Remember that sinking feeling when you realize you've accidentally deleted an important file or your hard drive decides to call it quits? We've all been there.
Fortunately, file and data recovery tools are ready to get you out of the pickle. They recover and repair deleted, corrupted, or damaged files from personal computers (PCs), external hard drives, USBs, and mobile phones. They meticulously scan storage devices and find the files you thought were gone for good, whether documents, emails, videos, pictures, or audio files.
* These are the leading software solutions for data recovery at G2 as of February 2024. The tools are ranked alphabetically.
Install any of these data recovery software so next time, you don’t have to worry about data loss.
If you're anything like me – super eager to clear out your device, including the recycle bin, and then panicking the next day over deleting something important without a backup – data recovery tools are an absolute lifesaver. Getting back your data when you’ve accidentally formatted a disk or deleted files and folders also falls under the purview of data recovery.
You can also depend on data recovery tools to come in handy when you experience failing drives, data corruption, and virus or malware attacks. Note that the effectiveness of data recovery software may vary according to factors like the cause of data loss, the condition of the storage device, and the time elapsed since the data was lost.
The following list contains free data recovery software info with genuine user reviews from the file recovery software category page. In the context of the list, vendors that offer a free version or trial are also considered free.
To qualify for inclusion in the file recovery software for individual users, a solution must:
* This data was pulled from G2 in February 2024. The product list is ranked alphabetically. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
Disk Drill is one of the leading data recovery software that retrieves files from any storage device, be it a PC, Mac, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), memory card, Android, iPhone, or even digital camera. It supports hundreds of different file types, including all of the popular video, audio, photo, and document formats.
Disk Drill’s free version recovers up to 500 MB of data. An upgrade costs $89 for a lifetime license. While users find the basic version quite useful, it should be noted that subscribers to the paid version have raised concerns about its inability to retrieve data from PCs with SSDs and poor customer service.
"No data recovery software was showing my Fujifilm .RAF files...But Disk Drill really drilled out all my data. Totally worth it."
- Disk Drill Review, Himanshu C."The product's recovery system doesn't work on our MAC. We fully tested the basic version, and it failed to find any deleted files. We purchased the Pro version... It never found any deleted files. After numerous emails with support and hours of testing, they dropped the bomb on us and stated that it doesn't work on MACs with SSDs. While customer service makes an effort to help, they seem bothered and defensive of the product. There's more effort to remind you that the product is non-refundable than there is help. To summarize: For us, the product failed at its one job: recovery."
- Disk Drill Review, Michael G.
EaseUS Data Recovery is a dependable data recovery tool that’s known for its user-friendly interface. It supports a comprehensive range of file formats. The software’s intuitive scanning options make it a suitable solution for users of all technical levels. EaseUS offers free and paid versions, with the paid editions unlocking more advanced features.
The free version of EaseUS recovers up to 2GB of data.
"It's super intuitive software, very easy to use, and you can recover your data fast from almost any situation and device. I've used it before with SD and MicroSD, and it's very effective."
- EaseUS Data Recovery Review, Alex F.
"Sometimes other software work efficiently, but this creates false positives in terms of files recovered, and the word files recovered were corrupted."
- EaseUS Data Recovery Review, Bala K.
iBoysoft Data Recovery is a handy tool to judge what files you can probably recoup from your Windows and Mac devices before starting a full-fledged recovery process. The software providers are transparent about situations where the tool can’t retrieve data, like physical damage to the hard disk or PCs with SSDs.
iBoysoft’s freeware offers up to 1GB of data recovery. A full data recovery, however, requires an upgrade to the paid versions, which range from $69.95 to $299 for monthly, yearly, and lifetime licenses.
"What I like most is that I can run it on external memories and also on mobile devices. The user interface is very simple to use. Another positive aspect is that the software shows information about the file to be recovered, which can be a guide to find the lost file."
- iBoysoft Data Recovery Review, Leonardo C."Online user documentation is very scarce. Also, I think it's a huge price from the normal version to the professional version, where only support for Windows Server is added. I also think that your refund policy is almost nil; if you read well, there are no refunds."
- iBoysoft Data Recovery Review, Ivan G.
IObit Undelete, as the name suggests, gets back deleted and lost files on Windows devices. The software is very easy to use and shows the chances of retrieving a file before you can attempt a recovery, depending on whether the file had been overwritten or corrupted. The best part? IObit is completely free.
"First of all is the ease of use. It is downloaded as portable software. Thus, no installations are needed - it's almost like what we call plug-and-play. The user interface is easily navigable, making it very easy to use. It is fast, thus making the process of file recovery quicker. It does not consume too much memory. Also, to add on, this is a free tool."
