How do you recover deleted files on Windows 10 / 11? Windows File Recovery

May it be you deleted an important file by mistake or you've lost data due to a virus or hardware failure, losing files can be a frustrating and stressful experience. Fortunately, there is a solution that helps you recover deleted files on Windows 10 si Windows 11. With Windows File Recovery you can recover the documents, pictures or videos that you deleted from the storage unit.

In this article, we will explore how to recover deleted files on Windows 10 si Windows 11 with the help of this file recovery tool and we will provide tips and tricks to maximize the chances of success in recovering lost data. Regardless of the reason for data loss, Windows File Recovery is an affordable and efficient option to recover deleted files on Windows 10.

It is not uncommon for us to accidentally delete data imported from the hard drive or from a USB Flash Drive, memory card (eg SDcard) or other external media.
For recovery of deleted photos and documents there are various applications, but most of the time they are paid and most promise results far beyond what they are able to do in reality.

Microsoft has created a utility that helps you recover deleted files on Windows, but which it is not known for what reasons he almost did not promote it at all. This utility, Windows File Recovery is available to all users of Windows 10 si Windows 11 and is able to recover documents, videos, pictures and more. From accidentally deleted Office files, PDFs to JPEG, PNG, MPEG, MP3, MP4 and ZIP, RAR media files.

How do you recover deleted files on Windows 10 si Windows 11? Windows File Recovery

Modes of operation for data recovery

Windows File Recovery supports data recovery in three ways. "Default","Segment"And"Signature". Each mode of operation performs data recovery by a specific method.

The module “Default”- This mode uses Master File Table (MFT) to locate deleted files. This mode works with very good results when File Record Segments (FRS) are also present.

The module “segment”- The module does not require MFT, but the data segments need to be present. The segments are summaries of the file information, which NTFS stores in the MFT. File name, date, size, type and allocation / cluster index.

The module “Signature”- In this search mode, the data must be present, and the search will be done according to a certain type of files. It is only recommended for large files and preferably when we have to recover data from an external drive, such as USB Drive.

How to install and run Windows File Recovery on Windows 10 si Windows 11

If you need to recover deleted files on Windowswith Windows File Recovery, first of all you must have Windows 10 version 19041.0 or later (or Windows 11, any version), then go to this link and download the application from Microsoft Store.

Windows File Recovery in Windows 11 Microsoft Store
Windows File Recovery in Microsoft Store

To be remembered as this utility uses the command lines in CMD and has no graphical interface (UI).

Once released Windows File Recovery, will open CMD with privileges Administrator and a set of instructions that you can use to recover your data. Here are specified the three methods of data recovery, described by us above.

Recover deleted files on Windows
Windows File Recovery in Command Prompt

How do you recover deleted files on Windows, with the mode "Default"

To retrieve a specific file that was accidentally stressed from partition C: (Documents) and move it to partition E :, the command line will look like this:

winfr C: E: /n \Users\\Documents\Nume_Fisier.docx

In this scenario you need to know the exact file name and extension.

If we want to recover deleted photos (JPEG and PNG formats) from the Photos folder of the C: partition, we execute the command line:

winfr C: E: /n \Users\\Pictures\*.JPEG /n \Users\\Pictures\*.PNG

These will be saved in a folder on the E: partition.

recovery deleted documents from the folder "Documents" will be done with the command line:

winfr C: E: /n \Users\\Documents\

Recover deleted files on Windows, with the mode "Segment"(/r)

Recover some files Word and PDF from partition C, in the folder of files recovered from partition E.

winfr C: E: /r /n *.pdf /n *.docx

Retrieve all files that contain a specific word in the name. Ex. "invoice".

winfr C: E: /r /n *factura*

Recovery of deleted media files, with the "Signature"(/x)

First of all it is good to start with the order:

winfr /#

This will show the supported files in recovery mode “Signature".

Recover Deleted Media Files
Recover Deleted Media Files

From what can be seen, the "Signature” is especially dedicated to media files. These being, in most cases, larger than the document files.

You can recover deleted photos or videos, whose extensions are MPEG or JPEG with their derived extensions.

The command line if we want to recover deleted photos, is:

winfr C: E: /x /y:JPEG,PNG

In the partition E: all the recovered pictures will be taken, with the extensions PNG, JPG, JPEG, JPE, JIF, JFIF si JFI.

As I said in other articles in which I referred to data deleted accidentally or due to a virus, it is best to have an updated backup of all important data. Thus, you will no longer need applications, tools and other tutorials on how to recover deleted files on Windows.

Passionate about technology, I enjoy writing on StealthSettings.com since 2006. I have a rich experience in operating systems: macOS, Windows, and Linux, as well as in programming languages and blogging platforms (WordPress) and for online stores (WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop).

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