[Top 10] Best Data Recovery Software for Windows

Data loss due to accidental deletion, formatting, OS crash, hard disk damage, and other unexpected reasons occurs quite frequently, which, in most of the cases, will cause undesired problems in one way or another. That's when users need to turn to data recovery tools for help. Then here comes the question, 'which software is the most capable when it comes to data recovery?".

Top 10 Best Data Recovery Software for Windows 

Here is the ten best data recovery software for Windows that all enables users to recover deleted/lost files from internal hard disk or external storage devices but varies in detail. Check them now. (A real-case comparison of the data recovery capability of the first five best data recovery software for Windows is also provided at the end of this article.)

1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
2. 2. Stellar Data Recovery
3. 3. Disk Drill
4. 4. Recuva
5. 5. Recover My Files
6. 6. Acronis Revive
7. 7. R-Studio
8. 8. Data Rescue 5
9. 9. Ontrack EasyRecovery
10. 10. Puran File Recovery

Also read: Top 10 SD Card Recovery Software in 2021

Top 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

EaseUS has been focused on the field of data recovery for more than ten years. And EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the result of the years of arduous work. With constant innovation and evolution, EaseUS Data Recovery outranks other data recovery programs by its outstanding scanning speed, full and detailed scanning result, user-friendly interface, and cost-effectiveness and becomes the best data recovery software for Windows. The review from SoftwareHow proves that it's not overstated. Besides, the free edition enables users to retrieve 2GB of data at no cost, which makes it the optimal choice for data recovery when the lost files are less than 2GB.

Highlights:

• Searches for deleted/lost file by extension or name
• Sorts out photos by category (people/animal/building/others)
• Identifies the source device of deleted/lost photos/videos
• Filters the results by category
• Previews the files

3-Step data recovery:

Select the location > start the scanning process > recover files.

How to recover data with the best data recovery software:

Step 1. Select a location and start scanning.

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the partition where you lost data, then click "Scan".

Step 2. Preview and select the files.

Wait until the scanning completes. If you need to double-click the item to preview the file, then select the data you attempt to recover.

Step 3. Recover lost data.

Click "Recover", choose a location to save the recovered data, then click "OK". You should store the data in another place instead of the original one.

Price: $69.95

Supported Operating System: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP; Windows Server 2016/2012/2008/2003

Supported file system: FAT 12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/ext3, HFS+, ReFS

Supported devices: PCs/laptops, internal/external hard drives, USB drives, Micro cards, Camcorders, digital cameras, music players, video players, RAID, CF/SD cards, pen drives, and more

Supported files: Documents (8+ types), graphics (19+ formats), videos (14+ formats), audio (17+ formats), emails, ZIP, RAR, SIT, ISO, HTML, SITX, etc.

Video tutorial on how to use the best data recovery software:

Top 2. Stellar Data Recovery

Stellar Data Recovery software is an advanced program with excellent data recovery performance. Its simple but clear interface and powerful data recovery capability attract users' attention and gain their trust.

Highlights:

• Scans a specific folder
• Recovers from a disk image
• Searches for specific files from the scanning result

4-Step data recovery:

Select the file type > select the location > scan the partition > recover files.

Price: $79.99 (Professional)

Supported operating system: Windows 10/8.1/8/7, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Supported devices: Any Windows device and external storage devices

Supported file system: FAT, exFAT, NTFS

Supported files: Documents, emails, pictures, videos, audio files, and more

Top 3. Disk Drill

Cleverfiles Disk Drill is an accomplished data recovery tool with advanced data recovery solutions and data protection functions. It works well on Windows computers and performs even better on Mac, which makes it one of the most competitive tools in the field of data recovery.

Highlights:

• Has auxiliary features like data protection and backup drive
  Organizes files found by category
  Filters the results by size and data
  Supports multiple file systems

4-Step data recovery:

Select a partition > choose a scanning mode > start  scanning > recover  files.

