Get your files back with free data recovery software

If you have lost - perhaps accidentally deleted - some files, you'll likely wonder whether it's possible to recover your data. It certainly is possible, but be careful, because any free activity on the drive from which the data has been lost reduces the chances of its full recovery. If the data has been lost from your main hard disk, it's best to change to a different computer to download recovery software if you can - don't shut down, though. If the data has gone from a memory card you may not need to change machines for the download, but don't allow any software program free reign to write to the card.

While you may ultimately have to download a paid version to carry out your file recovery, there are some free data recovery software tools which may be worth trying. As with much free software, you could be pleasantly surprised. It's best to download your recovery software to a separate volume such as a USB stick.

Restoration is a freeware data recovery tool for Windows which has provided good results for many. You can download this free recovery software here.

For something considerably more powerful while still free you probably couldn't beat TestDisk. This is open-source software and is multi-platform, which means it runs under Windows, MacOS, Linux and more. As well as being able to undelete data from formatted drives, TestDisk can restore lost partitions. If you are technically proficient, you may need to look no further for recovery software. However, if command-line control is not within your comfort zone you may find it hard to get the full benefit of TestDisk's recovery capabilities. Get TestDisk here.