{"id":31213,"date":"2020-07-07T11:35:11","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T11:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=31213"},"modified":"2025-05-08T19:21:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:21:29","slug":"windows-file-recovery-review-comparison-with-a-third-party-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/windows-file-recovery-tool.html","title":{"rendered":"Windows File Recovery Review &#038; Comparison with a Third-Party Software"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In our Windows File Recovery review, we\u2019ll look at Microsoft\u2019s own take on data recovery: what it can actually do, where it struggles, and whether it\u2019s worth using over alternatives (which we\u2019ll compare it to).<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"summary\"><p><\/p>\r\n<p>&#x1f4cc; <b>Here\u2019s our brief summary:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>It can be useful &#8211; but only if you\u2019re comfortable with command-line tools. The recovery itself works for basic NTFS deletions, but it falls short in just about every other area: it can\u2019t scan full disks, has no graphical interface, and doesn\u2019t support many common file types or formats. It\u2019s a good backup option if you\u2019re not ready to pay for a premium recovery app\u2026 but it\u2019s not the easiest ride.<\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>&#x1f44d; Strengths<\/th>\r\n<th>&#x1f44e; Weaknesses<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Completely free to use<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Easy to install via Microsoft Store<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Decent results with recently deleted files on NTFS<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Runs on any modern Windows PC<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Supports partial recovery from BitLocker drives (if unlocked)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Can\u2019t preview files before recovery<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Recovers without folder structure or original names (FAT, exFAT, ReFS)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>No additional features<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>No GUI (command line only)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Can\u2019t scan entire disks (partitions only)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Limited file system support (mainly NTFS)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Crashes on exFAT in many cases<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Signature scan is weak<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<p>To keep things clear and fair, we broke this review down into parts: features, recovery performance, user feedback, and overall value. Each section gets its own score (from 1 to 5), and those scores come together to form our <i>final verdict<\/i>.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-secondary\" role=\"alert\">\r\n<p>&#x1f50e; <b>Why You Can Trust Us:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Every app review is the result of a hands-on, multi-step process run by team experts. Our QA specialists run recovery tests on real drives. Then, lab engineers verify the results to make sure every text is accurate. Experienced technical editors present the results in a clear, reader\u2011friendly format.<\/p>\r\n<p><b><a href=\"\/howto\/how-we-test.html\">See how we test<\/a> \u2192<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"windows_file_recovery_features_overview\"><\/span>Windows File Recovery Features Overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Windows File Recovery is Microsoft\u2019s own in-house data recovery tool. It first showed up back in 2020, quietly released on the Microsoft Store with zero fanfare. It\u2019s free, lightweight, and built specifically for recovering deleted files from Windows-based storage. Since it\u2019s from Microsoft, you don\u2019t have to worry about malware or sketchy installs, and the whole thing is only a few megabytes in size.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bb; Available platforms<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows 10 2004+ and Windows 11<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4b8; Price<\/td>\r\n<td>Free (Microsoft Store)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4da; Supported file types<\/td>\r\n<td>JPEG, PDF, PNG, MPEG, Office files, MP3, MP4, ZIP, etc.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5c3;&#xfe0f; Supported file systems<\/td>\r\n<td>NTFS, FAT, exFAT, ReFS<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bb; Supported devices<\/td>\r\n<td>Internal\/external HDD, SSD, USB drives, SD\/memory cards<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5c4;&#xfe0f; NAS\/RAID support<\/td>\r\n<td>&#x274c; No support<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bf; Disk image creation\/scanning<\/td>\r\n<td>&#x274c; Not supported<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f468;&#x200d;&#x1f4bb; Customer support<\/td>\r\n<td>Help pages only, no live support<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"file_format_file_system_support\"><\/span>File Format &amp; File System Support<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Since it\u2019s a Microsoft product, Windows File Recovery naturally focuses on file systems that Windows supports: mainly <b>NTFS<\/b>, <b>FAT<\/b>, <b>exFAT<\/b>, and <b>ReFS<\/b>. And here\u2019s a spoiler: it works best with NTFS. That\u2019s where you\u2019ll get the most reliable results, especially with its <i>Regular mode<\/i>, which can recover deleted files along with folder structure and filenames.