Windows File Recovery is a powerful tool from Microsoft that helps users recover deleted files on Windows 10 and Windows 11. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on using Windows File Recovery, including recovering files from USB drives. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, this tutorial will help you easily restore lost data!
Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool developed by Microsoft to help users recover deleted files from local storage devices, including internal, external drives and USB devices. It is available for Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) and Windows 11. This tool supports different recovery modes depending on the file system and data loss scenario, making it a powerful option for retrieving lost files.
Unlike traditional file recovery software with a graphical interface, Windows File Recovery operates through Command Prompt (CMD), offering multiple recovery modes for different file systems and data loss scenarios.
Whether you've accidentally deleted files, formatted a drive, or lost data due to file system corruption, this guide will walk you through how to install, use, and recover files using Windows File Recovery Command Prompt.
First of all, you have to download and install Windows File Recovery APP.
Since Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool, you need to run it through Command Prompt (CMD) with administrator privileges. Just right-click the Windows File Recovery in the Start menu and choose “Run as administrator.” Then the Windows File Recovery Command Prompt will pop out.
Alternatively, you can first open the Command Prompt window and run the wfr command as following:
The general syntax for Windows File Recovery commands is: winfr source-drive: destination-drive [/mode] [/switches]
Source-drive: The drive where the deleted files were originally stored.
Destination-drive: The drive where recovered files will be saved (⚠️must be a different one from the source drive).
/mode: The recovery mode to use (Regular, Extensive, Segment, or Signature).
/switches: Additional options to refine the search, such as file types or specific folders.
Overview of the four different modes: Regular, Extensive, Segment, or Signature.
| Recovery Mode | Applies To | File System Support |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Recently deleted files |
|
| Extensive | Formatted, corrupted, or older deleted files | NTFS, FAT, exFAT |
| Segment |
|
NTFS |
| Signature | Specific file types (e.g., JPEG, PDF, MP4) | NTFS, FAT, exFAT |
To choose a proper search mode, you have to demetermin whether a drive is NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.
Now, let's go through some common commands to help you quickly learn how to recover a folder, files, an entire drive using Windows File Recovery command on Windows 10 and Windows 11. No matter you want to recover files from USB, SD card, memory card, HDD, etc, the steps are same.
winfr H: D: /regular: Recovers recently deleted files from the H: drive and saves them to the D: drive
Upon executing the command, a folder named "Recovery_[date and time]" will be automatically created on the specified destination drive. After the process finishes, you can navigate to the [Recovery-data] folder on the D: drive to access and review the recovered files.
winfr D: E: /extensive: restore all recoverable files from the D: drive to the E: drive in extensive mode, more thorough but slower than regular mode.
winfr H: D: /regular /n*.jpg /n*. png: This command uses Windows File Recovery to restore all JPG and PNG images from the H: drive to the D: drive in regular mode.
winfr F: E: /regular /n documents\video\: restore all files located in the "documents\video" folder from the F: drive to the E: drive in regular mode.
winfr H: D: /r /n *.txt: uses Windows File Recovery in segment mode to restore all txt files from the H: drive to the D: drive.
From the above, we have learnt how to use Windows File Recovery for USB drive, SD card, or HDD drive recovery. While it is a powerful tool for recovering deleted files, its command-line interface and limited feedback can make troubleshooting difficult for many users. Besides, you cannot preview files before recovering them, leading to uncertainty about file integrity.
In such cases, switching to a more user-friendly and advanced solution like MyRecover can be a smarter choice, offering a graphical interface, higher recovery success rates, and a more efficient scanning experience.
Step 1. Visit the official website, download and install MyRecover on your PC.
Step 2. Open the application after installation. Choose the drive or folder where your lost data was located.
Step 3. Click Scan to begin the process. MyRecover will automatically search for deleted or lost files via "Quick Scan" or "Deep Scan". If the quick scan does not find out your lost files, please turn to “Deep Scan”instead.
Step 4. Once the scan is complete, preview the recoverable files. Select the ones you wish to restore.
Step 5. Click Recover and choose a destination folder to save the files (ensure it's a different drive).
While Windows File Recovery is a useful built-in tool, its limitations make it less practical for everyday users. MyRecovery provides a more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly alternative for recovering lost files with ease. If you prefer a hassle-free data recovery solution, MyRecovery is the way to go! It even allows you to reover data from computers that won’t boot.