Top 37 Best File Recovery Software For Windows And Mac PC

There are many file recovery software that can help you recover your accidentally deleted files. The files you have deleted are often still present on your hard drive (or USB drive, memory card, smartphone, etc.) and can be recovered using free data recovery software. Here are the best free data recovery software applications that can help you recover your data without spending any money on them.

Top 37 File Recovery Software

Data recovery software is an application that recovers lost files from any storage media. You can recover files that are accidentally deleted or lost due to virus attack, hard drive failure or any other reason.

This software scans the storage medium and finds the lost files. You can recover different types of files like audio, video, contacts, emails, etc.

Whenever a file is deleted, it is moved to the recycle bin. Even after file deletion from recycle bin, it is not deleted. The path of this deleted file is removed by the file system and makes it less accessible. The space that was allocated to this file will be marked as available to be used by another file when needed.

However, there is still a binary file available on the computer. The file remains available until another file overwrites it. Some parts of the file may remain on the hard drive for several years.

If the deleted file is partially overwritten by another file, the data recovery software will not be able to recover the file and provide usable data. The best data recovery software should support all storage media and file structures and thus should be able to recover files from all types of storage media.

These are the top deleted file recovery apps .

Recuva

Recuva is the best free data recovery software tool available, hands down. It is very easy to use, but also has many optional advanced features.

Recuva can recover files from hard drives, external drives (USB drives, etc.), BD/DVD/CD discs, and memory cards.

Recuva will recover files on Windows 10, Windows 8 and 8.1, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008/2003 and older versions of Windows like 2000, NT, ME and 98. 64-bit versions of Windows are also supported. A 64-bit version of Recuva is also available.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is another great file recovery software. Recovering files is very easy to do with just a few clicks.

Our favorite aspect of the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is that the user interface is structured very much like Windows Explorer. While that may not be the ideal way to display files for everyone, it is a very familiar interface that most people are comfortable with.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will recover files from hard drives, optical drives, memory cards, iOS devices, cameras, and pretty much anything else that Windows considers a storage device.

Please note that the Data Recovery Wizard will only recover a total of 500 MB of data before you need to update.

This Deleted File Recovery Wizard is compatible with macOS 10.15–10.9 and Windows XP – 10, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003.

Puran File Recovery

It is one of the best freeware to recover deleted files. It's very easy to use, will scan any drive Windows sees, and has plenty of advanced options if you need them.

Puran File Recovery will even recover lost partitions if they haven't been overwritten yet.

Puran File Recovery works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP. It's also available in a portable format for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, so no installation is required.

Disk Drill

It is an excellent free data recovery program not only because of its features, but also because of its very simple design, so it is almost impossible to get confused.

Disk Drill can recover data (up to 500 MB) from “virtually any storage device”, such as internal and external hard drives, USB sticks, memory cards, and iPods.

You can also preview files before recovering them, pause scans and resume them later, perform partition recovery, back up an entire drive, filter files by date or size, run a quick scan instead Run a full scan for faster results and save scan results so you can easily re-import them to recover deleted files later.

Disk Drill works with Windows 7 and later, and macOS 10.8.5 and later.

Glary Undelete

It is an excellent free file recovery program . It is very easy to use and has one of the best user interfaces we have seen.

Glary Undelete's biggest advantages include the easy “Folders” view, an Explorer-style view of recoverable files, and a prominent “Status” indication for each file, which suggests the likelihood of successful file recovery.

One disadvantage of Glary Undelete is that installation is required before you can use it. Another is that it asks you to install a toolbar, but of course you can decline if you don't want one. Other than those facts, Glary Undelete is top notch.

Glary Undelete can recover files from hard drives and any removable media you may have, including memory cards, USB drives, etc.

Glary Undelete works on Windows 7, Vista, and XP, but also works well on Windows 10, Windows 8, and versions prior to Windows XP.

Soft Perfect File Recovery

It is another excellent program to recover deleted files . It is very easy to search for recoverable files. Anyone should be able to use this program without problems.