<\/p>\r\n<p>Once you step outside of NTFS, things get rocky fast. For <b>FAT, exFAT<\/b>, and <b>ReFS<\/b>, the app only works in <b>Signature mode<\/b>, so don\u2019t expect original names or folder hierarchy &#8211; just raw files dumped into extension-based folders like JPG, MP4, and PDF.<\/p>\r\n<p>As for file types, it can recover many common ones, including:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f4f7; JPEG, PNG<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f4c4; Basic Microsoft Office formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f4e6; ZIP archives<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f3b5; MP3<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f3ac; MP4, MPEG<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>But it\u2019s a short list. Formats like CR2, AVI, RTF, and many others simply aren\u2019t supported, and there\u2019s no option to add custom file signatures like in some third-party tools.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"user_interface\"><\/span>User Interface<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear: <b>Windows File Recovery<\/b> is a <b>command-line tool<\/b>. There\u2019s no traditional UI. No buttons. No file previews. Just a black terminal window where you type out recovery commands using the <b>winfr<\/b> syntax. It\u2019s functional, but definitely not user-friendly.<\/p>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\nvar fired2 = false;\r\nwindow.addEventListener('scroll', () => {\r\n    if (fired2 === false) {\r\n        fired2 = true;\r\n        setTimeout(() => {\r\n            var headID = document.getElementsByTagName(\"head\")[0];         \r\n            var newScript = document.createElement('script');\r\n            newScript.type = 'text\/javascript';\r\n            newScript.src = 'https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js';\r\n            headID.appendChild(newScript);\r\n                }, 1000)\r\n    } \/\/ endif\r\n});\r\n<\/script><p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This is only command line app, right? No plan from Microsoft to deliver app with UI, something like Recuva?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u2014 Martin Suchan (@martinsuchan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/martinsuchan\/status\/1277521582206976000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 29, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>\r\n<p>You\u2019ll need to know the drive letters, use exact parameters, and type everything in the correct order. Even experienced users might find it tedious without referencing the official guide.<\/p>\r\n<p>That said, there <i>is<\/i> a third-party frontend called <b>WinfrGUI<\/b> that adds a more familiar, click-based interface. Just note: it\u2019s not made by Microsoft. It\u2019s tied to the AOMEI company, and its origins are a little murky. While it works, we don&#8217;t suggest using it as an official companion.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"scanning_modes\"><\/span>Scanning Modes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Windows File Recovery gives you two main scanning modes: <b>Regular<\/b> and <b>Extensive<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f4c1; <b>Regular Mode<\/b> works best on healthy NTFS drives. It can recover recently deleted files along with their original names and folder structure, as long as the data hasn\u2019t been overwritten yet. Think of it as the &#8220;Quick Scan&#8221; equivalent.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f50d; <b>Extensive Mode<\/b> is the fallback. It scans for file signatures and is the only option for non-NTFS drives like FAT, exFAT, or ReFS. It\u2019s slower, and the results are just raw files with no original names or folders.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>We\u2019ll talk more about these scanning modes when we cover how to use Windows File Recovery and walk through our own tests with it, including what worked, what didn\u2019t.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>WFR Features Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 3.0<\/div>\r\n<p>Okay, we think that\u2019s about it &#8211; since there are zero extra features, there\u2019s really nothing more to cover here. No imaging, no disk health tools, no session management, no preview.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>An <i>official<\/i> GUI for Windows File Recovery would go a long way here. Tools like PhotoRec are also command-line based, but at least they offer a proper graphical version (QPhotoRec) that makes things far more accessible for everyday users. Microsoft could easily do the same here, especially considering they built this for the average Windows user.<\/p>\r\n<p>But within its tiny toolbox, it does include multiple scanning modes, support for key file systems (Windows-based, of course), and some targeted recovery filters. Not bad for a completely free Windows file recovery tool, but definitely limited.<\/p>\r\n<p>We give it a decent <b>3<\/b>. Can\u2019t go higher &#8211; there\u2019s just not enough here. But giving it less would feel unfair, since it doesn\u2019t claim to be more than it is. It\u2019s a basic free tool you can grab straight from the Microsoft Store. And for what it is, that\u2019s fair. A 3 reflects that perfectly.