If you deleted a file in Windows 10, you can recover it even if it’s no longer in the Recycle Bin. There are third-party data recovery tools available, but they can be expensive. Instead, Microsoft offers a command-line app called Windows File Recovery that restores deleted files. Available in the Microsoft Store, the app requires Windows 10 May 2020 Update or higher.
Windows File Recovery can revive photos, documents, videos, and other types of files on a mechanical hard drive, SSD, USB drive, or memory card. The program supports FAT, NTFS, exFAT, and ReFS file systems. FAT and exFAT are used for SD cards, flash drives, and USB drives with less than 4GB of storage. NTFS is typically used on mechanical drives, SSDs, external hard drives, flash drives, and USB drives larger than 4GB. ReFS is used on Windows Server and Windows Pro for Workstations computers.
File Recovery Modes
Windows File Recovery offers the following three different recovery modes:
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Default mode. This mode uses the Master File Table (MFT) to locate lost files. The MFT houses the name, size, time, date, and other details for each file and folder in an NTFS partition using file segments known as File Record Segments (FRS), which are summaries of file information. As such, Default mode works best when both the MFT and FRS are intact and readable, which should be the case on any normal working drive.
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Segment mode. This mode doesn’t require the MFT but does require the file segments. As such, this mode may be needed if there’s been any corruption to the MFT.
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Signature mode. This mode only requires that the recoverable data be present. It searches for specific file types but doesn’t work well with very small files. On non-NFTS storage devices, Windows File Recovery supports only Signature mode.
If you’re not sure which mode to use, Microsoft recommends that you start with the default one. The following table may also help you decide.
For more information on NTFS and related file systems, check out Microsoft’s documentation page on NTFS overview.
How to Use Windows File Recovery
First, you’ll need to update your PC to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update (Windows 10 2004). To check, go to Settings > System > About. Scroll down to the section for Windows specifications. If the Version number says 2004 of higher, you’re good to go. If not, move to Settings > Update & Security. Click Check for Updates to see if the Feature update to Windows 10, version 2004 is available for your PC. If it is, click Download and install.
After Windows 10 version 2004 is installed, open to the Windows File Recovery page in the Microsoft Store and click Get to download the program. Now you can recover deleted files by opening Windows File Recovery from the Start menu shortcut. A command prompt window opens to show you the right syntax to use with the command as well as a few examples.
The basic syntax for the command is as follows: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/switches]. So for example, let’s say you wanted to find a deleted file named xyz.docx stored in your Documents folder on the C drive and save the recovered version on your D drive. You would type the command as winfr C: D: /n Users<username>Documentsxyz.docx.
Before you run such a command, there are a couple of conditions. The source and destination drives must be different. If your PC isn’t outfitted with two drives, just plug in a USB drive and use that as the destination. The tool automatically creates a folder called Recovery_<date and time> on the destination drive, which it uses to store the recovered file. You can specify a different folder for the undeleted file, but let’s stick with the default option.
After you type the command, the tool prompts you to continue. Type Y and the tool will then scan your drive for the deleted file. If the file is located, the app tries to recover it. If successful, the app places it in the Recovery_<date and time> folder on the destination drive. The command ends by asking if you want to view recovered files. Type Y.
You’ll then see the Recovery folder and a RecoveryLog.txt file on the destination drive. Look for the recovered file. If it fails to turn up in the Recovery folder, you have a few options. You can try again, and this time specify the filename without a location, as in winfr C: D: /n xyz.docx. This option will search your entire hard drive for the file.
Another option is to include a wildcard in the command, as in winfr C: D: /n *.docx to look for and potentially recover all deleted docx files on your hard drive. You can then search through the recovered files for the specific one you want or check the RecoveryLog.txt file to see if the file is listed.
If you’re still unable to find or recover the file, you may want to try Segment mode. To do this, add a /r switch to the command, as in winfr C: D: /r /n Users<username>Documentsxyz.docx.
One final option is Signature mode. The limitation here is that only certain file types are supported. To see the supported types, type winfr /# at the command prompt. To use this mode, add an /x to the command and a /y to specify the file type, as in winfr C: D: /x /y:ZIP.
There are other tricks you can pull with Windows File Recovery. For more information and details on using the app and its different switches, refer to Microsoft’s support page on recovering lost files with Windows 10.
