It happens to everyone, sooner or later, to accidentally delete a file from the hard disk and realize it when it is too late. If, unfortunately, you have joined this category of users, know that there are programs that can remedy the problem and that, in this guide, I have every intention of analyzing them in detail!
In the following lines, in fact, it will be my care to show you the best data recovery software, or rather, the best data recovery software you can use in emergency situations. Despite what it may seem, using them is really simple: no specific skills are required, but only a few minutes of time, a bit of patience and, above all, a bit of luck.
So, without further ado, take a few minutes of your free time and read carefully everything I have to explain on the subject: I am sure that, at the end of reading this guide, you will be perfectly able to achieve the goal you set yourself. That said, there’s nothing left for me to do but wish you a good reading and good luck!
Best hard drive data recovery software
If you want to recover one or more accidentally deleted files, you should know that there are many programs developed for this purpose, some of them free of charge. Before proceeding, however, I must point out a fundamental aspect of the matter: the more time that elapses after deletion of the file, the greater the likelihood that the operating system, in order to store new data, will overwrite the space previously occupied by the file.
As a result, the more times this space is overwritten, the more difficult it is to find the “original” file that occupied it: therefore, if the file was deleted a long time ago and the disk has been used in the meantime, recovery operations become considerably more complicated and, in some cases, may even prove ineffective. Keep this possibility in mind before proceeding.
Best Windows data recovery software
Having said all the above, it’s time to take action. When it comes to the best free data recovery software for Windows, Recuva is a no-cost program that allows you to recover deleted files from internal drives, portable hard drives, USB sticks, SD cards and other storage devices.
To download the program to your computer, first connect to this website, click on the Download Free Version button and then on the Free Download button, which appears in the box just below.
Now, click on the Download button corresponding to the Recuva Free box and wait for the program’s setup file to download to your computer. After the download is complete, launch the package obtained earlier (rcsetupxx.exe), click on the Yes button, select Italian from the drop-down list in the upper right corner and then click on Install to start the installation of the program. When finished, remove the checkmark from the View Release Notes box and click the Run Recuva button to run the program immediately.
At this point, you should be presented with a wizard that will guide you through the process of file recovery: first click on the Next button and, using the following screen, specify the type of files you are trying to recover (Pictures, Music, Documents, Video, Compressed, Email or All files) and, once you have made your choice, click Next again.
Now tell the program where the files you want to recover were by placing a check mark next to one of the available options (e.g. in My Documents, in the Recycle Bin, in a specific location, on a media card) or, if you don’t remember, check the I’m not sure box.
Once you have made your choice, click on the Next button to confirm it, and then press Start to begin searching for deleted files: depending on the size of the disk (or the drive to be analyzed) and the type of files chosen, this operation may take some time.
Once the scan is complete, you should see the screen with the results of the analysis: all you have to do is check the box next to the name of the file(s) to be recovered, click the Recover… button and, after selecting the folder where the files are to be saved, click OK twice to confirm the operation.
Once the scan is complete, you should see the screen with the results of the analysis: all you have to do is check the box next to the name of the file(s) to be recovered, click the Recover… button and, after selecting the folder where the files are to be saved, click OK twice to confirm the operation.
If you were not able to find the files you are interested in, try launching Recuva again and carrying out all the above steps, but be sure to check the Enable deep scan box that appears right after the screen where you choose the type of documents to search for.
This special feature, as its name suggests, performs a deeper scan of the disk (or path) of interest. Since this is a complex operation, however, it may take a long time (even several hours) to complete, especially in the case of very large paths or very large disks.
If Recuva failed to meet your expectations, you can consider using some alternative but equally efficient programs, such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or TestDisk, which I told you about in detail in my guide on how to recover deleted files.
Best Mac data recovery software
One of the best data recovery software for Mac is MiniTool Power Data Recovery: the free version of the program, also available for Windows, allows you to recover a maximum of 1 MB of data; to remove this limit, you need to purchase a license of the software, priced at $69 (for personal use only).
To try out the software, connect to its home page, click first on the bitten apple logo at the bottom and then on the Free Download button in order to download the program’s installation package to your Mac.
After downloading, launch the obtained file and click the Agree button. Next, drag the icon of MiniTool Power Data Recovery to the Applications folder of your Mac, double-click on the previously copied icon and click the Open button to launch the program. When prompted, enter the administration password of your Mac and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
The main screen of the application allows you to perform several operations: recover deleted files (Undelete recovery), recover damaged partitions (Damaged partition recovery), recover lost partitions (Lost partition recovery) or even recover media files (Digital media recovery).