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_recover_data_with_windows_file_recovery\"><\/span>How to Recover Data with Windows File Recovery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Now, let\u2019s walk through a recovery process with Windows File Recovery software. In this section, we\u2019ll show you exactly how it works in practice &#8211; step by step &#8211; and explain how we tested it, what we tried to recover, and what results we actually got.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Minor spoiler: it wasn\u2019t all smooth sailing, but it had its moments. Below is a quick look at what we were actually able to recover using Windows File Recovery.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Test Case<\/td>\r\n<td>Scanning Speed<\/td>\r\n<td>Total Data Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>Documents Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>Photos Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>Videos Recovered<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Deleted Files<\/td>\r\n<td>1 min<\/td>\r\n<td>&lt;1 GB<\/td>\r\n<td>~500<\/td>\r\n<td>200+<\/td>\r\n<td>~40<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Formatted Drive \/ Corrupted Drive<\/td>\r\n<td>12 min<\/td>\r\n<td>~0.8 GB<\/td>\r\n<td>~480<\/td>\r\n<td>150+<\/td>\r\n<td>20+<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"our_testing_process\"><\/span>Our Testing Process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the test setup.<\/p>\r\n<p>We tested Windows File Recovery on a typical mid-range PC, which reflects the kind of machine most users are likely to run this on. Here&#8217;s our full setup:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><b>OS<\/b>: Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2 (Build 22631.5189)<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>CPU<\/b>: Intel Core i5-12400F<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Memory<\/b>: 16 GB DDR4<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Storage Device<\/b>: 16 GB USB 3.1 flash drive\u00a0<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Tool Version<\/b>: Windows File Recovery v0.1.20151 (downloaded from Microsoft Store)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>That flash drive was originally formatted in NTFS, since that\u2019s the one file system WFR supports best, and the only one where it can recover filenames and folder structures. There\u2019s no real point in testing metadata recovery on other file systems &#8211; it\u2019s just not built for that.<\/p>\r\n<p>As for the test batch of files, it was about 1 GB of common stuff you\u2019d find on any Windows system: Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, JPGs, MP4s, and PowerPoint files. We also threw in some less mainstream formats that WFR doesn\u2019t officially list &#8211; because hey, that\u2019s real life. We didn\u2019t want to cherry-pick files it likes. Just a regular batch of data most people deal with.<\/p>\r\n<p>Then we ran three test scenarios:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><b>Deleted Files<\/b> \u2013 just <i>Shift + Delete<\/i>. This should be the easiest for WFR to handle.<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54968 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shift-delete-folder.jpg\" alt=\"permanently delete folder on windows 11\" width=\"1220\" height=\"794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shift-delete-folder.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shift-delete-folder-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shift-delete-folder-500x325.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/shift-delete-folder-768x500.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1220px) 100vw, 1220px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Formatted Drive<\/b> \u2013 We used the default quick format via right-click &gt; Properties. Not full format, there\u2019s no point, since that overwrites the data entirely, and no tool (free or paid) can help at that point.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Corrupted Drive<\/b> \u2013 We manually broke the partition table using a hex editor. The drive became unreadable by Windows, but should still be visible to recovery tools. This simulates a crash or filesystem-level issue.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"installation_and_data_recovery\"><\/span>Installation and Data Recovery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>First things first &#8211; installation. Just a couple of clicks. We opened <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.microsoft.com\/detail\/9n26s50ln705?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US\">Microsoft Store<\/a>, typed <b>\u201cWindows File Recovery\u201d<\/b>, and there it was, right from Microsoft. Hit <i>Get<\/i>, and a few seconds later, it was on our system. No extra steps. You just need to be running <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.windows.com\/windowsexperience\/2020\/05\/27\/how-to-get-the-windows-10-may-2020-update\/\"><b>Windows 10 version 2004<\/b><\/a><b> or Windows 11. <\/b>If you\u2019re on an older version, the install button will be grayed out.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54969 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-microsoft-store-page.jpg\" alt=\"windows file recovery on microsoft store\" width=\"1376\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-microsoft-store-page.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-microsoft-store-page-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-microsoft-store-page-500x326.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-microsoft-store-page-768x501.