Free Hard Drive Recovery Software. Recover HDD Data [2026]

Recover Data From Hard Drives in Any Data Loss Situation

Data loss occurs for a variety of reasons that demand a versatile recovery tool. Disk Drill helps you recover lost and deleted files in almost any data loss scenario.

Formatted Hard Drives

It’s easy to accidentally format the wrong hard drive or partition. Disk Drill can easily recover data from a formatted hard drive as long as the files were not overwritten during formatting or by subsequent use.

Accidental Data Deletion

Everyone inadvertently deletes a file at one time or another. Disk Drill will retrieve data from a hard drive even if it was deleted and you emptied the Recycle Bin.

File System Problems

When faced with a disk that suddenly shows up as a RAW file system, our hard drive recovery tool can scan the device and get your valuable data back intact.

Disk Is Not Visible in File Explorer

Disk Drill can recover even hard drives that are not visible in File Explorer. As long as the disk is visible in Disk Management with the correct size, recovery is possible.

Hard Disk Not Showing Files

Are you having trouble locating certain files? Our hard drive recovery tool can efficiently locate and restore files missing from the hard drive regardless of why they've become hidden.

Other Software & Hardware Issues

Viruses and malware can cause data loss on your hard drives. Disk Drill can recover data from systems where malware has made files inaccessible through applications like File Explorer.

Why Use Disk Drill Hard Drive Recovery Tool

Disk Drill is hard drive recovery software that can help you recover from virtually any type of data loss scenario thanks to its powerful set of recovery tools and easy-to-use workflow. Some of the tool’s key benefits include:

Intuitive and user-friendly interface;
Sophisticated scanning algorithms;
Wide storage device and file type support;
RAID, NAS, and Windows Storage Spaces compatibility;
Free disk imaging and data protection features;
Built-in S.M.A.R.T. monitoring module;
Free data protection tools;
Free data recovery up to 100 MB (on Windows)

5 EASY STEPS

How to Recover Files From a Hard Drive

Here are the simple steps needed to recover lost and deleted files from a hard drive using Disk Drill for Windows.

1. Download & Install Disk Drill Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

Download and install Disk Drill to a physical disk separate from the one that contained the lost files so as not to overwrite the files you wish to restore. If you don’t have a separate internal drive, download and install the program to an external drive. You will need to provide the Administrator's credentials during the installation process.

Download & Install Disk Drill Hard Drive Data Recovery Software for Windows

2. Choose the Hard Drive or Partition

Launch Disk Drill. The main screen will display a list of scannable devices connected to your Windows computer. If you’re intending to scan an external drive, connect it now.

Recover deleted or lost partitions

2.1 Recovery from a Healthy Drive

If your drive is healthy, which you can check using Disk Drill’s S.M.A.R.T. monitoring feature, it is safe to scan it directly. Select the drive from the list of devices, or choose an individual partition. (Scanning the entire drive is preferable.)

2.2 Recovery from a Problematic Drive

Drives affected by corruption, recurring errors, or S.M.A.R.T. warnings can behave unpredictably and may deteriorate further during use. Create a byte-to-byte disk image with Disk Drill first (refer to our guide on disk images); after that, you can scan the image instead of the original drive to reduce additional stress on the device.

2.3 Recovery from RAID and NAS Drives

For RAID recovery, connect all available member drives to your computer and scan them together as a RAID array, or scan each drive separately when necessary. If the RAID is hosted on a NAS, you can connect to the device through SSH and scan its storage remotely without removing the drives.

3. Start Scanning for Lost Hard Drive Data

Click the Search for lost data button to start the process. If Disk Drill prompts you to choose a scan mode, select Universal Scan. Disk Drill will keep you informed as the scan progresses by displaying an overview of how many files it has found. The scan can be paused and resumed as needed, and found files can be explored as Disk Drill scans your drive in the background. Waiting for the scan to finish is encouraged to see everything that’s found.

4. Select Which Files You Want to Recover from Your Hard Drive

Click Review found items once the scan is finished. All of the files that Disk Drill found will be presented in a long list. There are several ways you can sort through the results more efficiently. You can change the tree view to icons for easy previews, or use filters and categories to refine the data that you actually want to see.

4.1 Use ‘Filters’ for a Faster Search or to Select a Specific File Type

Recovered files are filtered and displayed in folders to make it easier to find exactly what you need. Select from these categories when searching for data: Pictures, Video, Audio, Documents, Archives, and other files. You can also narrow the results further by modification date, file size, and estimated recovery chances.