SoftPerfect File Recovery will recover files from hard drives, memory cards, etc. Any device on your PC that stores data (except your CD/DVD drive) should be supported.

SoftPerfect File Recovery is a small, self-contained 500KB file, which makes the program very portable.

Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008 and 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98 and 95 are supported. According to SoftPerfect, 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems are also supported.

SoftPerfect File Recovery v1.2 can be used on Windows 10 without any problem.

Wise Data Recovery

It is a free recovery program that is really easy to use.

The program installs very quickly and scans the test PC in record time. Wise Data Recovery can scan various USB devices like memory cards and other extraction devices.

An instant search feature makes it really quick and easy to find deleted files that Wise Data Recovery has found, and there's a quick and full scan option depending on how deep of a scan you want to perform.

Wise Data Recovery works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP. There is also a portable version available.

Restoration

Restore data recovery program is similar to the other free recovery apps on this list.

What we love most about Restoration is how incredibly simple it is to recover deleted files. There are no cryptic buttons or complicated file recovery procedures - everything you need is in one easy-to-understand program window.

Restoration can recover files from hard drives, memory cards, USB drives, and other external drives.

Like some of the other popular data recovery tools on this list, Restoration is small and doesn't need to be installed, giving it the flexibility to run from a floppy or USB drive.

It is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7, XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98 and 95.

FreeUndelete

FreeUndelete is pretty self explanatory: it's free and it recovers files! It is very similar to other recovery utilities around this range on our list.

The main advantage of FreeUndelete is its easy-to-use interface and "folder breakdown" functionality (ie files available for recovery are not displayed in a large, unmanageable list).

FreeUndelete will recover files from hard drives, memory cards, and other similar storage devices on or attached to your PC.

FreeUndelete works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP.

iCare Data Recovery Free

It has two scan options, so you can choose between a faster type of scan that might not catch everything, and a deeper scan that takes longer to complete but is likely to locate more deleted files.

One of the best features of this program is the ability to preview text files and images. You can even browse deleted folders in thumbnail view to quickly see which files you want to recover.

Several hundred file types are supported, so iCare Data Recovery Free can probably recover anything you've deleted.

Windows users can download this program as a portable tool or regular installable program.

Windows File Recovery

Even Microsoft has a tool for data recovery, but it's not as easy to use as most of these other programs. It runs on the command line, so you have to type everything you want to do. However, it is still quite easy to use.

To recover files this way, download and install Windows File Recovery, and then search for it in the Start menu to open it.

Since this is a slightly more complicated process than using a standard application where you can click buttons and menus, see Microsoft's help page for other examples and more information. It explains how to recover single files or multiple file types at once, how to use wildcards, and more.

Only Windows 10 users can download this tool.

ADRC Data Recovery Tools

It is another great free file recovery program. File recovery with this program is not complicated and probably the average computer user could do it without any documentation.

ADRC data recovery tools should be able to recover files from any non-CD/DVD storage devices like memory cards and USB drives as well as hard drives of course.

ADRC Data Recovery Tools is a 132 KB standalone program that makes it a very portable data recovery tool that easily fits on any removable media you may have.

Data recovery tools are officially supported on Windows XP, 2000 and 95, but data recovery with this program is possible on Windows Vista and Windows 7. On Windows 8 and 10 this tool does not work.

CD Recovery Toolbox

It is completely free and unique deleted file recovery software . It is designed to recover files from damaged or corrupted optical drive discs: CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, HD DVD, etc.

CD Recovery Toolbox should help recover files from discs that have been scratched, chipped, or have surface stains.

An obvious drawback is CD Recovery Toolbox's inability to recover files from hard drives or portable media drives. However, the program is not designed to do that, so we have not taken it into account.

CD Recovery Toolbox works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2000, NT, ME and 98.

UndeleteMyFiles Pro

It is another free file recovery program. Don't let the name fool you, it's completely free even though it says “Pro”.

