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When your Windows computer doesn’t want to boot, it might seem like all of your hard work is about to disappear. Even when it finally goes through all of the required updates, recovering your lost data becomes a priority.

Any potential file loss can get countered if you have the best free data recovery for Windows PCs available to use.

7 Best Free Data Recovery Tools for Windows in 2022

If you have a Windows PC, these software solutions can help you reverse file and information loss for most of today’s common reasons.

1. Disk Drill Data Recovery for Windows

Disk Drill for Windows babelgum review

What Makes Disk Drill Great?How Could Disk Drill Be Improved?
  • The software organizes the deleted files into various categories for more comfortable viewing.
  • Deep scanning is available.
  • It provides support for most major file systems used today.
  • Advanced filtering options make it a simple process to find missing files.
  • The free version of Disk Drill limits users to 500 MB of data restoration.
  • It doesn’t come with a portable version.
  • Users don’t see the recoverability chances for individual files.

Although Disk Drill offers a premium plan, you can get to know this top data recovery solution for free. It provides several user experience pathways to let you find and restore your missing data with remarkable speed.

The simplicity in its UI is what makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. In addition to your Windows PC, it can help you find missing files on almost any storage device.

You get to preview files before recovery, come back to a paused scan, or work on partitions. The filtering options you’ll find available are some of the most comprehensive choices in its category right now.

You can use Disk Drill with Windows 7 and newer operating systems like Windows 11.

Additional information is available here (https://www.cleverfiles.com/free-data-recovery.html), including download instructions.

2. Recuva (Piriform)

Recuva

What Makes Recuva Great?How Recuva Could Get Better?
  • It provides several advanced options for data recovery.
  • Users have access to a walkthrough wizard that makes it relatively easy to use.
  • Unless you’re running an ancient legacy system, it should work on your Windows PC.
  • It hasn’t received an update since 2016.
  • The user interface is unnecessarily clunky.
  • You must choose between a portable or an installable version.

If you know how to delete a file in Windows, you can restore it with Recuva. Although the advanced options require some time to learn, it is relatively easy to recover data with this tool.

Advanced file recovery options are available for free. The professional version offers virtual hard drive support, premium customer service, and automatic updates for $19.95.

More information about Recuva is available here: https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva.

3. Puran File Recovery

Puran File Recovery

What Makes Puran Great?How Could Puran Get Better?
  • Users receive two options for viewing their deleted files.
  • It scans FAT and NTFS file systems.
  • The condition of the file is stated on the list screen.
  • Users have the option to run it as a portable version.
  • This free data recovery tool is only allowed for home use. Commercial licensing (including business use) does not apply.
  • The software hasn’t received an update since 2016.

Puran File Recovery stands out for two reasons: it typically finds many files and offers sorting options that let you find the best ones to target.

If you haven’t overwritten a lost partition, this free data recovery download for Windows can also help you there.

It works for the 64- and 32-bit versions from Windows 10 to Windows XP.

You can review information about Puran File Recovery and its downloads here: http://www.puransoftware.com/File-Recovery.html.

4. Glary Undelete (Glarysoft)

Glary Undelete

 

What Makes Glarysoft Great?How Could Glarysoft Be Improved?
  • The software download takes up minimal space.
  • Users will find clear designations to see the likelihood of restoration being successful.
  • The entire list of recoverable files is viewable in list format.
  • The last update for this software was in 2016.
  • It requires a direct installation for usability.
  • The setup process attempts to install a companion program after you finish the download.

The most significant advantage this free data recovery tool offers for Windows users is its Folder view. This option lets you explore files as you would within the operating system, making it an intuitive process.

It will restore information from any removable storage device that your PC registers, including USB drives and memory cards.

This tool supports NTFS, EFS, and FAT. It also recovers encrypted or compressed files within those formats.

You’ll also receive automatic sorting benefits with its filtering selections.

Glary Undelete works on PCs operating everything from Windows 10 to Windows XP. Some users have installed it successfully on Windows 98.

Download information is available through this link: https://www.glarysoft.com/glary-undelete/.

5. Restoration (Softpedia)

Restoration (Softpedia)

What Makes Restoration Great?How Could Restoration Be Improved?
  • Users have the option to overwrite their deleted data.
  • Several sorting methods are available to find what you need.
  • It provides an option to search for deleted empty files. 
  • The software officially only supports PCs up until Windows XP.
  • Users cannot restore an entire folder simultaneously.
  • No indication is available for file recoverability. 

If simplicity is your preference, this Windows free data recovery program delivers results. It is a relatively small installation that does offer some portability if desired.

It will recover files from most storage solutions, including external drives and USB devices.

You won’t need to deal with any jargon-filled instructions or confusing commands with this software. It provides a no-frills, straightforward approach to help you find the files you need.

It does not operate on Windows 10 or Windows 8. The official support states it is usable from Windows Vista to Windows 95, although we did get it to work on Windows 7.

You can find more information and download opportunities with this URL: https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/Restoration.shtml.

6. Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery

What Makes Windows File Recovery Great?How Could Windows File Recovery Be Improved?
  • This free utility is one of the few that Microsoft officially approves.
  • It works with SD cards, internal drives, and external storage. 
  • Users can recover single tools or multiple file types simultaneously.
  • This option is only available for users with Windows 10 installed.
  • It only works over the command line. 
  • You must restore your files to a different drive to have a successful experience.

Although this option is somewhat cumbersome to use, it’s also a straightforward recovery tool. When you type the commands correctly, you’ll know that the data is coming back your way.

After installing this tool, you’ll need to search for it through the Start menu. After you get to the Terminal-style screen, you’ll enter specific commands to restore your file.

This option works better for people with some technical knowledge. You’d don’t need to be a programmer, but you should have some familiarity with DOS procedures.

Windows File Recovery (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-file-recovery/9n26s50ln705) is available through the company’s app store.

7. PC Inspector File Recovery

PC Inspector File Recovery

What Makes PC Inspector File Recovery Great? How Could PC Inspector File Recovery Be Improved?
  • This software tool works for most file systems and storage drives.
  • You can fine-tune the results based on personal sorting preferences.
  • It includes a recovery function to attempt data restoration in ways that other solutions don’t try. 
  • The time this software needs to complete a scan is well below average for the industry.
  • It offers a cumbersome UI that is challenging to manage. 
  • Users operating Windows 10 may encounter loading issues.

This software tool stands out because of its overall support and flexibility. It does well with its sorting options, making it relatively easy to find the files you want.

It works for HDDs, external drives, and most memory cards. If your computer uses SSD, it may not function as well, but it can still find many missing files. 

The advertising along the right sidebar is the primary issue. With the scrolling arrows placed right next to it, you can inadvertently click on ads frequently.

This software works for Windows 8 through Windows 98 with its official support. It doesn’t work correctly within the Windows 10 operating system.

You can find more information about this product in this link (http://www.pcinspector.de/default.htm?language=1), including download options.

What Are You Missing on Your Windows PC?

Today’s best free data recovery tools let you find and restore the files that get accidentally deleted. Even if you remove them from your trash can, it’s still possible to save most of the information you could previously access.

If you plan on doing more research about this topic, we’ve selected a few helpful resources to guide you to the answers you need.

Here Is the Bottom Line

If you’re ready to recover your missing files or find your data, select the best option from this list to meet your needs. Your Windows PC likely has your files still, even if it doesn’t want to complete a restart quickly.

Instead of giving up, start downloading! Tools like Disk Drill and these other top picks deliver a meaningful solution that you can use today.