4.2 Search for Files

You can search for files in the app’s display or perform a search using the search bar at the top of the program’s main window. This lets you directly look for a specific file name. When files are recovered using file system metadata, Disk Drill can preserve their original names and folder structure. You may also see files found through signature scanning, which we’ll cover in the next subsection.

4.3 Check the Reconstruction Section

Reconstructed files are those that could not be recovered with the help of file system records. Instead, the files were reconstructed based on signatures unique to each file type. As such, metadata like the original file’s name will be lost. Instead it will have a common name, or a name based on the metadata of the file itself (camera_date_shot_extension, etc.). You can preview the files to see if you want to recover them and then rename them when recovery is complete.

5. Recover the Deleted Hard Drive Data

Each file can be selected for recovery by checking the box next to it, then you can click Recover. Otherwise, you can click the Recover all button to restore everything that Disk Drill found. You will be prompted to provide a safe storage location where you want the data to be restored, which should be a different drive from the one being scanned. When recovery is complete, you can go to the designated folder and move the files wherever you want. Some reconstructed files may need to be renamed.

How to Recover Files from an External Hard Drive

Chances of Successfully Recovering Hard Drive Data

Disk Drill employs a labeling system to intelligently predict the likelihood of successful data recovery and keep you informed throughout the process. Files that can be confidently recovered without any issues are marked with a full dark star. Those that may be slightly damaged but still recoverable are indicated with a half-filled star. Lastly, files that are unlikely to be successfully recovered are denoted by an empty star (no fill).

In practice, here’s how you can better gauge whether a file is likely to recover in good condition:

Files That Preview Correctly

A working preview is the strongest positive sign. If Disk Drill can display the file correctly, its contents are already readable, so the file should recover without issues. Disk Drill can preview any format that your OS supports natively, or that can be opened by an installed viewer.

Files Without a Preview

No preview does not automatically mean the file is unrecoverable. The preview may be unavailable simply because your OS does not support that format or because the required viewer is not installed. Large files, uncommon formats, and partially damaged files may also fail to preview even when some or all of their data can still be recovered.

Recovery Chances Indicator

As mentioned earlier, the Recovery Chances indicator gives you a quick estimate of how likely a file is to recover successfully. Keep in mind that it is only a prediction. Even a file marked with an empty star may still recover correctly in a real-world scenario, so it is worth attempting recovery whenever the file is important.

Recover Any Type of Files

If usable file system records survive the data loss, Disk Drill will recover virtually any type. But if the file system is lost, inaccessible, or otherwise unusable, Disk Drill uses its deep scanning algorithms that can recognize around 400 different file signatures and reconstruct them from the data fragmented across the drive. During a hard drive restore, files are conveniently organized so you can find the data you need.

Video

MPG (MPEG video), M4V (iTunes video), AVI, FLV (Flash video), MP4 (MPEG-4 video), WMV (Windows Media Video)

Audio

AIF, MP3 (MPEG Audio Stream, Layer III), AIFF (Audio Interchange File), AIFC, WMA (Windows Media audio files)

Images

BMP, JP2, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PSP. Polaroid/Sigma: X3F. Adobe: AI, APM, INDL, IDML, INDB, INDD, INX, LRCAT, PSB, PSD. Pentax: PEF.

Documents

PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint), DOCX (Microsoft Word), XLSX (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet), PDF (Portable Document Format)

Keys for Increasing Your Hard Drive Recovery Success

Here are some tips that can help increase the chances of a successful data recovery.

Stop using the device

The hard drive in question should be left disconnected or unused until recovery can be performed. Even if you’re not actively saving files to it, new data can still be written by updates, background processes, software synchronization, and more - all of which can be detrimental to your recovery chances.

Don’t ignore strange sounds

Clicking, grinding, repeated spin-up attempts, or other unusual mechanical sounds can indicate physical damage. Power the drive off and contact a professional data recovery service. Continuing to scan or reconnect it may cause further damage.

Back up the drive

If the drive has file system corruption, read errors, or S.M.A.R.T. warnings but remains mechanically stable, create a byte-to-byte image before scanning. You can then recover files from the image while reducing further use of the original device.

Use a different drive

Download and install Disk Drill on a different drive from the one that lost data, and save recovered files to that separate drive as well. Installing the software or restoring files to the affected drive could overwrite data that is still recoverable.

Use reliable software

You may only get one chance to recover your valuable data. Don’t leave it to chance with an unreliable software tool. Disk Drill Hard Disk Recovery Software has a proven record of recovery success.