Price: $89 (Pro)

Supported operating system: Windows 10/8/7, Windows XP, and Windows Vista

Supported devices: all memory cards, laptops&desktops, digital cameras, USB thumb drives, internal hard drives, mass storage devices

Supported file system: NTFS, FAT32, EXT, HFS+, and more

Supported files: pictures, videos, documents, audio, archives

Top 4. Recuva

Piriform Recuva, the professional data recovery software, differentiates itself from others by providing Recuva Wizard, the unique helper that allows users to get back their files by answering several simple questions, which makes it a good choice for regular users.

Highlights:

• Recuva Wizard that helps users perform data recovery quickly and precisely
• Supports the email recovery of Thunderbird, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Microsoft Outlook
• Scans a specific location
• Searches for file content

3-Step Data Recovery:

Select the drive > Start the scanning process > Recover the files.

Price: $19.95 (Professional)

Supported operating system: Windows 10/8/7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2008/2003 server

Supported devices: hard disk drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, portable media players, random-access storage media

Supported file systems: FAT, NTFS

Supported files: Pictures, music, documents, videos, emails, and more

Top 5. Recover My Files

Recover My Files is a reliable data recovery software that is solely compatible with Windows. The concentration makes it one of the best data recovery software for Windows users. With its specialization, Recover My Files is able to help users recover deleted/lost files precisely by identifying files by their extension or date.

Highlights:

• Scans the backup (image file) of a partition
• Sorts out files by date
• Adjusts the layout of the viewed items

5-Step data recovery:

Select to recover files or a drive > select a drive > choose the mode > scan the partition > select files to recover.

Price: $69.95 (Standard), $99.95 (Professional)

Supported operating system: Windows 64bit/32bit

Supported devices: Hard drives, camera cards, USBs, Zip drives, floppy disks, iPods, and other media

Supported file system: NTFS, FAT 12/16/32, exFAT, HFS, HFS+

Supported files: Documents, photos, videos, music, and emails

Top 6. Acronis Revive

Acronis Revive 2019 will quickly recover files that are either accidentally deleted or intentionally removed. The software provides detailed explanations about how to initiate the data recovery process and which scanning option is best for users, which will help to finish the data recovery process with ease. The professionality and friendliness have made it one of the best data recovery software.

Highlights:

• Precisely identifies all the partitions, be it existing or lost, on the hard drives
• Filters files by file name or extension
• Shows results selectively
• Has fast scanning speed

5-Step data recovery:

Select the partition/disk > choose the scanning option > select the files > select the location > recover files

Price: $49.99

Supported operating system: Windows 10/8.1/8/7 and Windows 2012/2008/2003

Supported devices: Internal/external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, and other conventional storage devices

Supported file system: FAT32/16/12, NTFS, exFAT, and ReFS

Supported files: Documents, photos, videos, music, and more

Top 7. R-Studio

In addition to professional manual data recovery services, R-Studio also provides one of the best file recovery software for Windows, Mac, and even Linux. Empowered by advanced data recovery technologies, R-Studio works well to recover files from various real-life data loss situations, be it easy or tough.

Highlights:

• Enables the data recovery from various data loss situations
• Supports multiple file systems
• Exclusively supports the data recovery from network drives
• Allows to create image files and recover files from image files
• Supports to specify the scan area

5-Step data recovery:

Select the drive to scan > set up the scan options > choose the files > choose the location > recover files

Price: $49.99

Supported operating system: Windows 2000-2019/8.1/10

Supported devices: HD, CD, DVD, floppy disk, CF Card, USB drive, ZIP drive, memory stick, and other removable media

Supported file system: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, and exFAT

Supported files: Almost all existing file types

Top 8. Data Rescue 5

Simple yet powerful, Data Rescue 5 from PROSOFT will help to recover all kinds of files from various storage devices with a few simple steps. It's worth mentioning that, other than being one of the top data recovery software for Windows, Data Rescue 5 is also fully compatible with macOS and allows users to recover data from Time Machine backups.