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1376px) 100vw, 1376px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Once it\u2019s installed, you can launch it like any other app, or open <b>Command Prompt as admin<\/b>, type <b>winfr<\/b>, and hit <i>Enter<\/i>. That\u2019s when you\u2019ll see exactly what we mentioned earlier about the UI: no buttons, no menus, no visuals. Just a wall of text outlining command syntax. It feels more like a built-in Windows utility from the early 2000s than a modern recovery tool.<\/p>\r\n<p>As we mentioned, you can run Windows File Recovery in two core modes: <b>Regular<\/b> and <b>Extensive<\/b>. If you&#8217;re not sure which to use, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/windows-file-recovery-61f5b28a-f5b8-3cc2-0f8e-a63cb4e1d4c4\">Microsoft offers<\/a> a simple recommendation table to help:<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><b>File System<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>Scenario<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><b>Recommended Mode<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>NTFS<\/td>\r\n<td>Deleted recently<\/td>\r\n<td>Regular<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>NTFS<\/td>\r\n<td>Deleted a while ago<\/td>\r\n<td>Extensive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>NTFS<\/td>\r\n<td>After formatting a disk<\/td>\r\n<td>Extensive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>NTFS<\/td>\r\n<td>A corrupted disk<\/td>\r\n<td>Extensive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>FAT \/ exFAT<\/td>\r\n<td>Any<\/td>\r\n<td>Extensive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<p>So for our first test scenario &#8211; recently deleted files &#8211; we went with <b>Regular mode<\/b>, which is the default one. For the <b>formatted<\/b> and <b>corrupted<\/b> drive tests, we switched to <b>Extensive mode<\/b>, since that\u2019s what Microsoft recommends.<\/p>\r\n<p>The basic syntax structure stays the same, regardless of mode. Here\u2019s what it looks like:<\/p>\r\n<p><code>winfr [source-drive:] [destination-folder] [\/mode] [\/switches]<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54972 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-regular-scan.jpg\" alt=\"winFR regular scan mode\" width=\"1205\" height=\"726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-regular-scan.jpg 1205w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-regular-scan-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-regular-scan-500x301.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-regular-scan-768x463.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1205px) 100vw, 1205px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Since our test drive had the letter <b>E:<\/b>, here\u2019s the actual command we used for the deleted files test:<\/p>\r\n<p><code>winfr E: D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles \/regular<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p>Let\u2019s break that down:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><code>E:<\/code> &#8211; This is the <b>source drive<\/b>, the one we deleted files from.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><code>D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles<\/code> &#8211; This is the <b>destination folder<\/b> where the recovered files will be saved. Important: you can\u2019t recover to the same drive you\u2019re scanning.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><code>\/regular<\/code> &#8211; This tells the tool to use <b>Regular mode<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>For the formatted and corrupted drive tests, we swapped \/regular for \/extensive, like so:<\/p>\r\n<p><code>winfr E: D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles \/extensive<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p>After you press <b>Enter<\/b>, the tool kicks off the scan and starts listing files it\u2019s been able to recover, right there in the terminal. No status indicators. Just raw output.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54967 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/finished-winfr-scan.jpg\" alt=\"winfr scan process\" width=\"1205\" height=\"726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/finished-winfr-scan.jpg 1205w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/finished-winfr-scan-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/finished-winfr-scan-500x301.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/finished-winfr-scan-768x463.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1205px) 100vw, 1205px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>About a minute in, we got:<\/p>\r\n<p><b>Progress: 100%<br \/>\r\n<\/b><b>View recovered files? (y\/n)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Hit <b>y<\/b>, and it opens the destination folder in File Explorer, where you\u2019ll find your recovered data and a <b>RecoveryLog.txt<\/b> file.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54970 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-dir.jpg\" alt=\"winfr recovery directory\" width=\"1224\" height=\"787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-dir.jpg 1224w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-dir-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-dir-500x321.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-dir-768x494.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1224px) 100vw, 1224px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>That log includes a summary of the scan, a list of recovered files, and any issues the tool encountered. It&#8217;s the only real feedback you get from the process, so if something went wrong, that\u2019s where you\u2019ll spot it.