Why "No Recoverable Files Were Found with This Mode" Happens? Fix It Now!

The Error Message: No Recovery Files Were Found with This Mode

Microsoft Windows File Recovery is a free command-line tool developed by Microsoft that allows users to recover deleted files from local storage devices including internal drives, external drives, and USB devices. Since it’s officially provided by Microsoft and completely free to use, it has become a popular choice among Windows users looking for a no-cost file recovery solution.

However, as helpful as Windows File Recovery can be, it's not without its quirks. Many users encounter an unexpected message during scanning:"No recovery files were found with this mode. Please check / for more recovery options".

Why "No Recovery Files Were Found with This Mode" Occurs? [Quick Fixes Attached]

Seeing this message doesn’t always mean your files are gone forever. Instead, it usually points to a mismatch between the "scan mode"you selected and the "actual data loss scenario". Here are some common reasons why this error might occur:

1. Used the Wrong Recovery Mode

Windows File Recovery offers different recovery modes such as "regular"and "extensive". The former is designed for recently deleted files on healthy NTFS drives. The latter is intended for files deleted "a long time ago", or from"formatted", "corrupted", or "non-NTFS drives"(e.g., FAT, exFAT).

If you chose "/regular"to try recovering files fromformatted drive or corrupted disk, the scan likely won't return any results.

🛠️Fix:

Try running the command again using "/extensive" mode instead of "/regular". For example: winfr H: D: /extensive /n *.jpg / n *.png. This command tells Windows File Recovery to perform a deeper scan that is more suitable for severe data loss scenarios like formatting or corruption. Be sure to replace H: with the source drive and D: with the destination, and adjust the filter.

2. Files Were Overwritten

Once a file is deleted, Windows may reuse that space for new data. If you’ve been using the drive heavily after deletion, the original data may have already been overwritten, making recovery impossible, regardless of the mode.

🛠️Fix:

Consider consulting a professional data recovery service, which may have more advanced, hardware-level recovery options.

3. Scanning the Wrong Drive

Sometimes users mistakenly scan the wrong partition or drive letter. For example, if your lost file was stored on drive "D:", but you scanned "C:", no results will show up.

🛠️Fix:

Double-check where your file was originally saved before deletion. Rerun the recovery tool, this time selecting the correct source drive. For instance, if the file was on H:, use a command like: winfr H: D: /regular /n *.pst

4. File System Issues

Windows File Recovery relies heavily on the structure of the file system (like NTFS, FAT, or exFAT) to locate and recover deleted files. If the file system is damaged,corrupted, or unsupported, the tool may not be able to identify recoverable files, even if they still physically exist on the disk.

For example, using "/regular" mode on a corrupted NTFS drive or attempting recovery from drives using "ReFS", "RAW", or other unsupported formats will likely result in the message:No recovery files were found with this mode.

🛠️Fix:

Try the "/extensive" mode, which performs a deeper scan and doesn't rely solely on file table structures. If the file system is severely damaged or shown as "RAW" in Disk Management, you may need to turn to a more advanced tool, which supports RAW drive recovery.

5. The Drive Type Isn’t Fully Supported

Most modern SSDs support a feature called "TRIM", which automatically erases the physical storage blocks of deleted files to optimize performance and extend drive lifespan. While this is great for SSD health, it’s bad news for data recovery. When TRIM is enabled (which it usually is by default on Windows), the deleted data is often "permanently wiped" almost immediately long before recovery software like Windows File Recovery can detect it.

🛠️Fix:

Unfortunately, once TRIM has wiped the data, recovery is nearly impossible with any software. However, if you're using a "very new SSD" and you "acted immediately after deletion", there's a slim chance that some data remnants may still be recoverable.

Next Step: What to Do When Windows File Recovery Doesn’t Work

If you’ve tried different recovery modes in Windows File Recoveryand followed all the troubleshooting steps above, but still see the message "no recoverable files were found with this mode please check / for more recovery options",don’t panic and you’re not out of options.You can turn to some third-party professional data recovery like MyRecover,a user-friendly, full-featured alternative.

When you cannot get rid of the Windows File Recovery error message saying "no recoverable files were found with this mode please check / for more recovery options", please take the following simple steps to recover your lost files.

Step 1: Install MyRecover on your Windows PC.

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Step 2: Launch MyRecover and select the drive or partition where your files were lost. Click the "Scan" button to start a quick or deep scan of the selected location.

Step 3: Browse or search the scan results to find the files you want to recover. Use the preview feature if needed.

Step 4: Select the files and click "Recover."

Step 5: Choose a different location to save the recovered files to avoid overwriting.

After the recovery process is complete, a summary notification will appear showing (1) the total number of files successfully recovered and (2) the exact folder where the recovered files have been saved. To quickly access your recovered files, simply click the folder path link or the "Browse" button.

Summary

While Windows File Recovery offers a free, powerful optionto recover files without backup, its limitations can sometimes lead to frustrating errors like "No recovery files were found with this mode." When that happens, professional third-party tools like MyRecover provide a reliable, user-friendly alternative that simplifies the recovery process and increases your chances of success.

Even when you need to recover data from computers that won’t boot up, MyRecover won’t let you down. Additionally, its Technician edition supports unlimited device usage, making it an ideal solution for businesses and MSPs offering billable remote assistance.