Feasible Tricks to Recover Formatted Hard Drive Effortlessly

You accidentally hit the format button on your hard drive. Panic sets in, and you find yourself wondering, “Oh no, did I accidentally format my hard drive? Can I recover files from a formatted hard drive?” Don’t worry! Accidental formatting is a situation that many people have encountered. The good news is that you can recover data from a formatted hard drive with ease.

In this comprehensive guide, we will present four step-by-step methods to easily recover formatted hard drives. So if you’ve recently embarked on an accidental formatting spree with your hard drive and you’re crossing your fingers for a data comeback, you’re in the right place.

Part 1: Can I Recover Files from a Formatted Hard Drive?

Yes, it’s indeed possible to recover files from a formatted hard drive. When a hard drive is formatted, the process typically involves initializing the file system and creating a new directory structure. This erases the references to the actual data stored on the drive, making it appear as if the data is gone. However, the data itself may still exist on the physical sectors of the drive until new data is written over those sectors.

When new data is written, it might overwrite the sectors containing the original data, making recovery more challenging or even impossible. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you take appropriate action immediately after accidentally formatting a hard drive and stop using it to prevent old data from being overwritten.

Part 2: How to Recover Files from Formatted Hard Drive Easily?

Solution 1: Recover Files from a Formatted Hard Drive Using Reliable Software

Looking to recover important files from a formatted hard drive in minutes? Meet Tenorshare 4DDiG, your ultimate solution. It supports retrieving lost data from over 2000 storage devices, including Windows and Mac systems, USB drives, SD cards, external devices, and even digital cameras. Whether you’ve deleted files from your hard drive or lost them due to accidental formatting, 4DDiG Data Recovery can bring back what you thought was lost forever.

Here’s why 4DDiG is your trusted choice for data recovery:

• Easily retrieve data from laptops, PCs, external/internal drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and more.
• 4DDiG handles 1000+ file types, including photos, videos, documents, emails and audio.
• Supports file recovery from all data loss scenarios including accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, system crashes, virus attacks, and more.
• Intuitive interface and simple operation process, not technical knowledge required.
• Higher success rate and 100% safety.

Now, let’s see how you can recover data from a formatted hard drive in just three simple steps using Tenorshare 4DDiG:

Step 1: Download and install Tenorshare 4DDiG from its official website. Launch 4DDiG and pick the formatted drive from the list. Then, click on the “Scan” button to proceed.

Step 2: The software will classify scanned files in Tree view or File view. In additon, you can use the search box at the top right of the software to locate the files you need to recover. Once the desired file is found, the scan can be paused or stopped at any time.

Step 3: Now, preview the recoverable files. select the ones you want and simply click on the “Recover” button. Remember to save them in a different location to avoid overwriting the original data.

What’s even more exciting is that 4DDiG Data Recovery offers a free version. Simply click the share button within the free version and share the post on social media, and you can recover files from a formatted hard drive for free.

Solution 2: Recover Data from the Formatted Hard Drive from the Backup File

If you have previously used the Backup and Restore feature in the Windows operating system, recovering files from a formatted hard drive will be quite easy and won’t cost you anything. Here is how to use this feature to recover formatted hard drives on Windows 10/11:

Step 1: Press Win+S and type Control Panel into the search bar. Hit Enter to launch it.

Step 2: In the Control Panel, select “System and Security,” and then click on “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).”

Step 3: Click on “Restore my files” to proceed.

Step 4: Use the “Search…” button or the “Browse for files” button to add the files you wish to restore. Then, click Next after adding files.

Step 5: Once you’ve chosen the restore location, click on the “Restore” button to initiate the restoration process.

If you haven’t set up backups, it’s recommended to do so for future data protection.

Solution 3: Recover Data from Formatted Hard Drive by Professional Services

If none of the methods mentioned earlier can successfully recover files from the formatted hard drive, reputable data recovery services will be the final option. These services are typically equipped with specialized tools, expertise, and techniques that enable them to achieve a higher success rate in data recovery, even in challenging situations.

Step 1: Choose a reputable data recovery service, contact them, and provide details about your situation.

Step 2: If they believe data recovery is possible, you will be instructed to send the formatted hard drive to their facility.

Step 3: They will provide a quote for the recovery, and if you’re okay with that, the service will use specialized tools and techniques to recover your data.

Step 4: After the recovery process is complete, they typically transfer the data to a new storage device and send it to you. A reputable data recovery service will not charge you any fees if they are unsuccessful in recovering the data.

However, it’s important to note that professional data recovery services can be expensive and time-consuming. If the data on the disk holds significant value to you, then this method is still worth a try.

Part 3: Never Recover A Formatted Hard Drive Again

Many people often ask questions like “Oops, I accidentally formatted my hard drive! Can I get back my files?” on online Q&A platforms. If you wish to avoid being one of them in the future, you gotta do some things to keep your data safe and sound. Here are some useful tips for you:

• Stay Calm: If you do accidentally format a drive, don’t panic. Immediately stop using the drive to prevent overwriting data and seek professional assistance if needed.
• Regular Backups: Regularly Backup your important files to an external drive, cloud storage, or a network location.
• Use Write Protection: Some external drives and storage devices come with a physical write protection switch. Enabling this switch prevents any changes to the data on the drive.
• Check Carefully: Take an extra moment to double-check before initiating any formatting or deletion process.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are wondering, ‘Can I recover files from a formatted hard drive?’ know that with the right approach and tools, the answer is a resounding yes. You can recover files from a formatted hard drive using various methods. But remember, prevention is key. Stay calm if you encounter formatting errors and stop using the affected drive immediately to prevent further data overwriting.

FAQs about How to Recover Formatted Hard Drive

Q1: Can I recover data after formatting hard drive?

Yes, it is feasible to recover data after formatting a hard drive. Specialized data recovery software or professional services can often retrieve the data as long as it hasn’t been overwritten by new data.

Q2: How to recover data from formatted hard disk-free software?

Here are the top 5 free data recovery software options in 2023:

1. 4DDiG Data Recovery Free (Windows)
2. Wise Data Recovery (Windows)
3. Data Rescue 5 (Windows/Mac)
4. TestDisk (Windows/Mac)
5. PhotoRec (Windows/Mac)

Q3: How do recover data from a formatted hard drive in Windows 10?

Using professional data recovery software like 4DDiG is the most worthwhile method to try:

Step 1: Launch the software and select the formatted hard drive as the target for recovery.

Step 2: Start a quick scan and wait for the results. After scanning, you can preview the scanned files.

Step 3: Then, select the files you want to recover and click the “Recover” button.