<\/p>\r\n<p>That\u2019s pretty much how it looks &#8211; and honestly, calling it <i>barebones<\/i> might be too generous. But to its credit, there <i>are<\/i> a few options and filters you can use if you\u2019re looking for something specific. Here are a couple of quick examples.<\/p>\r\n<p>To recover only .pdf and .docx files from E: to D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles:<br \/>\r\n<code>winfr E: D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles \/extensive \/n *.pdf \/n *.docx<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p>To search for files with &#8220;invoice&#8221; in the name:<br \/>\r\n<code>winfr E: D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles \/extensive \/n *invoice*<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p>Or to recover all .jpg and .mp4 files:<br \/>\r\n<code>winfr E: D:\\wfr_test\\RecoveredFiles \/extensive \/n *.jpg \/n *.mp4<\/code><\/p>\r\n<p>So yeah, it&#8217;s not user-friendly, but if you can stomach the command line, there\u2019s at least <i>some<\/i> level of control.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"recovery_results\"><\/span>Recovery Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Now let\u2019s talk about what this Windows data recovery tool was actually able to pull off in our tests.<\/p>\r\n<p>In the first one, with simply deleted files, it took <b>about 1 minute <\/b>of scan time in Regular mode and recovered <b>743 <\/b>out of <b>753 <\/b>files. Not bad, but still not perfect, even in what should be an ideal scenario: NTFS drive + recently deleted files.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54971 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-log-file.jpg\" alt=\"windows file recovery log file\" width=\"1216\" height=\"782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-log-file.jpg 1216w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-log-file-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-log-file-500x322.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-recovery-log-file-768x494.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1216px) 100vw, 1216px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>The next two tests (formatted and corrupted drives) both took around <b>12 minutes<\/b> to complete, which is reasonable for this type of job and drive size.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54973 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-scan-speed.jpg\" alt=\"winfr scanning time\" width=\"1195\" height=\"725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-scan-speed.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-scan-speed-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-scan-speed-500x303.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/winfr-scan-speed-768x466.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1195px) 100vw, 1195px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Recovery results? About <b>700 <\/b>files came back, but without names or folder structure &#8211; just raw data sorted into folders like JPG, PDF, MP3. File names looked like 17.jpg or 244.pdf. On the bright side, those files opened without any issues and seemed fully intact.<\/p>\r\n<p>We didn\u2019t recover anything outside of the formats officially supported by the tool, but that\u2019s expected. It won\u2019t pull off miracles.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-secondary\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4ac; \u201c<i>Honestly, Windows File Recovery only makes sense on NTFS. That\u2019s the one place it actually delivers some solid results. Step outside its comfort zone and you\u2019ll be disappointed. The results are mediocre at best, if you get any at all. In one of my tests on an exFAT partition, the tool simply crashed and produced nothing.<\/i>\u201d \u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexei-vaschenko-592a33185\/\">Alex Vaschenko<\/a>, QA Specialist at CleverFiles<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>Recovery Results Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 4.0<\/div>\r\n<p>We don\u2019t want to be too harsh on this Windows File Recovery tool, so we\u2019re giving it a <b>4<\/b> here. Yes, that might seem a little generous &#8211; but hear us out. When used within its comfort zone (NTFS drives, recently deleted files), it actually delivers. Our tests showed reliable recovery of key file types, and even in tougher scenarios like quick format or light corruption, it still brought some chunk of usable data.<\/p>\r\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s far from perfect &#8211; there\u2019s no preview, filenames go out the window in Signature mode, and unsupported formats are a no-go.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>It can\u2019t compete with bigger names or even some of the more capable free tools (which we\u2019ll talk about next). But for a 100% free utility from Microsoft that you can grab from the Store in seconds? It\u2019s really not too bad.