Windows File Recovery not working? Hold on—You haven’t reached the point of no return. This guide will delve into comprehensive troubleshooting methods designed to address these issues, offering practical solutions for both novice and experienced users.
Hi, I have accidentally deleted an important folder yesterday, I have heard of Windows File Recovery and tried it. I watched a Youtube tutorial that seemed to have helped a lot of people. So, I entered the right commands, but it doesn't recover anything at all just saying "there is an error". I don't know what to do, this file was very important to me and Windows File Recovery doesn't seem to be working for me. Could anyone help me?
- Question from Sadclua
Windows File Recovery (Winfr) is a command-line tool provided by Microsoft that helps users recover permanently deleted files, including MOV, JPEG, PDF, and other formats. However, many users report issues where the tool either freezes, fails to scan, or crashes without restoring any files.
If you're seeing errors like “Windows File Recovery not working”, scanning disk stuck at 99% or 0%, or if it fails to run entirely on Windows 10 or 11, this guide will walk you through possible causes and effective solutions, and suggest a better alternative at the end.
Before diving into specific recovery steps, it's crucial to understand why Windows File Recovery isn't working. More often than not, the solutions lie hidden within these underlying causes.
👉Disk Disconnection: Connection issues with the disk can cause Windows File Recovery to fail in properly locating the target disk.
👉Unsupported File System: The tool only works on NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT.
👉Incorrect Command Syntax: Windows File Recovery requires precise command-line formatting. Missing scan modes, misspelled switches, or incorrect drive letters cause failures.
👉Bad Sectors on Source Drive: Physical disk damage or logical error causes on the source drive cause failures.
👉Windows Version Incompatibility: Windows File Recovery supports only Windows 10 or Windows 11. Older OS versions (e.g., Windows 7) aren’t compatible.
👉Overwritten or Aged Deleted Files: New data written to the source drive after deletion overwrites lost files physically.
👉System File corruption: Damaged or deleted file system may cause some program cannot run smoothly.
From the causes mentioned above, you might also find some solutions. This section will explore the specific steps of each method step by step. Follow these methods to fix the problem of "Windows File Recovery not working".
The most common cause of windows file recovery not working is either an incorrect drive path or a malformed command. Verifying the Windows File Recovery command and ensuring the disk is connected properly should be your first step.
Step 1. Make sure the drive you’re trying to recover from and the destination drive are both connected and recognized in File Explorer.
Step 2. Check whether the command you entered is correct, including any spelling errors, missing symbols, spaces, etc.
Uninstalling the current software and reinstalling it can resolve most software-related issues. Reinstall Windows File Recovery to see if it returns to normal.
Since Windows File Recovery only supports Windows 10 version 2004 or later 11, it will not work if your computer is running an older version of Windows.
Step 1. Open "Windows Settings" and select "Update & Security".
Step 2. Choose "Windows Update" tab, click "Check for updates" and follow the instructions to install the available updates.
Background apps—especially disk-intensive ones—can interfere with the performance of Windows File Recovery, leading to errors like Windows File Recovery scanning disk stuck at 99% or 0%.
Step 1. Press "Ctrl + Shift + Esc" to open "Task manager".
Step 2. Right click to end unessential tasks, especially those using disk resources. Run Windows File Recovery again to check if it works normally.
Disk errors can prevent recovery tools from accessing or scanning the volume. Run CHKDSK command in Windows to scan disk for errors and to fix them, including bad sectors and file system issues.
Step 1. Type "command prompt" in the Start menu and right click to choose "Run as administrator".
Step 2. Enter the following command "chkdsk G: /f/ r" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letter "G" with your actual drive letter. Then the command will scan and fix any found issues.
After repairing the file system issues, retry the Windows File Recovery command to check if it resolves the Windows File Recovery not working issue.
Windows File Recovery may fail to work due to corrupted system files. You can use the SFC and DISM commands to fix system file issues.
Step 1. Type "command prompt" in the Start menu and run it as administrator.
Step 2. Enter the following command "sfc /scannow" and press "Enter". This command will repair corrupted or missing system files.
If the command cannot solve the problem, you can run more advanced DISM command. After these scans, restart your system and try Windows File Recovery again. This method helps fix compatibility errors on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Some antivirus software may block command-line tools like Windows File Recovery from accessing the disk. You can temporarily disable antivirus software or firewalls in offline mode, complete the data recovery, and then re-enable them.
Step 1. Press "Win + I" to open Windows settings.
Step 2. Select " Update & Security" > "Windows Security" > "Virus & threat Protection" > "Manage settings".
Step 3. Under the "Real-time protection" section, switch the option to "off".
If the problem still persists or you are not accustomed to using command-line tools, here is a GUI tool - MyRecover - that can fully replace Windows File Recovery. MyRecover has a clean and simple interface, which is extremely friendly even for novice users. Here are some stunning points of MyRecover.
✅No Command Line Needed – Simple GUI (graphical interface) for easy file recovery.
✅OS Compatibility – Work not only on Windows 11 /10, but also on Windows 8.1/ 8/ 7 and all Servers.
✅Handle 500+ Data Loss Scenarios – Recover from deleted partition, formatted hard drive, emptied Recycle Bin, system crash, virus attack, etc.
✅Supports over 1,000 file types – Including documents, photos, videos, audio, archives, and Outlook data files.
✅500+ Devices Support – Recover files from all types of devices like SSD, HDD, USB flash drive, SD card, cameras and more.
4 steps to recover deleted files using the GUI tool—MyRecover
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer, avoid installing it on the drive with lost files.
Step 2. Launch it and select the drive where the deleted files were stored to scan, click "Scan".
Step 3. Choose files you want to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Select a safe location to save the recovered files.
Once the completion of the process, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. You can access and check the recovered files by clicking the destination folder.
The solutions above can help you fix the problem of "Windows File Recovery not working on Windows 10 and 11" step-by-step. However, if you need a faster and more reliable solution, using a professional tool like MyRecovery is often the better option. When time and data are critical, the best choice is the one that gets your files back quickly and safely.
MyRecover can recover data from SD cards, USB drives, external hard drives, etc., by scanning for lost data. Unlock advanced capabilities like pre-recovery file previews and unlimited data recovery—upgrade to MyRecover Professional today.
