{"id":202214,"date":"2022-08-30T01:31:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T23:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=202214"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:29:43","slug":"how-to-use-free-data-recovery-to-restore-lost-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-use-free-data-recovery-to-restore-lost-files\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Free Data Recovery to Restore Lost Files"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While cloud storage is becoming more popular, computing hardware remains a common way to store important data and files. However, computers are also fickle beasts that can glitch out at any moment. These errors sometimes result in vital information being lost or corrupted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, you can restore any corrupt or missing files that were previously on your system via the simple-to-use Data Recovery app. In addition to being a completely <strong>free resource<\/strong>, the app can <strong>recover lost data<\/strong> in a manner of minutes. The next time your PC or phone eats an important file, be sure to have the Data Recovery app handy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Free Data Recovery\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-logo-xl,f_auto\/p\/70f09576-a4d3-11e6-bfe4-00163ed833e7\/300670316\/free-data-recovery-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Free Data Recovery<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/free-data-recovery.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/free-data-recovery.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"howto_container schema-howto-acf-block\"><ol><li><div class=\"howto_item\"><h2>Installing and initializing the app<\/h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/01.Data_This-installation-wizard-will-set-up-the-app-on-your-PC.jpg\" alt=\"This installation wizard will set up the app on your PC\" width=\"939\" height=\"720\"><p>First things first, you must ensure you acquire the correct application for your computer. As there are many data recovery solutions clogging search engine results, the best bet is to click on <a href=\"https:\/\/free-data-recovery.en.softonic.com\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Free Data Recovery download page<\/a>. Upon clicking the <strong>green download button<\/strong>, a .zip folder will begin downloading on your system. To open a <strong>.zip file<\/strong>, you will need software designed to work with the file extension. If you do not already have such software, then <a href=\"https:\/\/7-zip.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7-Zip<\/a> is an excellent choice.<\/p>\n<p>Upon unzipping the Data Recovery folder, click on the application file to start the installation wizard. Follow the simple steps to place the program on your device. If you wish to have a start menu shortcut or <strong>quick menu icon<\/strong>, be sure to check those boxes during installation. After the install, click the Launch Free Data Recovery box to have the software open immediately.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li><div class=\"howto_item\"><h2>Select &#8220;data recovery&#8221; or &#8220;lost partition recovery&#8221;<\/h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/02.Data_Choose-how-you-wish-to-recover-files-upon-startup.jpg\" alt=\"Choose how you wish to recover files upon startup\" width=\"1153\" height=\"720\"><p>The first screen asks you to pick between Lost Partition and Data Recovery. The option you need depends on the nature of the information you wish to restore. <strong>Data Recovery<\/strong> is perfect for information from existing drives and folders. For instance, you can recover files from your C drive or downloads folder. <strong>Lost Partition Recovery<\/strong> is for entire drives and folders that have since been deleted. For example, you can recover information from a previously plugged in USB flash drive via the traces of the files that still linger on your hardware. Click the option that most closely aligns with your file recovery goal.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li><div class=\"howto_item\"><h2>Using the data recovery feature<\/h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/03.Data_This-screen-lets-you-restore-data-from-existing-areas-on-your-device.jpg\" alt=\"This screen lets you restore data from existing areas on your device\" width=\"1138\" height=\"720\"><p>The Data Recovery screen lists all the visible drives and partitions on your system. Click the one you wish to scan and click <strong>next<\/strong> to begin the search for missing files. It is a good idea to click the <strong>deep scan box<\/strong> at the bottom of the screen before proceeding with the data recovery check. Although a deep scan takes longer, it ensures the maximum amount of data is restored.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><li><div class=\"howto_item\"><h2>Using the lost partition feature<\/h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/04.Data_Use-lost-partition-recovery-to-restore-files-from-locations-no-longer-attached-to-your-device.jpg\" alt=\"Use Lost partition recovery to restore files from locations no longer attached to your device\" width=\"1154\" height=\"720\"><p>The Lost Partition screen allows you to select a drive to scan for lost file partitions. As with the Data Recovery screen, be sure to check the deep scan box at the bottom of the window to perform a complete search. After clicking on the drive you wish to scan, click <strong>next<\/strong> to begin the search. The search process can take up to an hour, depending on the size of files on your drive and the data transfer speed you are working with. Once the scan is complete, you can manage any file that is found as you would any other file on your device.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ol><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t.howto_container {\n\t  margin: 0 auto;\n\t}\n\t.howto_container img {\n\t\theight: 100%;\n\t\tmargin-bottom: 30px;\n\t}\n\t\n\t\t  .howto_container h2 {\n\t\t\t  clear: none !important;\n\t\t  }\n\t\t  .howto_container ol {\n\t\t\t  list-style: none !important;\n\t\t  }\t\n\t.howto_container ol li::before {\n\t\tcolor: #ffffff !important;\n\t\tbackground:#0073aa !important;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Backing up your data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability to restore lost files is incredible, but never losing them in the first place is even better. Managing your data with a cloud storage solution is a fantastic way to access your information on any device. Should one piece of hardware act up, you can continue right where you left off on another machine by redownloading the files from the cloud. A solid recommendation for cloud storage is <a href=\"https:\/\/dropbox.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dropbox<\/a>, a free application that gives all users 2GB worth of room to play around with. If you like the service, you can subscribe to acquire vast amounts of storage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While cloud storage is becoming more popular, computing hardware remains a common way to store important data and files. However, computers are also fickle beasts that can glitch out at any moment. These errors sometimes result in vital information being lost or corrupted. Luckily, you can restore any corrupt or missing files that were previously &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-use-free-data-recovery-to-restore-lost-files\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to Use Free Data Recovery to Restore Lost Files&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9224,"featured_media":202217,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[3647],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-202214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionfree-data-recovery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9224"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323295,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202214\/revisions\/323295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202214"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=202214"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=202214"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=202214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}