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"windows_file_recovery_vs_third-party_software\"><\/span>Windows File Recovery vs. Third-Party Software<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Now, as promised, let\u2019s look at how this Windows file recovery software free option stacks up against third-party alternatives. We\u2019ve tested quite a few recovery tools over the years, but for this comparison, we\u2019ll stick with three we know well: <a href=\"\/howto\/photorec-review.html\">PhotoRec<\/a>, <a href=\"\/howto\/recuva-review.html\">Recuva<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/data-recovery-software.html\">Disk Drill<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Each of these apps we tested and reviewed ourselves, so we\u2019re not just guessing here. Let\u2019s break it down and see how Windows File Recovery holds up against the competition:<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Tool<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows File Recovery<\/td>\r\n<td>PhotoRec<\/td>\r\n<td>Recuva<\/td>\r\n<td>Disk Drill<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5a5;&#xfe0f; User Interface<\/td>\r\n<td>Command-line only<\/td>\r\n<td>Command-line + basic GUI (Windows)<\/td>\r\n<td>Simple GUI<\/td>\r\n<td>Modern GUI<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4b8; Free\/Paid Options<\/td>\r\n<td>100% Free<\/td>\r\n<td>100% Free<\/td>\r\n<td>Free &amp; Pro ($24.95\/year)<\/td>\r\n<td>Free &amp; Pro ($89 lifetime)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4c2; File Systems Supported<\/td>\r\n<td>NTFS; FAT, exFAT, ReFS (Signature only)<\/td>\r\n<td>Bypasses the file system<\/td>\r\n<td>NTFS, FAT, exFAT<\/td>\r\n<td>FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, APFS\/HFS+, ReFS and EXT4<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x2699;&#xfe0f; OS Support<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows 10+ only<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows, macOS, Linux<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows only<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows, macOS<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4c4; File Types Supported (approx.)<\/td>\r\n<td>&lt;50<\/td>\r\n<td>480+<\/td>\r\n<td>~100<\/td>\r\n<td>~400<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f3f7;&#xfe0f; Can Recover Metadata (Names, Folders)<\/td>\r\n<td>NTFS only<\/td>\r\n<td>No<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes (if possible)<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes (if possible)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f9f0; Extras Included<\/td>\r\n<td>None<\/td>\r\n<td>None<\/td>\r\n<td>Secure delete, preview<\/td>\r\n<td>S.M.A.R.T., Duplicate Finder, Preview, Disk imaging<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<p>So what we see here is pretty clear: there are free tools like Recuva and PhotoRec that make for better Windows File Recovery alternatives in a lot of ways.<\/p>\r\n<p>Recuva has a proper graphical interface, preview support, filtering options, and is much more beginner-friendly out of the box. It also doesn\u2019t require digging through command-line syntax just to start a scan.<\/p>\r\n<p>And while PhotoRec has its own limitations &#8211; most notably, it works purely through signature-based recovery (so no file names or folder structures, ever) &#8211; it\u2019s still a far more powerful tool. The file signature support list is huge (480+ compared to WFR\u2019s not-even-50), and it often recovers media formats or documents that Windows File Recovery doesn\u2019t even recognize.<\/p>\r\n<p>So yeah, even if WFR has that one edge with NTFS metadata, tools like PhotoRec simply outperform it in raw recovery potential, especially when dealing with more file types or more damaged drives.<\/p>\r\n<p>But for anything beyond just <i>strictly<\/i> recovery capabilities, if you want extras and a modern UI, you\u2019ll have to look at freemium tools like Disk Drill. Sure, its free version caps recovery at 500 MB, but it offers mountains more than Recuva, PhotoRec, or Windows File Recovery ever will. We\u2019re talking things like disk health monitoring, duplicate finders, incredibly useful file previews of just about anything from images to PDF files, backup tools\u2026 all wrapped in an interface that feels like it was actually designed this decade. And let\u2019s not forget Disk Drill also supports macOS and Windows with a cross-platform license.<\/p>\r\n<p>Windows File Recovery vs. Third-Party Software? It\u2019s a clear 0:1 in favor of third-party tools.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>Value Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 3.0<\/div>\r\n<p>We give Windows File Recovery a <b>3 out of 5<\/b> for value. It\u2019s completely free, which is a big plus &#8211; and for basic NTFS recovery, it actually gets the job done. But value isn\u2019t just about price. You\u2019re trading cost for convenience, usability, and performance. No GUI, no preview, no extras. And there are other <i>free<\/i> tools out there that offer a lot more.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_users_think_of_windows_file_recovery\"><\/span>What Users Think of Windows File Recovery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>To get the final piece of the puzzle before final score, we looked at what actual users are saying. Not just on the Microsoft Store, but across Reddit, tech forums, and review platforms. It\u2019s about what we expected: reactions are all over the place.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Here are a few examples that sum it up. Some folks absolutely love it &#8211; especially if they\u2019re comfortable with command-line tools.<\/p>\r\n<p>&#x1f5e3;&#xfe0f; One <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.microsoft.com\/detail\/9n26s50ln705?