How to Recover Files from Formatted Drive with a Graphic Tool

Theo Lucia updated Jul 07, 26

5 min(s)

TL;DR:

To successfully recover files from a formatted drive, immediately stop using it to prevent data overwriting, and use a tool like Recoverit Data Recovery to perform a deep scan and save the restored files to a completely different storage device.
    ● A quick format offers higher recovery chances than a full format, but any new write operations—including installing recovery software on the source drive—will permanently overwrite recoverable sectors.
    ● If formatting erased the original directory structure, causing recovered files to appear with incorrect names or folders, sort the scan results by file type and preview the content before saving.
    ● Software recovery methods cannot bypass drive encryption without the correct password and will fail if the drive has physical damage, such as making clicking sounds or frequently disconnecting.

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Files can often be recovered from a formatted drive with a graphical recovery tool if new data has not overwritten the old file system area. The safest approach is to stop using the formatted drive, scan it with recovery software, preview found files, and save recovered data to a different storage device.

Follow these steps to recover data after formatting while minimizing the risk of overwriting recoverable sectors.

Step 1
Stop writing data to the formatted drive immediately. New files, updates, or app installs can overwrite recoverable data and reduce formatted drive recovery results.
Step 2
Connect the formatted drive to a working computer. Use a stable cable, enclosure, or card reader so the drive appears correctly in Disk Management, File Explorer, or Disk Utility.
Step 3
Open a graphical recovery tool and select the formatted drive. Start with a quick scan, then use a full or deep scan if few results appear after formatting.
Step 4
Filter scan results by file type, path, or date. Preview documents, photos, videos, and archives when preview is available to confirm file integrity before recovery.
Step 5
Recover data after formatting to another drive. Do not save recovered files back to the formatted source drive, or remaining recoverable data may be overwritten.

Common Issues and Fixes

Drive is detected but no files appear — Likely cause: the file system may have been rebuilt during formatting. Fix: run a deep scan or raw scan to recover files from formatted drive sectors directly.
Recovered files have wrong names or folders — Likely cause: formatting may have removed the original directory structure. Fix: sort results by file type and preview content before saving.
Drive does not show in the recovery tool — Likely cause: partition data may be damaged, or the connection may be unstable. Fix: reconnect the drive, change ports, and check whether the disk appears in system disk tools.
Recovery stops or freezes — Likely cause: bad sectors or hardware instability may interrupt scanning. Fix: use a healthy adapter, keep the drive cool, and create a disk image first if the drive is unstable.
Files recover but will not open — Likely cause: parts of the files may have been overwritten after formatting. Fix: recover multiple versions if available and test previews before saving everything.

Quick tips that can improve formatted drive recovery success:

A quick format usually leaves more recoverable data than a full format, but later use of the drive matters more than the format type.
External drives, USB drives, SD cards, and internal hard drives follow the same rule: recovery chances drop fast after new writes.
If the formatted drive makes clicking sounds or disconnects often, software recovery may fail because the problem may be physical, not logical.
Encrypted drives can return unreadable results unless the correct password or decryption state is available.

💡Protip:

Before scanning a formatted drive, avoid installing recovery software or saving scan results to the same drive. Any new write operation can overwrite files that may still be recoverable.