Tree View and Detailed View are the two viewing perspectives you can choose from. You can also preview the files, which sounds nice, but all it does is restore the data to a temporary folder and then open it.

Emergency Disk Image is one of the tools included in UndeleteMyFiles Pro. This tool takes a snapshot of your entire computer, puts all the data in one file, and then lets you work on it to restore the deleted files . This is very useful because once the image file has been created, you don't need to worry that new data written to your hard drive will replace any important deleted files.

There is a nice search option in UndeleteMyFiles Pro that allows you to search by file location, type, size and attributes.

One drawback of UndeleteMyFiles Pro is that the recovery process doesn't tell you if a file is in a good enough state to be recoverable like most of the other software on this list.

UndeleteMyFiles Pro works on Windows 8 and XP, but on Windows 10 it doesn't work properly.

Power Data Recovery

Unlike some of the other file recovery software on this list, Power Data Recovery must be installed on your computer before you can use it. This is not the best way to work with this type of software because the installation may overwrite deleted files and make them less likely to be recoverable.

Another disadvantage of Power Data Recovery is that you can only recover 1 GB of data before you have to upgrade to a paid version.

However, we like the fact that the program finds deleted files quickly and that it can recover deleted files from both internal drives and USB devices, as well as easily recover data from the desktop, recycle bin, or a specific folder.

In addition, Power Data Recovery allows you to search through deleted data, recover more than one folder or file at a time, export the list of deleted files to a text file, pause or stop the scan when you find what you need, and filter files by name, extension, size and/or date.

It is available for Windows 10 and Windows 7.

iBoysoft Data Recovery Free

Another free program to recover deleted files is iBoysoft. This one is very limited in that it can only recover 1GB of data, but if you need to recover just a few files, or even a video or music collection, you're probably fine with a 1GB limit.

iBoysoft Data Recovery Free starts by having you select the hard drive to scan and then displays all the deleted files in a normal folder structure. You can browse through them the same way you do in Explorer and easily select the files you want to restore.

When you exit the results screen, you have the opportunity to save the results to an SR file which you can then reopen in iBoysoft Data Recovery Free to work with the same list of deleted files. This is great so you don't have to rescan the drive to continue examining the results.

This program works on Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows, and is also available for Mac computers (10.7+).

Orion File Recovery Software

It is a program from NCH Software that allows you to recover deleted files for free .

A good wizard prompts you to search for specific file types when you start the program, such as documents, pictures, videos, music, or a custom file type. It can also scan the entire drive to find all types of files.

Orion file recovery software can scan any connected internal or external hard drive, flash drives and memory cards for deleted data. You can then search your files with an instant search function, while easily identifying each file's recovery potential.

A nice addition to Orion's file recovery software, it also works as a data destruction program, so you can delete all the files it finds so they can't be recovered for future analysis.

Orion file recovery software works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

BPlan Data Recovery

It is a file recovery program like the others on this list. It may not look as good as similar software, but it can recover many different types of deleted files.

BPlan Data Recovery is a bit difficult to navigate. It's hard to know what we're doing because of the design of the results. That said, it still manages to find and recover images, documents, videos, and other types of files.

BPlan Data Recovery works on Windows XP, on Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista.

Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition

This free data recovery tool from Stellar is easy to use as it guides you through a simple wizard where you select what and where to search for deleted files.

A unique feature of this program is the preview option that you have while scanning. You can see, in real time, what files the program finds before the analysis ends.

Another thing we like about Stellar's free file recovery program is that when you exit the results screen, you have the option to save the list of deleted files so you can resume recovery later.

It is available for Windows and macOS.

Photo Rec

The free PhotoRec file recovery tool gets the job done, but it's not as easy to use as other programs on this list.

PhotoRec is limited by its command line interface and multi-step recovery process. However, our biggest problem with PhotoRec is that it's very hard to avoid recovering all your deleted files at once, not just the one or two you're looking for.

