10 Best HDD Data Recovery Software Free 2024

Amy Dennis

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Losing data from a hard drive is a moment tough enough to digest. However, finding the best HDD recovery software is even tougher. We understand how much importance your HDD carries. Irrespective of how much safer you handle it, getting into a data loss situation can happen anytime. However, we want you not to be panic if you are facing this instance. We are here to help you with a list of top HDD data recovery software free. You can analyze the list yourself and look at the pros and cons, figure out what's best for you. Let us explore now!

Part 1: What should we consider to choose HDD data recovery software free?

To pick out the best HDD recovery software, there are indeed some aspects to be looked upon. If you do not have clue what should you consider, here in this section, we are pointing out some factors so that you can help choose what is best for you.

• First of all, ensure that the HDD recovery software that you are choosing must meet the requirements regarding the data loss scenario. In other words, the tool can recover the data irrespective of the reason. Whether your data got lost due to accidental deletion of virus infection or anything like that, it shouldn't affect the tool's performance.
• Security, the success rate as well as the reliability is the next few things that you should ponder over. You would never want the HDD recovery software that you are going to work with will provide you any virus, right? Therefore, choose the one that is completely free from any malware attacks, that is completely reliable and performs well.
• Many users who suffer from data loss panic more because of the technicalities a recovery software carries rather than panic upon their lost data. Therefore, one should always go for a tool that is user-friendly and does the job in simple steps. If your HDD recovery software is easy to use, you are good to go with it!
• A yet another thing that people should keep in mind while picking out an HDD recovery software is the compatibility. Be it the system you are using or the data types, the software should be able to support all types of data for recovering. Apart from this, if you are going to work on Windows, check whether the tool can support all the operating system versions with ease.

Part 2: 10 Best HDD Data Recovery Software Free 2023

1. Recoverit Data Recovery

https://recoverit.wondershare.com/data-recovery-free.html

Speaking about the list of HDD data recovery tools, Recoverit Data Recovery tops for it totally stands out and completely fulfills the aforementioned factors. This amazing tool offers 8 recovery methods and fully makes sure to retrieve deleted, formatted, or lost data in any way possible. It gives the best efforts in performing the best with the PC, mobile phones, digital cameras, and the like.

Pros:

• Comes with a high recovery success rate
• Complete works in a hassle-free way and requires no technical knowledge
• You can preview your files easily before recovering it

Cons:

• The free version allows you to recover the only 100MB from your hard drive

2. Recuva

https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva

The second helpful HDD data recovery software free is Piriform Recuva. This comes as one of the well-known tools. With the help of this, you can recover various types of files from not just computers but digital camera cards as well. Whether a virus attack or a power surge has brought you in a data loss situation, it works equally well in all situations.

Pros:

• You can scan the specific location with this tool as well as deep scanning is offered
• It also has the power to support Outlook, Windows Mail, Thunderbird recovery
• The interface is easy to use
• Freshly formatted and damaged files can be easily recovered.

Cons:

• Doesn't support SSD drive recovery
• Though clean, the interface might seem to be outdated
• While scanning, previewing function is not available

3. Puran File Recovery

http://www.puransoftware.com/Data-Recovery.html

This tool might be unknown to many but trust us, it can be helpful in hard drive data loss situations. You can use this tool to recover your data from not just hard disk drive, but from CD, DVD, USB drive, memory cards, or any other external storage media. One of the things to be highlighted in this HDD recovery tool is it prevents any bad sectors while working and recovers data perfectly.

Pros:

• It helps users in adding a partition by simply drag and drop
• Easy and secure to use

Cons:

• Doesn't allow previewing of files
• Doesn't help in filtering the types of files to be recovered

4. SoftPerfect File Recovery

https://www.softperfect.com/products/filerecovery/

SoftPerfect is another free and is a lightweight HDD data recovery tool. It easily works with NTFS and FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and support encrypted volumes. There is no such unnecessary settings and screens associated with this tool.

Pros:

• This is a portable software and so, doesn't require any installation
• Easy to use and works perfectly with Windows XP to Windows 10
• Less than 1MB in size
• Helps in retrieving multiple files at once
• Assists in finding the files by name or the extensions

Cons:

• You can't preview image files
• Doesn't let you know the condition of the deleted files

5. Tokiwa Data Recovery

https://tokiwa-datarecovery-portable.jaleco.com/

Though very less know to people, Tokiwa Data Recovery also is a good option when it comes to the best HDD recover tool list. You can undelete any files simply by pressing the Shift/Ctrl key. You need to use this tool immediately after you find out the deletion of your files.