- IObit Undelete Review, Kengeorge M.
"I think there is a bit of inconsistency at times when it reports the file in excellent condition. Because when it is recovered, the file is erroneous or simply no longer exists."
- IObit Undelete Review, Jose S.
If you are looking for a data recovery tool for your Android phones, then iReparo for Android is the perfect solution. The tool recovers photos, videos, contacts, text messages, and even call history from your device.
Whether you broke your phone screen or accidentally deleted files, you simply have to connect the phone to a computer (Windows or Mac) with a USB and run the program. The application offers a free version that scans and shows a preview of recoverable files. But complete file recovery requires a license that costs $49.95 or $99.99, depending on the number of devices you want to use it for.
"Not much technical knowledge is required to use it. Recognizes devices almost immediately. We can choose what type of files to be scanned and also preview the files found. The scanning is comparatively faster."
- iReparo for Android Review, Anil K.
"The only downside of this tool is that we cannot restore the database directly to the phone, and none of the apps currently supports the function of direct restoration to the phone."
- iReparo for Android Review, Aditya P.
Kernel is a lesser-known data recovery software for Windows and Mac, with a number of positive user reviews for its ease of use. It offers a free trial. The price of one-year licenses ranges from $49 to $199, depending on factors like the number of devices.
"The most likely feature of this software is that you could come up with your deleted data right from nowhere on your desktop. And believe me, it could save your job at any point."
- Kernel Review, Rose M.
"You have to get a basic understanding of how it works before using it, as a little bit of expertise is needed."
- Kernel Review, Devesh G.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery, like EaseUS and Disk Drill, can deep scan your computer or various storage devices and bring back 100+ types of files lost due to human error or system crashes. It offers multiple recovery modes, including deleted file recovery, damaged partition recovery, and lost partition recovery.
MiniTool aids data recovery of up to 1GB for free. Its paid monthly subscription costs $69 per month, and the perpetual license $99.
"Approximately two or three years ago, we had a hard disk (file server disk) that had bad sectors, and Windows couldn't identify it. We could not copy files due to i/o errors. But as a last chance, we tried Minitool data recovery. It recovered 70% - 75% of the data."
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery Review, Cihat Okan A.
"The user interface can not be minimized, so it occupies the entire desktop screen making it impossible to do different tasks at once. Finally, the recovery process is slow in excess, not allowing it to perform different activities on the computer."
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery Review, Jose S.
Ontrack EasyRecovery helps in retrieving lost or deleted files effortlessly. Whether it's accidental deletions, system mishaps, or hard drive crashes, this tool recovers your valuable files and gets you back up and running in no time.
The free version allows recovery of up to 1GB of data, and all the paid versions come with a free trial.
"EasyRecovery is one of the easiest recovery software to work with because of the simple UI it offers. I also like that it is flexible and works with all kinds of storage solutions."
- EasyRecovery Review, Abdallah A.
"The only thing I dislike is the licensing management can be a pain. If you forget to disable the license before moving it to another system, it isn't easy to get it back."
- EasyRecovery Review, Christopher C.
Lost your Outlook email data? The Outlook PST Recovery Tool by SysInfoTools comes in handy. The tool is designed to scan and repair corrupt or damaged personal storage table (PST) files in Microsoft Outlook and recover emails, contacts, calendars, and other mailbox items from your Outlook PST file in usable formats.
The free version provides a preview of the recovered files, which can be saved by upgrading to the full version for $49. SysInfoTools also provides a whole suite of products to recover data from Windows, Mac, emails, virtual disks, and more.
"Easy to use. Simply link to your PST and go! I couldn't have asked for an easier product to utilize."
- Outlook PST Recovery Tool Review, Danny S.
"It doesn't work about 10% of the time."
- Outlook PST Recovery Tool Review, John D.
9. Puran File Recovery
Puran File Recovery is another lesser-known data recovery tool that is completely free. However, the tool looks a bit outdated and hasn’t been updated in recent years. Another drawback is that it is available only for Windows systems.
"It has a user-friendly interface. It's free to download on the internet. Been using it on Windows 8, and has been working perfectly for me. It restores the lost files that you are recovering back to their original location hence making it easy to identify specific files out of the batch that might have been recovered."
- Puran File Recovery Review, Carol P.
"I have tried to run deep scans, but it may take around 5 or 6 hours, and the truth is it is not so effective. In the end, it shows almost the same files as the fast scan, which makes me doubt its scanning application."