PhotoRec can recover files from hard drives, optical drives, and memory cards. PhotoRec should be able to recover files from any storage device on your PC.

If other data recovery software didn't work, try PhotoRec. We simply do not recommend that it be your first choice.

It works on Windows 7, but it also runs on newer versions and on Mac and Linux.

Undelete 360

If you're looking for a truly free data recovery app for Windows, Undelete 360 has you covered. Its Office 2010-inspired user interface may be outdated, but at least it looks familiar and makes the app intuitive.

It allows you to recover deleted files from your computer's internal drive, as well as from memory cards, external hard drives, and many other types of storage media. You can recover files that were too large to fit in the Recycle Bin or that have been deleted using the Cut command.

The tool does not come with technical support, so users are on their own when recovering their lost data.

R-Studio

It is a commercial data recovery software tool with versions for Windows, Mac and Linux. It was originally designed for use by data recovery professionals, but has evolved to provide an easy-to-use solution accessible to anyone.

R-Studio offers users extensive recovery options and has versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. As a true cross-platform solution, files can be recovered from any supported operating system, regardless of the operating system hosting the tool. This offers additional flexibility and eliminates the need to purchase more than one version of the software in multi-platform environments.

The tool can recover data from local and removable drives, as well as from client machines connected to a LAN or the Internet.

stellar phoenix

This feature-rich data recovery application lives up to its name and offers stellar design and performance. Stellar Phoenix is a high-end and easy-to-use recovery software that comes in various editions.

Stellar Phoenix Pro is loaded with multiple features that allow users to customize the recovery process according to their requirements. Highlights include Lost Partition, Formatted Drive, Deleted File and MS Outlook PST File Email Recovery.

MiniTool Partition Recovery

The most harrowing data corruption experience is losing an entire partition or drive. This can be attributed to an accidentally deleted or overwritten partition, an unfinished formatting procedure, etc. If this has happened to you, MiniTool Partition Recovery can help you.

The functionality of MiniTool is quite simple. As the name suggests, this application is available as a small downloadable file. After installation, launch the application and select the drive where your lost partition was located. Then the application will ask you with a dialog if you want to scan the entire drive or just a part of it. Select an option and specify the nature of the scan, either a full or quick scan.

Wondershare Recovery

Wondershare Recoverit is a complete and professional solution to recover lost data from computer disk, flash drive, SD card, etc. Provides a preview before recovery.

With Recoverit, it's just a 3-step data recovery process, select, scan and preview the files to get them back. Their technical support is available for free, 24*7.

Wondershare Recoverit can recover deleted files like photos, videos, audios, emails, etc. Supports more than 1000 file formats. It can recover data from PC, Mac, hard drive, USB, SD card, etc.

Recoverit offers pricing plans for individuals, teams and businesses, and students and teachers. For small teams (less than 5 PCs), it will cost $139.95 per year. Medium to large sized organizations can get a quote. Individual plans start at $59.95 per year.

Advanced Disk Recovery

Advanced Disk Recovery can quickly recover deleted, formatted or lost data. You can recover photos, videos, audios, documents, etc. lost or deleted from hard drive, USB or other storage media.

It is a 100% safe and hassle-free solution. All deleted data will be recovered without overwriting the original data. This solution supports various devices such as PC, laptop, SSD, USB and external drive.

It works with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista and XP for 32 and 64 bits.

Its regular price is $69.95 per year.

AnyRecover

It is a data recovery software that is available in a free and paid version. You can recover lost or deleted files from different data loss situations. It supports various devices for data recovery. It can be used to recover data that is lost due to format, delete, partition loss, disk damage, virus attack, etc.

AnyRecover offers a free edition to recover up to 3 files. Its Pro version will set you back $49.95.

PC Inspector File Recovery

It is a free program. It supports FAT12/16/32 and NTFS file systems. This tool supports many languages. It will allow you to save data to the network drive. It will help in organizing the recovered files by placing them in the correct file structure.

