The Best Software to Recover Missing Files: Top Picks for 2025

Looking for reliable software to recover missing files? You've landed the right page! This guide covers top-rated tool to help you recover missing files from internal or external hard drives, no matter what the reason for the loss of the files is.

By @Aria
Last Updated August 11, 2025

Is There a Free Recovery for Missing Files?

Losing important files can be incredibly stressful, whether it's due to accidental deletion, formatting, or a system crash. So, is there a free method to recover lost files here? Yes, it’s of course. Windows comes with a few built-in features that can help you recover deleted files, such as the Recycle Bin, File History, and Backup and Restore.

However, if there are no backups available and the deleted files are not in the Recycle Bin, can the missing files never be recovered? Even so, there is still a possibility of recovering the files, as long as the appropriate method is chosen based on the scenario of file loss. Before delving into specific data recovery methods, understanding the common causes of data loss can help identify the correct data recovery approach and prevent data loss from happening again.

Common Reasons of File Missing on Windows

  • Accidental Deletion: Files are mistakenly deleted using "Delete" or "Shift + Delete", or the Recycle Bin is emptied too soon.
  • File Was Moved or Hidden: The file wasn’t deleted, but it was moved to another folder or marked as "hidden" and not visible in File Explorer.
  • System Restore, Windows Update, or Reset: During a System Restore, Windows Update, or factory reset, system files and settings are rolled back, sometimes affecting user files.
  • Disk Errors or Corrupted File System: Bad sectors, corrupted partitions, or logical errors in the file system make files unreadable or disappear.

Missing Files Recovery Software Free Download

When built-in methods fail or you’re unsure why your files went missing, reliable file recovery software is your best bet. MyRecover—the best recovery software for missing files—is worth recommending. It can scan all of the drives on the computer and provide a chance to recover the missing files. MyRecover can achieve data recovery with just the simplest steps, even for beginners.

Why Choose MyRecover to Recover Missing Files

MyRecover has unique advantages that make it a top choice for recovering deleted or missing files. It provides an effective solution to recover your lost files.

✅User-Friendly Interface

It adopts an intuitive user graphical interface, making the data recovery process simpler, even for non-professionals.

🔔500+ Devices Support

Recover files from all types of devices like SSD, HDD, USB flash drive, SD card, cameras, game console drives and more.

🔋Handle 500+ Data Loss Scenarios

Recover from deleted partition, formatted hard drive, emptied Recycle Bin, RAW partition, system crash (only available for paid versions), virus attack, etc.

🔍Supports over 1,000 File Types

Including documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Notepad, etc.), photos (PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, etc.), videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.), audio (MP3, WAV, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), and Outlook data files.

💡Smart Scan Modes

Choose from Quick Scan for recent deletions and Deep Scan for files that harder to recover like formatted/corrupted drives.

🔒Higher Success Rate

Advanced deep scan for NTFS/FAT32/exFAT/Ext4 drives.

🔨Read-Only Mode

The scanning process adopts a read-only mode to avoid overwriting the original data.

🛠️No Backup Required

An advanced scanning mechanism can detect residual file fragments on the hard drive, enabling data recovery without backups.

4 Steps to Recover Missing Files on Windows

Even if you don’t know how or when the files were deleted, MyRecover’s smart scanning engine will help identify and recover them effectively. Just take the following steps to recover missing files from your storage devices.

Step 1. Download and Install

Download and install MyRecover on your computer from the secure channel, avoid installing it on the drive with lost files.

Download FreewareWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/Server
Secure Download
Notes:✎...
If you want to recover data from an external hard drive, don’t forget to connect the external hard drive to your computer using the correct adapter.

Step 2. Select a Drive/Folder to Scan

Launch MyRecover and select a drive from the available drive lists to scan for missing files, then click "Scan". Similarly, you can also select a specific folder to recover files by clicking "Select Folder".

Step 3. Choose Files to Recover

Wait for a few seconds until the scanning process is complete. A message will pop up indicating how many files MyRecover has scanned on this hard drive. Select the files you want to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

If you are recovering data from a formatted drive or a deleted partition, you can click "Deep Scan" in the lower left corner to recover more files. If there are too many files, you can use the filtering function in the upper right corner to quickly locate the files you need.

🌟Tips:

Upgrading to MyRecover's Professional version allows you to enjoy unlimited data recovery capacity and the function of previewing file contents before recovery.

Step 4. Select a Location to Save

Select a folder different from the original one to save the recovered files to avoid overwriting the data, then click "Select Folder".

When the process is completed, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. You can access and check the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or the "Browse" button.

Conclusion

File missing doesn’t have to be permanent. Using reliable data recovery software like MyRecover will make the process far more efficient and you can often get your data back if you act quickly. Remember to stop using the affected drive immediately to avoid overwriting the lost data.

If you’re unsure where to start, MyRecover is a safe and effective tool that works for beginners and advanced users alike. With its free version, you can try it without risk and you can recover up to 500MB of data for free. In addition to unlimited data recovery capacity and preview functionality, the Professional version also allows users to recover data from crashed Windows systems.