Avoid repairs before recovery

Avoid running repair utilities or any other program that can modify the affected drive before recovering your files. These tools may alter file system records, overwrite data, and make some files impossible to restore. Recover or image the drive first, and only then attempt repairs.

Best Hard Drive Data Recovery Software Comparison

We have selected and compared five of the most popular Hard Drive Data Recovery software solutions that really work. This breakdown of features should help you choose the right tool when faced with a data loss situation. When you need to recover deleted data you don’t want to be playing around with a tool that may or may not work. These applications have all been used in many recovery scenarios and should help you get your data back.

	Disk Drill	Recuva	EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard	Recoverit Data Recovery	Stellar Data Recovery
Rating	5/5	3/5	4/5	4/5	4/5
Price	$89.00 (Annual)	$24.95 (Annual)	$99.95 (Annual)	$74.99 (Annual)	$99.99 (Annual)
Deep scan file recovery	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
RAID recovery	✔	✘	Partial support	✘	✔
File recovery from Windows Storage Spaces	✔	✘	Partial support	Partial support	Partial support
Recycle Bin recovery	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
BitLocker support	✔	✘	✔	Partial support	✔
Unbootable hard drives recovery	✔	✘	✔	Partial support	Partial support
Auto-resuming scans and backups	✔	✘	✘	✘	✘
Scan damaged or dead hard drives	✔ Data recovery center	✘	✔	Partial support	Partial support
Power failures recovery	✔	✘	✔	✔	✔
Back up failling HDD to a disk image	✔	✔	✔	✘	✔
Partition problems recovery	✔	✘	✔	Partial support	Partial support
Mount recovery results as a virtual drive	✔	✘	✘	✘	✘
Disk health monitoring (S.M.A.R.T.)	✔	✘	✘	✘	Partial support
Save scanning sessions	✔	✘	✔	✘	✔

When Software Recovery Isn’t Enough

In cases where your hard drive has crashed or suffered mechanical failure, resulting in physical damage, software recovery might not suffice. Instead of stressing the hard drive with DIY recovery attempts, we recommend you contact a professional data recovery service:

Visit the web page of our data recovery center. Our experts are equipped to recover even badly damaged hard drives.
Complete, print, sign, and send the Work Order form for your hard drive. Provide detailed information for an accurate diagnostic evaluation.
Protect your media in an anti-static bag or foil, cushion it with foam or bubble wrap, and ship it using a service with tracking.
Decide if you want to approve the quote you receive from our data recovery lab. Our "No Data – No Charge" policy guarantees you pay only if we successfully recover your desired files.
After recovery, we return your data on a DVD, flash drive, or external hard drive.

How to Fix Logical Disk Errors and Recover Data

Some data loss issues caused by logical disk errors can be solved without third-party data recovery software by applying the easy fixes described below. To avoid data loss, working with a damaged or unstable drive necessitates the creation of a byte-to-byte copy to avoid further data loss.

FIX 1

Use CHKDSK Command

The CHKDSK command scans a storage device for logical file system errors and attempts to repair them. It can fix damaged directory indexes and other file system metadata, which may restore access to files that appeared lost.

On an NTFS drive that became RAW because of a damaged boot sector, CHKDSK may also repair the file system and make the volume readable again. Here’s how to run CHKDSK on the affected drive:

Press Win + X.
Select Windows Terminal (Admin) if you’re using Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) if you’re using Windows 10.
Enter the following command and press enter (replace “X” with the letter assigned to your storage device): chkdsk X: /r

Fix 2

Use ATTRIB Command

Does your hard drive suddenly seem to be completely empty even though the amount of free storage space is still the same? First, enable Hidden items in File Explorer’s View menu and check whether your files appear. Use the ATTRIB command only if the files are confirmed to be hidden; otherwise, it may simply expose protected system files that are not relevant to the issue. Here’s how to use the ATTRIB command:

Press Win + X.
Select Windows Terminal (Admin) if you’re using Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) if you’re using Windows 10.
Enter the following command and press Enter (replace “X” with the letter assigned to your storage device): attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:*.*

Fix 3

Assign a New Drive Letter

It’s possible for a logical error to cause the affected drive to lose the letter that was assigned to it and become impossible to access from File Explorer.

Press Win + X.
Select Disk Management.
Right-click the hard drive that has become inaccessible and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Click Add and select the new drive letter.
Press OK to confirm.