Pros:

• Very easy to use
• Like the above tool, it is also portable and doesn't require installation

Cons:

• You may find the program a little minimalist like there are fewer options or documentation
• Only specific folders can be selected while working

6. PhotoRec

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

A yet another HDD recovery tool that carries good reliability is PhotoRec. With this tool, you get good options from a wide range of data types to recover. Be it documents, photos, or videos in your hard drive, it recovers anything with ease. For PhotoRec, the file system doesn't matter. It can help in restoring any kind of data from FAT, exFAT, or any other file system.

Pros:

• Easily recovers partitions and files
• Windows and Mac operating systems are equally supported
• The tool gives you the function of adding custom formats as per your choice with the "Unformat" function.

Cons:

• A user may find this HDD recovery software more technical while using it
• It is not available in GUI format

7. Undelete 360

https://www.undelete360.com/

As the name of this HDD recovery software suggests, this is the other way to undelete your files from the hard disk drive. You get the opportunity to retrieve the data from internal disk as well as hard drives or SD cards via Undelete 360. Moreover, it enables you to recover the large files or the files that you have removed with the cut command.

Pros:

• Provides you a great pool of search filters
• File wiping function is also available
• Completely free to use and works really at a good speed

Cons:

• JPEG images might not open as reported by users

8. Recover My Files

http://www.recovermyfiles.com/

On the eighth, we have Recover My Files. As simple as the name is, the process is simple too. You can count this HDD data recovery software under one of the reliable ones. Being fairly compatible with Windows, the users can recover the files from hard drive, USB Zip drives, SD card, floppy disk, and the like. The best part about this is it can help in recovering files from Recycle Bin, OS reinstallation, RAW partition, or formatted disk.

Pros:

• It allows users to sort out their files by date
• You can adjust items' layout
• Besides, this HDD data recovery software can assist you in scanning the backup of a partition

Cons:

• You may find the interface of this HDD data recovery tool a little old-fashioned
• The scanning may take hours, especially when you run it for complete hard drive

9. Disk Drill

https://www.cleverfiles.com/disk-drill-windows.html

Disk Drill is another trusted tool that does not want you to be a tech pro to recover data from the hard disk drive. With the help of this HDD data recovery software's free version, you can recover up to 500MB of files. The tool supports Windows, Mac, iOS, and even Android recovery.

Pros:

• Apart from data recovery, Disk Drill also offers features like backup drive and data protection
• A wide range of file systems are supported
• You can simply filter the size and data of the result
• It brings out the files in categorized form

Cons:

• While scanning, you may feel the process a little exhausting as it is time-consuming
• Besides, the setup process can be tricky

Part 3: Which Free Recovery Software Is The Best?

We offered you 10 HDD recovery tools that can help you at a data loss situation. We are not denying the fact that losing important files, be it in your PC, hard drive or even phone is a moment to not react upon. But, being calm in a problem solves half of it. Therefore, you need to be calm as well and put a light on the list. If you are still confused, we would like you to recommend Recoverit Data Recovery. Not just it helps in recovering data from Windows, but Mac comes in support as well. To get the best results, it is the one that carries enough power to be relied upon. We hope you liked this post. If yes, please update us with feedback in the comment section. Thanks, readers for your time!

FAQs

Does data recovery software really work?

A data recovery service’s success is primarily determined by the system’s state and how the data was lost in the first place. However, thanks to substantial advancements in technology, data recovery is now far more successful than it was previously. That justifies the cost of data recovery.

Where are permanently deleted files stored?

Backup and restore, a new data recovery component in Windows Vista, enables users to create backups and restore them from previous ones. The permanently deleted files are stored within this section as well. Select Restore prior versions from the context menu when you right-click the file or folder. You’ll see a list of previous versions of the file or folder that are still available.

How can I recover data from a laptop hard drive that won’t boot?

• Remove the hard drive from the laptop.
• Obtain a Disk Enclosure.
• Connect a second laptop.
• Examine the laptop’s compatibility.
• Use a universal adapter to connect the hard drive.
• Connect it to a working computer.
• Obtain a Disk Enclosure.
• Retrieve the desired files.

How do professionals recover data?

When a file is declared as destroyed, the space it occupies is effectively freed up to accommodate new files. Unfortunately, some of the identifying information in the file is also removed. Data recovery professionals examine your data storage devices for files in this state and can assist you in recovering them.

Can you get files off a dead computer?

Copy the files to the removable media device using a USB stick or external hard disc. The files on your dying computer will then be saved. Even if your computer’s hard drive is failing, you might be able to use this procedure. A cable-like device, the USB Hard drive adapter connects to the hard drive from one end and a USB port on the functional computer on the other is another option.