Highlights:

• Excludes duplicated files automatically
• Allows to preview files before recovery
• Helps to locate files by filters or searching
• Provides disk clone feature for data protection

5-Step data recovery:

Choose the data recovery option > Select the drive > choose a scan option > choose the files > recover files

Price: $99 (Standard), $299 (Professional)

Supported operating system: Windows 7 or later

Supported devices: Windows desktops/laptops, HDD/SSDs, external drives, SD Cards, CF Cards, Thunderbolt drives, and FireWire drives

Supported file system: FAT and NTFS

Supported files: 100+ file types

Top 9. Ontrack EasyRecovery

Ontrack EasyRecovery has shown its professionality in the field of data recovery over the decades. It's no doubt that it also one of the best data recovery software for users. With the help of Ontrack EasyRecovery, users are able to retrieve files from an HDD, SSD, memory card, USB, and optical media after deletion, format, corruption, and other misoperations.

Highlights:

• Recovers photos, videos, documents, and more
• Retrieves files after deletion, format, hard disk damage and corruption
• Supports multiple storage devices
• Allows to preview results before recovery

3-Step data recovery:

Choose the location to scan > choose the files > recover files

Price: $79 (Home), $139 (Professional)

Supported operating system: Windows

Supported devices: Internal and external drives, SSD, RAID, USB, memory cards and optical media

Supported file system: FAT, NTFS, or exFAT

Supported files: Videos, photos, documents, and other files

Top 10. Puran File Recovery

The last one of the best ten data recovery software for Windows is Puran File Recovery. The clear and integrated interface enables users to retrieve their lost effortlessly. Other than showing the common information about the lost files,  Puran File Recovery also presents the recoverability of the item.

Highlights:

• Allows to edit custom scan list
• Supports to search for a specific file type
• Provides portable versions
• Shows the recoverability of the lost files

3-Step data recovery:

Choose the drive to scan > choose the files > recover the lost files

Price: Free

Supported operating system: Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7/8/10

Supported devices: Hard disks, pen drives, memory cards, mobile phones, CDs, and DVDs

Supported file system: FAT12/16/32 and NTFS

Supported files: All existing file types

The Bottom Line - How to Choose the Best Data Recovery Software

Recover My Files and Recuva are developed exclusively for Windows while the other three tools are both Windows and macOS compatible. There is a taste of the first five best file recovery software that may help you perform better decision-making:

The result of these five tools scanning the same partition (127GB free of 141GB) on the author's computer searching for deleted/lost files:

People Also Ask Question About the Best Data Recovery Software 

Data loss is one of the most troublesome problems one can have. That’s why it only makes sense to choose the right tool to use when recovering your lost or deleted files. We havve provided you with 10 best data recovery software. If you still have a problem, read on.

Which is the best data recovery software free?

Top 10 Data Recovery Software for Windows - Our Pick:

1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
2. 2. Stellar Data Recovery
3. 3. Disk Drill
4. 4. Recuva
5. 5. Recover My Files
6. 6. Acronis Revive
7. 7. R-Studio
8. 8. Data Rescue 5
9. 9. Ontrack EasyRecovery
10. 10. Puran File Recovery

What data recovery software do professionals use?

Most companies that deal with software and data files usually use professional software for restoring deleted or lost data. Some of the most common software in this category are:

• EaseUS
• Recuva
• Stellar
• DiskDrill

Is there free data recovery software?

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free is the very best free data recovery software tool available. It is your second to none choice for quick but complete file recovery from Windows desktops, laptops, and other Windows-compatible devices.

Do data recovery programs work?

Yes. Data recovery software can locate and restore photos, executables, and compressed files. The best file recovery software can even maintain the folder organization of your files, and it may be able to recover a complete partition or drive.