Hard drives are very efficient, but their compact design makes them easily unreadable on computers. Fortunately, the flash drive data recovery process is very easy through various technical methods.
Just try the 6 best hard drive recovery software recommended in this article. Not only do these desktop applications make hard drive data recovery as easy as a few clicks, but some of them even offer free help. Let's go a step further and explore them.
How to choose the best hard drive recovery tool
Easy-to-use hard drive recovery tools facilitate flash drive data recovery. However, when making a decision, it is also important to consider software compatibility, scanning speed, preview capabilities, etc. Factors such as the following:
- Compatibility:Different hard drives may use different file systems. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the tool you choose is compatible with the type of flash drive you are using;
- Scan speed: It is recommended to choose hard drive data recovery software that provides both functions: quick scan and deep scan. The software ensures fast recovery while also detecting more lost files;
- Preview feature:The best flash drive recovery tool should have previewable retrieved files, allowing you to visually select the data to recover;
- Technical Support:Check whether the flash drive data recovery service comes with software updates and customer support. This ensures that the chosen tool is stable and available in the long term;
- Software Cost: Choose a free trial of flash drive recovery software as it is beneficial to access the performance of the tool. While free flash drive recovery tools are available, they may not always ensure safety.
1. Qike Data Recovery
Qike Data Recovery is undoubtedly the leader when it comes to the best hard drive data recovery software. Available for Windows and Mac, this mature version supports nearly all major file systems, including NTFS, exFAT, FAT16, APFS, and more. Its services not only include data recovery from USB flash drive, SD card or hard drive but also doubles as a useful USB repair tool to repair damaged hard drive.
Qike Data Recovery: Supports recovery of 1000+ data formats Free download software to scan data, supports recovery of 1000+ file formats such as documents, photos, videos, emails, audios, etc. There is data loss recovery for various storage devices such as computers/laptops, recycle bins, U disks, hard drives, etc.
https://www.geekersoft.cn/geekersoft-data-recovery.html Better yet, Qike Data Recovery is the easiest to use. Not only does it support free preview of various data types such as images, documents, audios, videos, messages, etc., but it also completes data recovery from USB hard drives in three easy steps, including quick scan and deep scan options.
advantage:
- Recover over 1000 file formats with lossless quality;
- Provides fast and deep scan options for efficient data recovery;
- Increase scanning speed with hardware acceleration;
- Narrow your search and speed up recovery through type filters;
- Supports data recovery from multiple storage devices (including computers);
- Ensure data security without risk of privacy leakage.
shortcoming:
- Full functionality requires subscription.
To grasp the detailed performance of the tool for repairing, you can download the tool and follow the 3 simple steps to give it a try below.
Step 1. StartQike Data Recovery
Install and start Geek Data Recovery for free by clicking the button below. You can then insert the hard drive into your computer.
Step 2. Scan hard drive
Once this tool recognizes your hard drive and displays it under "Removable Devices," just click the "Scan" button in the lower right corner. After "Quick Scan", "Deep Scan" will retrieve more data from the hard drive.
Step 3. Recover data from hard drive
After the scan is completed, use "Filter" to quickly sort out the data you want to recover from USB flash drive. Tick the images, documents or videos and go to "Recover" to complete hard drive data recovery.
2. DiskDrill
Likewise, support for file systems such as NTFS, FAT32, APFS, HFS+ and DiskDrill is also a noteworthy hard drive data recovery solution. It can recover files from formatted hard drive and can also recover images, messages, audio, video and other data from USB external hard drives, USB digital cameras and USB mobile devices. Furthermore, DiskDrill also comes with a set of additional tools for various other data recovery needs of USB flash drives.
advantage:
- Works well on Windows and Mac;
- Get started easily with its user-friendly interface;
- Supports previewing files to be recovered;
- Boasts above-average scan and recovery speeds.
shortcoming:
- Only 500MB of free data recovery space is available;
- It is limited to single scan mode.
3. Stellar Data Recovery
If you are looking for free hard drive recovery and only have a few files to recover, consider trying Stellar Data Recovery. This user-friendly software offers 1 GB of free data recovery space for Windows users. It specializes in hard drive data recovery due to accidental deletion or physical damage.
Similar to FonePaw Data Recovery, this best hard drive recovery software also supports dual scan mode. The quick scan is designed for quick recovery, while the deep scan can dig out more data from a damaged hard drive. Even better, Stellar Data Recovery can recover data from "BitLocker" encrypted hard drives, including HDD, SSD, or other storage media drives.
advantage:
- Supports almost all recovery file formats;
- Provides thorough data recovery for hard drives through two scanning modes;
- In addition to previewing, you can also repair damaged photo and video files;
- Its user-friendly interface is easy to master.
shortcoming:
- Stable operation requires at least 8 GB RAM;
- Licenses are relatively expensive to purchase.
4. Wise Data Recovery
Wise Data Recovery provides faster hard drive data recovery services. Using advanced algorithms, long data scanning times can be significantly reduced. And it also supports keyword search to help you narrow the search scope and complete hard drive data recovery faster. Not only this, this efficient flash drive recovery tool also supports various file systems and allows to recover up to 2 GB of data for free. If you want to recover data from USB flash drive for free, Wise Data Recovery can also become failsafe over a period of time.
advantage:
- Provides a clean and easy-to-use interface;
- Compatible with Windows and Mac computers;
- Supports over 1000 file types for flash driver recovery;
- Use the portable version without installation.
shortcoming:
- The recovery success rate is not very reliable.
5. Recuva
Recuva is a hard drive data recovery tool with a classic Windows interface. Despite its somewhat outdated design, this viable software can perform deep scans to track deleted files and recover lost images, music, documents, videos, emails, or any other files on your hard drive. Additionally, Recuva supports damaged hard drive recovery, allowing you to restore USB or SD cards to normal.
Recuva also offers subscription-based recovery services at an affordable price. Recuva is a data-targeted software with no additional features, mainly used for hard drive recovery and file deletion. If you have a limited budget, you can try the free version of Recuva first.
advantage:
- Fast download speed and low memory usage;
- Supports previewing deleted files for selective recovery;
- Use Recuva Free Edition for free hard drive recovery.
shortcoming:
- Only Windows version available;
- It cannot recover all data with low success rate.
6. Windows Command Prompt
Strictly speaking, Command Prompt is not considered hard drive recovery software. Instead, it is a built-in program in Windows designed to help you control your computer. This useful program is often used to retrieve hidden, accidentally deleted, corrupted or virus-infected files. Therefore, you can repair and restore them. In addition to its direct application on computer disks, Command Prompt can also be used for free data recovery from hard drives, memory cards or external hard drives.
advantage:
- No more extra downloads;
- Enable free hard drive recovery on Windows.
shortcoming:
- It is not suitable for computer beginners;
- It has restrictions on the types of files to be recovered.