FIX 4

Fix a Damaged Partition Table Using TestDisk

TestDisk is a powerful open-source data recovery software that can fix partition tables to recover lost partitions. While it doesn't have a graphical user interface, the steps you need to follow in order to fix logical disk errors and recover your data are fairly straightforward:

Download and install TestDisk.
Launch TestDisk and decide if you want to create a log file.
Select the disk that has the lost partition you want to recover.
Tell TestDisk which partition table type it should look for.
Analyze the current partition structure.
Use the Quick Search option to look for recoverable partitions.
Select a found partition and press Enter to recover it.
Write the new partition table.
Confirm your decision.
Exit TestDisk.

Fix a Damaged Partition Table Using TestDisk

Fix 5

Check S.M.A.R.T. Status

All modern SSDs and HDDs incorporate S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) monitoring technology. This monitoring gives you a status update of your drive through several S.M.A.R.T. data values. These values can help you determine what problem your hard drive is facing. Disk Drill includes a passive S.M.A.R.T. monitoring tool that will alert you at the first sign of problematic values, but you can also check it manually in Windows:

Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I on your keyboard.
Navigate to System on the left panel, then click on Storage on the right.
Expand Advanced storage settings and click on Disks & volumes. This section will list all the storage devices connected to your system and display a status message saying "Healthy" if there are no issues.
You can click the Properties button next to each device to see additional details.
Within the drive's properties, you will find the Drive health status. This area provides critical information about your disk's health, including its estimated remaining life, which shows the approximate percentage of the drive's life used, based on the manufacturer's predictions.

Fix 6

Use a Bootable Linux Distribution

Even if you're using Windows, you can temporarily use Linux to check your disks for problems and attempt to fix them. All without changing or affecting in any way your current operating system. Windows users will feel right at home with GParted. The app accompanies most Linux distributions and is straightforward in its use. To check your disks with it:

Download one of the more Windows-friendly Linux distributions, like Linux Mint.
Make a bootable USB with it. Check this guide if you don't know how to do that.
Boot your PC from your bootable Linux media. Check your PC motherboard's manual to see how you can boot from a secondary device.
When you reach the Linux distribution's desktop, expand its Start menu equivalent, and search for Gparted. Run the application.
Choose your storage device from the drop-down menu on the top-right.
Right-click on your device and select Check from the menu that pops up.

FIX 7

Format Disk to NTFS Using Disk Management

Windows includes a useful Disk Management utility that allows you to format hard drives that are not accessible from File Explorer, which can happen when the drive is corrupted, has an unsupported file system, or becomes RAW. It's important to note that formatting a disk will erase all existing data on the drive, so it's best to create a complete hard drive image beforehand. Here’s how to format a disk using the Disk Management utility:

Press Win + X.
Select Disk Management.
Right-click the problematic hard drive and select the Format option.
Choose the NTFS file system and confirm.
Click OK to complete disk formatting.

Format Disk to NTFS Using Disk Management

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated on Nov 13, 2026 by Disk Drill Team

How to Recover Deleted Files from a Hard Drive?

To recover deleted files from a hard drive, you should first stop using the affected drive. Download and install Disk Drill on a separate drive, then select and scan the hard drive for lost or deleted data. Refine the results using filters and categories, preview the files, and recover the ones you want. If you’re dealing with an inaccessible or unresponsive drive, consider creating a byte-to-byte disk image and scanning that instead. For drives suffering from physical damage or failed recovery attempts, consult a professional data recovery service.

What is the best free hard drive recovery software?

Disk Drill is among the best free hard drive recovery tools, alongside solutions like Recuva and EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Disk Drill stands out by offering up to 100 MB of free recovery on Windows (enough to test the software and recover many personal files) and deep scan support for around 400 file types. It also includes additional features like disk imaging, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, and extra data protection. Recuva is an ideal choice if you’re looking for something free, simple, and capable of basic undelete functionality, but it is not recommended for more advanced cases. EaseUS offers a generous free trial and modern user interface (UI), but lacks extensive file signature support and features a lot of ads.

What hard disk brands are supported by Disk Drill software?

Disk Drill supports hard drives from virtually any manufacturer, including Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Samsung, Hitachi, Maxtor, LaCie, Silicon Power, Transcend, ADATA, and many others. Brand is generally not a limitation as long as the drive is recognized by the computer and remains readable.

Can I recover deleted files from my HDD with Disk Drill software for free?