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US\">Microsoft Store<\/a> user even called it a \u201cperfect solution\u201d after it saved them from a 90-minute commute by restoring a deleted presentation off a USB stick:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cI actually love the command interface. It&#8217;s easy to use, does what you need and not overloaded with useless code to make it look prettier.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f5e3;&#xfe0f; <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.microsoft.com\/detail\/9n26s50ln705?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US\">Others<\/a> hit roadblocks &#8211; mostly around install issues, needing admin access, or weird errors that show up in PowerShell but not in CMD:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cThis finally worked for me. Even though it allowed me to install, was able to find it in PowerShell and barked errors at me, it could not be found when running in cmd prompt as admin. I had to login as admin, install it and then run it. It would not work for me when using a regular user account. I was finally able to recover deleted files when logged in as admin, you get a 4 for this one.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f5e3;&#xfe0f; And then there are the <a href=\"https:\/\/answers.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/forum\/all\/windows-file-recovery-does-not-complete\/e4195aca-5bea-47ad-b49d-8abe96fe6ffb\">flat-out disappointments<\/a> &#8211; especially when it comes to non-NTFS drives like exFAT:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cUsed it in the past with success, but this time &#8211; no results on exFAT.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f5e3;&#xfe0f; And over on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/sysadmin\/comments\/hhaet1\/windows_file_recovery_now_microsoft_offers_a_tool\/\">Reddit<\/a>, some users are just surprised it exists at all:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cWow, what an awesome tool to finally have available\u2026 after 30+ years.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>User Feedback Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 4.0<\/div>\r\n<p>Despite its flaws, most users who <i>understand what the tool is<\/i> seem genuinely satisfied &#8211; especially considering it\u2019s 100% free and officially backed by Microsoft. There\u2019s praise for its reliability on NTFS, the fact it actually gets the job done in many real-world cases, and surprisingly, some folks even like the no-frills command-line interface.<\/p>\r\n<p>We didn\u2019t factor in the 1-star reviews that slam it just for lacking a GUI. While that\u2019s a fair critique, it\u2019s also kind of the whole premise of this tool &#8211; it was never meant to be user-friendly in that way.<\/p>\r\n<p>Some users brought up the question: is Windows File Recovery safe? But usually, others are quick to remind them &#8211; it\u2019s built by Microsoft, distributed through the official Microsoft Store, and doesn\u2019t try to do anything shady. In terms of safety, there\u2019s really nothing to worry about.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>The bigger issue isn\u2019t safety &#8211; it\u2019s usability. That\u2019s where 99% of the complaints land &#8211; confusing syntax, no real guidance, weak support for anything outside NTFS. All that definitely drags the score down.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"final_verdict\"><\/span>Final Verdict<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>It\u2019s time for the final score. Here\u2019s how Windows File Recovery stacked up:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><b>&#x1f31f; Features<\/b>: 3\/5 \u2013 It\u2019s barebones. No imaging, no previews, no disk health tools.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>&#x1f31f; Recovery Performance<\/b>: 4\/5 \u2013 Solid results in basic NTFS scenarios.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>&#x1f31f; Value<\/b>: 3\/5 \u2013 It\u2019s completely free, yes. But the lack of usability and extras limits the appeal compared to other tools.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>&#x1f31f; User Feedback<\/b>: 4\/5 \u2013 Those who understand what it is appreciate it. Some bumps, but no dealbreakers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">We\u2019ve got two 3s and two 4s on the board &#8211; so that gives Windows File Recovery a <b>final score of 3.5 out of 5<\/b>.<\/div>\r\n<p>Not too bad of a result, all things considered. It can\u2019t jump any higher than that &#8211; it\u2019s simply not built to compete with modern recovery suites. But it <i>does<\/i> what it promises (at least on NTFS), and for a completely free, Microsoft-built utility you can grab from the Store in seconds? That\u2019s still somewhat a win in our book.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Of course, there are tools that can do much, much better (even some 100% free ones), but it\u2019s a native Microsoft tool that <i>does<\/i> offers some real-world recovery value &#8211; especially if you stick to NTFS and don\u2019t mind rolling up your sleeves a bit.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In our Windows File Recovery review, we\u2019ll look at Microsoft\u2019s own take on data recovery: what it can actually do, where it struggles, and whether it\u2019s worth using over alternatives (which we\u2019ll compare it to). To keep things clear and&#8230;","protected":false},"author":7864,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2642],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-software-reviews"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Windows File Recovery Tool: How Good Is It? 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