After selecting the option you are interested in – in this case, it should be Undelete recovery – wait for the Mac drive to be scanned for deleted files (it may take a few minutes). Once the scan is complete, place a check mark next to the names of the files to be recovered, press the Save button and specify the folder to which they should be exported. Are you happy?
Best damaged external hard drive data recovery software
If your goal is to recover data from a damaged hard drive, things are slightly different: first, I recommend using a program like DataRescue DD (compatible with Windows and macOS) to create an image of the damaged drive, i.e. a single file that contains all the data on it.
If your goal is to recover data from a damaged hard drive, things are slightly different: first, I recommend using a program like DataRescue DD (compatible with Windows and macOS) to create an image of the damaged drive, i.e. a single file that contains all the data on it.
Once you have created an image of the damaged hard disk, you can feed it to programs like TestDisk/PhotoRec so that they can recover the data from it. I have provided you with all the necessary details in my tutorial dedicated to data recovery from a damaged hard disk.
Best Android data recovery software
Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best apps aimed at data recovery on Android terminals is DiskDigger: it works directly from Android and lets you restore both deleted files from internal memory and microSD.
At the moment, DiskDigger is available in two versions: a free version, which allows you to recover only JPG and PNG images and MP4 movies, and a paid version, which extends the recovery possibilities to documents, music, apps and compressed archives, and costs €3.37. In both cases, it’s recommended that the device you’re interested in has root permissions unlocked: without them, the app works just the same, but much less effectively.
Using DiskDigger is very simple: once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, launch it and grant it root permissions by tapping on the Allow/Allow button that appears on the screen; then, if you’ve chosen to use the free version of the app, refuse to upgrade to the Pro version (by tapping on the No, thanks item).
At the main DiskDigger screen, indicate whether you want to scan the device’s internal memory (along with the partition you’re interested in) or the microSD, then check the box next to the file types you want to recover and tap the OK button to start scanning the chosen storage drive.
When the scan is complete, locate the files to be recovered and tap their names to preview them. Please note that at this stage the preview is only available for some file types, while others (e.g. ZIP archives) are shown without their original names under the sector xx heading. Unfortunately, when this happens, you have to go by trial and error.
Anyway, once you’ve made your choice, tap on the Recover button, located at the top left, and choose the destination to which you want to export your data: to the cloud (cloud icon), via email, to your device (folder icon) or to an FTP server (arrow icon).
As an alternative to the above solution, you can recover the contents of the Android memory by connecting the device to the computer and using one of the programs I mentioned earlier. To learn more about this, I invite you to take a look at my guide on how to recover deleted files from Android.
Best iOS/iPadOS data recovery software
Contrary to Android, it is not possible to perform “direct” data recovery from iPhone and iPad memory, due to the restrictions imposed by iOS and iPadOS, which do not allow apps to access device memory “directly”.
However, you can achieve a similar result from your computer, with the help of EaseUS MobiSaver software: it is a program, compatible with both Windows and macOS, that allows you to recover files from iPhone and iPad memory (but also Android-branded devices) in a couple of clicks.
The free version of EaseUS MobiSaver allows you to recover only one file or five contacts at a time; this limitation can be removed by purchasing the paid version of the program, which costs $59.95. Please note that in order to use the software on Windows, iTunes must be installed on your system beforehand.
If you are interested in using this software, first go to its home page and click on the Free Download button in order to download the installation file for Windows. If, on the other hand, you are using a Mac, click on the Go to Mac Version link below and click on the Free Download button on the page that opens next.
Once you have obtained the program’s installation file, launch it using the procedure best suited to your operating system: on Windows, click the Yes button, choose Italian from the language selection dropdown menu and press the OK button to confirm. Then remove the checkmark from the boxes related to the installation of additional tools and finalize the program setup by clicking Next, Install and Finish.
If you are using macOS, use the Finder screen to drag the EaseUS MobiSaver icon to your Mac’s Applications folder, go to the aforementioned folder, right-click on the copied icon and click Open twice in order to overcome macOS restrictions on non-certified developers.
After launching the program, connect your iPhone or iPad using the included Lightning/USB-C cable and click the Recover from iOS device button to tell the program that you want to scan the phone/tablet memory for deleted files. After that, select the device name from the next screen and click the Scan button to start the memory analysis, which may take some time.
Once the scan is complete, use the sidebar on the left to navigate through the recovered data and once you’ve found the files you’re interested in, check the boxes and click the Recover button to save a copy to your computer.
Alternatively, you can consider using other software of this type, such as Dr.Fone (Windows/MacOS), FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery (Windows/MacOS) or iMobile PhoneRescue: however, keep in mind that these are commercial programs, which, in their free version, only allow scanning for deleted data and not the actual recovery of the same.