Disk Drill for Windows allows users to recover up to 100 MB of data for free. Scans can be performed for free, and all files can be previewed, including photos, videos, documents, and more, to confirm they’re intact. Recovery beyond 100 MB will require an upgrade to the PRO version, and is only necessary if you’re satisfied with Disk Drill’s capabilities and the files you need to recover exceed this limit.

What are the signs of hard drive failure?

These are the signs that your hard drive might be getting ready to fail:

Strange clicking and grinding noises coming from the hard drive;
Unexpected program crashes and disk access errors;
Persistent error messages while running software applications;
Inconsistent computer performance with slower-than-normal response time;
Unexplained missing files.

Can files be recovered from a failed hard drive?

Yes, you can recover files from a failed hard drive. Yes, files may be recoverable from a failed hard drive if the operating system can still recognize the device at its correct capacity for software to work. If this is not the case, your best bet is to use a data recovery center that can physically recover your data.

How to restore deleted files from an external hard disk?

Connect your external hard disk to the PC. If it is damaged, it should be visible in Disk Management with the correct size before you recover data. If the disk is fine, you can scan it directly. If it’s not, you will need to create a byte-to-byte image and scan that instead. This is how you restore deleted files from an external HDD to another drive with sufficient space:

Download and install Disk Drill.
Connect the external hard drive to your computer and launch the app.
Select the drive from the list.
Click Search for lost data, then select Universal Scan.
Preview the recoverable data which you want to restore from and external hard drive.
Select the files for recovery and click Recover all to restore your data.

How can I recover data from a formatted hard disk?

Recovering data from a formatted disk is similar to recovering deleted files. Even though they may not be visible, the data is still there so long as it was a quick format, not a full format. All you need to do is install Disk Drill to a separate drive, select the affected disk, and scan it. If you notice the data no longer has its original file names and folder structure, this is likely due to the metadata being erased. Such files are reconstructed and can be found in the Reconstructed tab.

Is it possible to recover deleted files from a hard drive without software?

Yes, it is. Start by checking where recently deleted files go. On Windows, that’s Recycle Bin. On macOS, that’s Bin. The other option is checking any backups made by native or third-party backup tools. Windows includes File History or OneDrive as its primary backup utilities, while macOS uses Time Machine or iCloud.

What kinds of drives and devices do you recover data from with Disk Drill?

Disk Drill is compatible with almost all storage devices that your computer can recognize. So, you can use it to recover files from HDDs, SSDs, or even that old and battered CF card you found forgotten in a drawer.

Can Disk Drill recover password-protected hard drive data?

Disk Drill can recover data from password-protected devices but won't circumvent their protection. Thus, it will ask you to provide the password for "unlocking" the device to enable it to access the data stored there and attempt recovery.

Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

Recover Data From Hard Drives in Any Data Loss Situation

Formatted Hard Drives

Accidental Data Deletion

File System Problems

Disk Is Not Visible in File Explorer

Hard Disk Not Showing Files

Other Software & Hardware Issues

Why Use Disk Drill Hard Drive Recovery Tool

Recover Data From Any Storage Media

How to Recover Files From a Hard Drive

1. Download & Install Disk Drill Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

2. Choose the Hard Drive or Partition

3. Start Scanning for Lost Hard Drive Data

4. Select Which Files You Want to Recover from Your Hard Drive

5. Recover the Deleted Hard Drive Data

Chances of Successfully Recovering Hard Drive Data

Recover Any Type of Files

Keys for Increasing Your Hard Drive Recovery Success

Stop using the device

Don’t ignore strange sounds

Back up the drive

Use a different drive

Use reliable software

Avoid repairs before recovery

Not Only Hard Drive Recovery - Active Data Protection

Best Hard Drive Data Recovery Software Comparison

When Software Recovery Isn’t Enough

How to Fix Logical Disk Errors and Recover Data

Use CHKDSK Command

Use ATTRIB Command

Assign a New Drive Letter

Fix a Damaged Partition Table Using TestDisk

Check S.M.A.R.T. Status

Use a Bootable Linux Distribution

Format Disk to NTFS Using Disk Management

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Recover Deleted Files from a Hard Drive?

What is the best free hard drive recovery software?

What hard disk brands are supported by Disk Drill software?

Can I recover deleted files from my HDD with Disk Drill software for free?

What are the signs of hard drive failure?

Can files be recovered from a failed hard drive?

How to restore deleted files from an external hard disk?

How can I recover data from a formatted hard disk?

Is it possible to recover deleted files from a hard drive without software?

What kinds of drives and devices do you recover data from with Disk Drill?

Can Disk Drill recover password-protected hard drive data?

Customers and software guru say

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