks to the continuous monitoring of the system (it manages to memorize all the paths of the deleted files so as to recover them in a second) and the possibility of also viewing a preview of the recovered files (which very useful if you have lost the original name and don’t know where to look). Among the absolute best in the panorama of paid data recovery software.

Many of these programs also offer a free trial of the product, excellent for testing the function on a few files and, only if satisfied, proceed with purchasing the program for recover all files or entire disk.

Conclusions

In the path of recovery of deleted files timing is everything: the sooner you proceed with the recovery, the greater the chance of recovering all the files that you had deleted by mistake or that you had lost following incorrect formatting.

To learn more about deleted files we can read the guide on how file recovery da a CD/DVD and the guide for recover files and photos from a USB stick or memory card.

In another article we will show you how erase files so they cannot be recovered not even with the programs mentioned above, so as to guarantee maximum privacy when selling a laptop or a hard disk.

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