Laptop data loss can occur due to accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes, or virus attacks. This guide explores the best laptop data recovery software solutions both free and paid to help you recover important documents, photos, videos, and more. Free download options included for quick recovery.
Laptop data loss is a common issue that can happen unexpectedly and cause significant disruption. Whether it's due to accidental deletion, formatting errors, system crashes, or malicious virus attacks, important files such as documents, photos, videos, and work data can disappear in an instant.
These situations often leave users feeling helpless, especially when no backup is available. Fortunately, with the help of reliable laptop data recovery software, it’s possible to restore lost files quickly and efficiently.
When it comes to recovering data on laptops, Windows File Recovery is definitely worth trying. It is a free command-line tool developed by Microsoft to help users recover deleted or lost files on Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) and Windows 11 systems. It supports recovering files from internal hard drives, external drives (USB, SD cards).
Step 1. Download and Install Windows File Recovery
Visit Microsoft store, search for "Windows File Recovery", click on "download" button. Then follow the wizard to install it on your laptop.
Step 2. Run Command Prompt as Administrator
Press "Win + S", type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator".
Step 3. Basic Command Format: winfr Source Drive: Destination Drive: /mode /switches
SourceDrive: The drive where the lost data was located
Destination Drive: The drive where recovered files will be saved (must NOT be the same as source)
/mode: Recovery mode (e.g., regular, extensive)
/switches: Additional options like specifying file types, folders, etc.
Step 3: Common Examples
Recover all recently deleted files from an NTFS drive (regular mode): winfr F: E: /regular
Recover all recently files from formatted, corrupted drive (extensive mode): winfr D: E: /extensive
Recover specific file types (e.g., .jpg and .png): winfr H: D: /extensive /n *.jpg / n *.png
Step 4: Start Scan and Recovery
After running the command, the tool will scan the source drive and copy recoverable files to a folder named Recovery_ on the destination drive. Progress and recovered file count will be displayed during the process.
Step 5: Check Recovered Files
When the scanning and recovery process are completed, you can directly press "Y” key on your keyboard to check the recovered files in destination drive and verify your restored files.
While Windows File Recovery is an official Microsoft free tool, its command-line interface can be challenging for users without technical experience. For those who prefer a more user-friendly solution, MyRecover is an excellent latop data recovery alternative with a graphical interface.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer.
Step 2. Launch the software, select the drive or partition to recover fromand click "Scan" to begin automatic scanning for lost files.
Step 3. Select those you want to recover (using "Filter" or "Search" feature) and click on "Recover" button.
Step 4. Save the files to a different safe location.
Wait for the recovery process to complete. Once finished, you can see a summary mini window with the information of how many files that have been restored successfully and where they are stored now. Just click on the path link or "Browse" button, and you can directly find your recovered files.
If your laptop won’t start due to system errors, crashes, or hardware issues, don’t panic. You can still recover your important data using MyRecover Professional edition, which allows you to create a bootable rescue disk, and then perform data recovery. Steps are:
Step 1. Prepare an Empty USB drive and a Working Computer
Get a blank USB drive (at least 8GB recommended) andanother working computer.Connect the USB drive to the computer and make sure it is detected successfully.
Step 2. Create a Bootable USB Drive
Download and install MyRecover on another working computer. Then run it, click "PC Crashed Recovery", select an empty USB drive and follow the wizard to create a bootable recovery USB drive.This will erase everything on the USB drive, so please ensure you have made a backup.
Step 3. Boot from USB
Insert the bootable USB into your unbootable laptop and configure the BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from the USB device.
Step 4. Access Data Recovery Software
When your laptop boots from the bootable media, you will see the main interface of MyRecover. Then take the above steps: select the drive, scan and recover you need ("Previwing files before recovery" is available in this version). Transfer recovered data to an external drive or USB to keep it safe.
Alternatively, you can remove the hard drive from the laptop and connect it to another working PC as an external drive, then run recovery software like MyRecover to scan and recover your files.
Laptop data loss can happen at any time, whether due to accidental deletion, formatting, system failure, or a complete boot crash. Fortunately, both Windows File Recovery and MyRecover provide effective solutions to restore laptop data. While Windows File Recovery is ideal for tech-savvy users comfortable with command-line tools, MyRecover offers a more user-friendly and feature-rich alternative, perfect for all levels of users.
Whether your laptop is working normally or completely unbootable, MyRecover has the tools you need to recover your valuable data quickly, safely, and easily.To use such an amazing recovery tool on unlimited devices whether for personal use or commercial purposes, you can try the Technician edition.