- Puran File Recovery Review, Ramiro. S
Lost your favorite vacation photos and now want them back? RS Photo Recovery does it in a few clicks. The tool extracts photos from corrupted, inaccessible, and damaged memory cards and disks and supports all photo formats like .raw, .jpg, .png, .psd, and more.
The free version lets you assess the possibility of recovering data by displaying the contents of the files that may be recovered. However, you need to buy the paid version to save the files on your chosen device, which costs $18.95 for a single-device license.
"Simple interface, very intuitive, very easy to use for someone not PC-knowledgeable."
- RS Photo Recovery Review, Andrei M.
"It seems to me that the demo version they offer, although it perfectly locates the files that can be recovered, does not allow you to restore them, so we are in the same initial situation. Also not sure that it will recover photos in .png format."
- RS Photo Recovery Review, Abas Susana C.
Stellar Data Recovery Professional is an easy-to-use data recovery tool, packed with great features. A different version of the tool is available for Windows, Mac, and iPhones. The free version provides a preview of recoverable files and lets you choose what you want to recover up to 1 GB of data.
The company provides different paid subscriptions to cater to various user needs, starting from $59.
"One of the easiest data recovery software you can use to recover data in seconds. Simple DIY steps make it easier to understand everything necessary to recover your data."
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional Review, Abhay M.
"It does have difficulty at times recognizing a drive connected via USB that other recovery software can see and access. It's also a bit slow at scanning the drive."
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional Review, Doug P.
TestDisk is a powerful data recovery software designed to get back recover disk partitions or files from non-booting disks. It's open source and compatible with popular operating systems (OS) like Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
TestDisk is completely free. However, since it’s run using a command line interface, beginners will have difficulty using it.
"Recovery of lost data or lost partition process is quick and very easy. I can also restore files from NTFS and FAT filesystems."
- TestDisk Review, Ridham S.
"It might be challenging for individuals unfamiliar with command-line interfaces to use.TestDisk might not be able to recover your data if it has been wiped."
- TestDisk Review, Himanshu P.
Veeam Data Platform is a comprehensive solution for data recovery and backup. It prioritizes multi-layered security for reliable, secure, and flexible data protection. The platform supports built-in encryption, multi-factor authentication, and immutable backups for an all-rounded secure environment, both on-premise and cloud.
Veeam Data Platform offers a free trial for 30 days with full functionality.
"Veeam proves to be an excellent tool for backup and recovery, addressing the critical challenge of ensuring downtime-free recovery for applications and databases in the deployed environments. It excels in fulfilling the backup needs of a customer's infrastructure, offering a comprehensive solution that ensures data integrity and recoverability."
- Veeam Data Platform Review, Muhammad Ahsan S.
"Veeam requires configuration and a bit more hands-on management and administration because it's such an open and flexible platform. It's not set it and forget it, so if it's not set up correctly, you can expose yourself to risks from ransomware and hacking to poor performance."
- Veeam Data Platform Review, Raymond M.
Wondershare Recoverit is a handy tool for those seeking an uncomplicated way to rescue their accidentally deleted, lost, or inaccessible files. It supports 1000+ file formats, different storage devices and aids recovery from different data loss scenarios.
The tool helps recover up to 100 MB of data for free and offers a free trial. The cost of paid licenses for individuals ranges from $69.99 per year to $169.99, depending on the Windows or Mac version, as well as the number of devices and other features.
"I like that the software is designed with quick scanning algorithms and can handle various types of files and storage devices. This makes it easy to use and highly effective. The series of instructions guide users through the recovery process if they have limited technical knowledge."
- Wondershare Recoverit, Matthew D.
"The thing I dislike most about Wondershare Recoverit is its pricing. It is more expensive than other data recovery software on the market. Additionally, the free version has limitations in terms of the amount of data that can be recovered, which is much less."
- Wondershare Recoverit, Parampreet S.
A. Free data recovery software scans the storage device for traces of lost or deleted files. It uses various algorithms and techniques to examine the file system and reconstruct lost data structures to retrieve those files.
A. Free data recovery software can recover documents, photos, videos, audio files, archives, and more. These may vary depending on the software, but most tools support common file formats found on storage devices.
A. Yes, many free data recovery tools can scan formatted storage devices for traces of lost data and reconstruct the files to restore them to their original state.
A. Free data recovery software can have limitations compared to paid solutions, including file size limits for recovery, less to no support for advanced data recovery situations, and limited features.
From deleted photos to misplaced documents, these data recovery software are ready to rescue you and your files. Review the list, select the ones that meet your needs, and get your treasured work back.
While data recovery is crucial, prevention is equally important. Learn why data backup is so important to avoid data loss in the first place.
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