Data loss on any device, including your Windows PC, can be distressing. Whether your files or folders are deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system errors, or any other reason, it’s important to immediately start the recovery process. The sooner you act, the easier it will be for you to restore lost data. Having a backup is always a blessing, but what if you don’t have one?
Fortunately, several free data recovery software tools are available online to help you restore lost files without any cost. However, with so many options, choosing the right one can be more challenging. Don’t worry – this article explores the top 10 free data recovery software tools you can use to recover your lost files in Windows without any cost. Check and compare the features of these tools and go with the one that best meets your needs.
10 Best Free Data Recovery Software to Try in 2025
Data loss can happen unexpectedly, but recovering your files doesn’t always require professional paid tools. In 2025, several free data recovery software options offer powerful features to restore deleted, lost, or formatted data easily. Let’s discuss the available top 10 free data recovery software tools in detail:
1. Stellar Data Recovery Free
Stellar Data Recovery Free is a versatile, user-friendly free data recovery software which supports easy and quick recovery of your deleted data without any cost. It allows you to restore data deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, system issues, and many other reasons. The software offers an intuitive interface and powerful scanning capabilities to perform a thorough scan of your computer/storage device. The free edition is somehow limited in file size, but you can use the premium versions to enjoy other features.
Key Features:
- Supports recovery of data deleted from multiple storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards.
- The Stellar Data Recovery Free software performs a Quick Scan for recently deleted files and the Deep Scan to thoroughly analyse storage sectors to retrieve deeply buried or formatted data.
- The preview feature of this tool lets you preview the recovered files before saving them on your device.
- The free version supports recovery of up to 1 GB of files for free. To restore files of a larger size, you can check and use the premium versions.
2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free
EaseUS remains one of the most trusted and well-known data recovery service providers. The software offers a smooth and guided recovery process, allowing recovery of lost files in three simple steps, i.e., (scan → preview → recover). The free version of this software allows limited data recovery, but it’s highly effective for rescuing essential documents, photos, and small files.
Key Features:
- Known for a clean, intuitive interface that guides users smoothly through every step, keeping the data recovery process simple and quick.
- Supports recovery of data deleted due to various reasons, including accidental deletion, formatting, partition errors, system crashes, or unexpected corruption.
- EaseUS allows users to preview photos, videos, documents, and other files before recovery.
- The tool supports both Windows and macOS devices, allowing it to perform reliable, cross-platform data recovery.
3. Recuva
Recuva is a lightweight and easy-to-use free data recovery software developed by Piriform. This software is known for its simplicity and quick performance, allowing recovery of files deleted from hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, and other storage devices. Though this software somehow lacks advanced features as offered in premium tools, it remains one of the most reliable free solutions for basic data recovery needs.
Key Features:
- Its Quick Scan allows instant detection of recently deleted files, while the Deep Scan performs thorough scanning of your storage device to find older, hidden, or difficult-to-recover data.
- Supports recovery of deleted images, videos, audios, documents, and other types of files of various formats.
- Its free version is highly effective for restoring recently deleted files quickly.
4. Disk Drill Basic (CleverFiles)
Disk Drill Basic, developed by CleverFiles, is one of the most popular free data recovery software tools, known for its sleek, visually appealing dashboard and quick recovery process. The software supports recovery of deleted files of various types, ranging from basic text documents to your videos. It can restore files deleted due to several reasons, such as accidental deletion, partition issues, corruption, or system failures.
Key Features:
- It supports recovery of files deleted from internal hard drives, solid-state drives, external disks, pen drives, and other removable storage media.
- The preview feature of this software lets you preview the recoverable files, ensuring only the required and intact files are restored.
- Disk Drill includes Recovery Vault, i.e., a protection tool that keeps metadata of deleted files.
5. MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free
MiniTool offers a reliable and user-friendly free data recovery software to help you restore deleted, lost, or inaccessible files from various storage devices. Whether the files are deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system failure, or any other reason, the software provides a smooth and guided recovery process. Although the free version has limited recovery capacity, it still performs efficiently when restoring essential and smaller sets of lost data.
Key Features:
- MiniTool offers a straightforward interface with clearly labelled modules, making easy and quick navigation even for beginners.
- The software supports recovery of deleted files from multiple storage devices, including internal/external hard drives, solid-state drives, flash drives, and more.
- The software lets users preview documents, photos, videos, and other files before saving them.
6. Wondershare Recoverit
Another powerful and free data recovery software that you can try to recover your deleted files is Wondershare Recoverit. This software offers a streamlined interface and advanced scanning algorithms to simplify the recovery process. With its preview feature and high recovery success rate, the software is quite popular among its users.
Key Features:
- Its deep-scan feature allows you to perform a thorough scan of your storage device to detect traces of deleted or corrupted data.
- The Wondershare official website claims to support the recovery of deleted files from a number of storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USBs, memory cards, and external devices.
- Recoverit’s preview feature allows you to preview the recovered files to ensure only the needed files are recovered, saving time and preventing unnecessary overwrites on the drive.
7. iBoysoft Data Recovery Free
It is a lightweight yet reliable tool designed to help you recover lost, deleted, or inaccessible files from various storage devices. The software is mainly helpful for beginners who want a simple recovery experience without unnecessary complexity. This free data recovery software offers both fast scanning and deep scanning modes to restore files even deleted due to complex scenarios.
Key Features:
- The software also supports recovery of data deleted from formatted, corrupted, or RAW partitions.
- From HDDs and SSDs to USB drives, memory cards, and external disks, this data recovery software is compatible with almost all storage devices.
- You can preview the recoverable files to verify file integrity and minimise unnecessary recoveries.
8. TestDisk
TestDisk is a powerful, open-source, free data recovery tool designed to restore files deleted lost partitions or formatted drives. The software is compatible with different OS, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can recover FAT, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/3/4, and other file systems.
Key Features:
- Its cross-platform compatibility allows multiple users on various systems to recover lost data simultaneously.
- TestDisk performs detailed disk analysis to detect partitions, recover lost files, and reconstruct damaged boot sectors
9. PhotoRec
Unlike traditional data recovery tools, PhotoRec focuses on recovering files based on their signatures rather than relying on the file system. This software supports the recovery of deleted files of various types, including photos, videos, documents, and archives. It is also compatible with different OS such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Key Features:
- It is fully open-source, allowing you to download, use, and modify the software without restrictions or costs.
- Supports recovery of files deleted from internal hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, and other storage devices.
- Despite its command-line interface, PhotoRec performs deep scans quickly with minimal system resources.
10. AnyRecover Data Recovery
AnyRecover Data Recovery is a well-known, versatile tool designed to help users retrieve lost, deleted, or inaccessible files of various types and formats. The software supports recovery of files deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, partition loss, virus attacks, or system crashes. With its intuitive interface, quick scanning, and deep scanning capabilities, AnyRecover ensures a smooth recovery process.
Key Features:
- The free version of this software offers limited recovery but is highly effective for essential data restoration.
- It allows you to preview the recoverable files before restoring them, allowing selective recovery of only the required files.
- AnyRecover runs quickly without overloading system resources, making it suitable for use on both modern and older computers.
Wrapping Up
Data loss can happen to you unexpectedly. If you have ever experienced any important file being lost or deleted from your system, it’s crucial to act quickly and use effective recovery methods. For fast and convenient solution, a free data recovery software can be the best option. In this article, we’ve outlined the top 10 free data recovery software tools that you can try for easy data restoration. Review the features of each tool carefully, and choose the one that best suits your requirements to ensure a smooth and successful data recovery process.