PC Inspector File Recovery can recover lost partitions. It will not work in case of mechanical problems with a disk drive. According to reviews, it has complaints about freezing during the recovery process.

DoYourData

Do Your Data recovery tool is a professional solution for all those who are victims of some kind of data loss. In the basic scanning process, the software allows you to choose two options: Quick Recovery and Advanced Recovery.

After the scan, you can preview the files and finally recover the lost data. As with any other software, it is recommended to use the quick recovery method first.

You can use Do Your Data on Windows 10, 8.1, 7, and macOS.

Pandora Recovery

It is one of the best, most reliable and effective free data recovery software out there. Pandora recovery tool has a lot to offer to its users.

Ability to recover deleted files from NTFS and FAT formatted volumes. You can preview deleted files of certain types (image and text files) without performing recovery.

However, its file detection system is not that reliable and needs to be further improved. This excellent data recovery software could also be made portable so that it does not consume hard drive space and thus does not consume space that a file we want to recover once consumed.

It can run on Windows 8, 8.1, 7, Vista, XP and earlier versions of Windows.

iBeesoft Data Recovery

If you have in mind to find a highly responsive data recovery software to completely recover deleted files, there is no better choice than iBeesoft Data Recovery.

As expected, you can recover files lost for almost any reason: you can do it from memory card, disk/partition, RAW drive, USB drive and other storage devices.

In addition to its incredibly easy-to-use menu, keep in mind that we're talking about recovering all commonly used file types, including documents, photos, graphics, videos, emails, archives, and more.

Kernel Data Recovery

It is a powerful tool to recover lost, deleted and inaccessible data from corrupted FAT16, FAT32, NTFS and NTFS5 partitions of Windows systems.

Apart from local use on any PC, the tool also supports recovery of removable drives like USB, IDE, EIDE, SCSI, SATA, PEN and even ZIP drives.

Kernel Data Recovery can be used to fix Windows corruption errors of logical and physical devices and recovers your songs, photos, documents, etc. without any alteration.

Paragon Backup & Recovery

It is one of the best backup and recovery tools available in the market.

With advanced restore features, this software doesn't compromise on ease of use, making it incredibly easy for individual users to protect files and folders, partitions, disks, or the entire system.

Lazesoft Recovery Suite

If you are looking for a powerful Windows rescue solution, Lazesoft Recovery Suite is the one. In addition to recovering data from common drives, Lazesoft also comes with a set of utilities that rescues your Windows system when you forget your login password or even won't boot.

It has multiple modes (Undelete, Unformat, Deep Scan) available to choose from. It is capable of previewing images before recovering them.

Many super useful utilities are included, including password recovery, Windows rescue, disk cloning and more.

Exif Untrash

It is another completely free program that runs on Mac (macOS 10.6 or higher). It is primarily designed to recover JPEG photos that have been deleted from a digital camera. It also works if you want to recover lost JPEG files from external drive, USB stick, SD card, etc., as long as it is a removable drive that you can mount on your Mac.

It is easy to download and install. Fast and accurate to find and recover deleted images from my camera's SD card. The quality of the recovered photos is very good.

Tokiwa Data Recovery

If you want to recover your lost files quickly, Tokiwa Data Recovery is a good choice. It is a standalone application, which means little time is required for the installation process. Tokiwa claims that it can recover and delete documents, files, images, videos, and more from common storage media.

It is portable, does not require installation. The scanning process is fast and it has a deep scan feature available after the simple scan is finished.

WinHex

WinHex is more geared towards forensic data recovery needs. After downloading the file, unzip it and click “WinHex.exe” to run the program. It can be a bit overwhelming the first time you open it. To scan and recover data, please go to “Tools” -> “Disk Tools” -> “File Recovery by Type”.

Able to edit/clone disks and recover partitions as well.

The above content published at Collaborative Research Group is for informational purposes only and has been developed by referring to reliable sources and recommendations from experts. We do not have any contact with official entities nor do we intend to replace the information that they emit.