The Internet can be an endless pit of tutorials when it comes to do-it-yourself data recovery. Generally, if your data is of paramount importance, we'd recommend that you hand your device straight over to a data recovery specialist. But if your data isn't too valuable, and you want to see what you can do at home, here are six great free data recovery programs you can try.
Pandora Recovery
Pandora Recovery is definitely one of the most powerful and reliable pieces of free data recovery software out there, and has a lot of features on offer. It can recover deleted files from FAT and NTFS-formatted volumes, preview some deleted file types before the full recovery (images and documents), can recover files from a formatted drive, and has an easy to use interface that anyone can use. On the downside, however, the file detection system is a little patchy and could do with some improvement.
Wise Data Recovery
Wise Data Recovery tool is one of the fastest data recovery programs out there, and as well as being super-speedy, it contains some nifty features, too. With its easy and intuitive interface, you can recover deleted files from local drives, as well as external media like USB flash drives, SD cards, and other removable media devices. There’s also a file extension search feature so you can quickly find the files you need, and sort them by type. Unlike other data recovery software, Wise Data Recovery doesn’t offer a deep scan feature, but the standard scan is very fast.
Puran File Recovery
There are three main data recovery modes with Puran File Recovery. Default Quick Scan simply reads the file system for deleted files, Deep Scan scans all available free space and Full Scan checks all the space on the device. Puran File Recovery also has a “Find Lost Files” feature that allows the user to recover data from a lost or damaged partition. There is also a custom scan list, which stores file signatures, allowing the location and recovery of more badly damaged data.
Restoration
Restoration is not unlike the other pieces of data recovery software on this list. It’s incredibly easy and straightforward to use, and doesn’t have any unnecessary buttons or features to complicate the data recovery process. As well as being able to undelete files from hard drives, it can also recover data from SD cards, USB flash drives and external hard drives. An added advantage is that you can install it on a USB flash drive, ensuring the data on your main drive isn’t overwritten when installing the software.
Glary Undelete
This data recovery software features a clean, easy to use interface, albeit lacking visual flare. However, it’s still a powerful data recovery tool. Glary Undelete allows the user to perform a quick file scan, including in certain folders or searching certain file types. It has multiple filter options, including date, time, size, and more. When the results of the data recovery scan are shown, the recovery status – or health – of the files are shown. In addition to all of this, the software comes in multiple languages.
