After the release of Windows 10 2004 Build last month, Microsoft has added a new Windows Recovery Tool to recover deleted files on Windows 10 computers. While there are many data recovery programs out there, the unique thing about this tool is that it is Windows specific and therefore works much better than third-party software. Basically, the chances of data recovery will be much higher than other tools. The only downside is that the new Windows Recovery Tool is a command line program that not everyone likes very much. Anyway, I tried my best to simplify the instructions so that you can easily get your files back. With that in mind, let’s go ahead and learn how to recover deleted files using Windows Recovery Tool.
Recover Deleted Files Using Windows Recovery Tool
Before I start the guide let me tell you that Windows Recovery Tool works with HDD, SSD, external hard drives, USB drives and even SD cards, that’s great. Other than that, you should be on Windows 10 2004 build (June 2020 update) and above to use this feature. Meanwhile, let’s move on to the steps now.
1. First of all, download the Windows Recovery Tool (Free) from the Microsoft Store.
2. After installation, open Command Prompt Using the administrator privilege. Now, run winfr and it will show you all the command line syntax of Windows File Recovery. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything in detail here.
3. The simplest way to recover files is to use the following syntax. just write winfr and enter the drive you want to search for deleted files. Then enter the drive where you want to store the recovered files. for example i am here searching the entire C drive to store deleted files and recovered files in G drive.
Note: If the process is taking too long, you can press Ctrl + C to cancel the process instantly.
winfr C: G:
4. After running the above command, you will be prompted to press the “Y” key to continue scanning. When you do this, your files will be recovered and stored in a special folder on the G drive. This is the easiest way to recover deleted files using the new Windows Recovery Tool.
5. If you want to do a scan specific file format then follow the syntax below. Here I am looking for deleted PDF files in C drive and save the recovered files in G drive.
winfr C: G: /r /n *.pdf
For DOCX files:
winfr C: G: /r /n *.docx
You can use the same syntax for MP3, MP4, DOC, PPT, ZIP and other file formats.
6. If you want to find a file based on name then use the following syntax. Simple!
winfr C: G: /r /n *filename*
7. If the combination of /r and /n does not give you satisfactory results, advanced “Signature” mode To recover deleted files. you need to change /r /n with /x /y for deep scanning.
winfr C: G: /x /y:PDF
7. In case you want to scan a specific folder for deleted files, follow the syntax below. For example, here I am looking for deleted files on the desktop located under the C drive. The recovered files will be stored on the G drive. You can also use this command for recover an entire folder.
Note: Don’t forget the backslash (\) at the end of the folder.
winfr C: G: /n \Users\yourusername\Documents\
8. If you want to do a scan specific file format in a specific folder then here is the syntax to follow. This will get PDF files from Documents folder located under C drive. And the restored files will be saved to the G drive.
winfr C: G: /n \Users\yourusername\Documents\*.PDF
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where Do Deleted Files Go?
When you delete a file, it is not completely deleted from the hard disk. Only the pointer to the file is removed from the end user so no one can access it. However, the file exists in the hard disk sector and will remain there until it is overwritten by another set of data.
Use New Windows Recovery Tool to Recover Deleted Files and Folders
This is how you can recover deleted files using the new Windows Recovery Tool. I know the process is a bit complicated, but once you understand the gist, you can easily get your files back. And if you want to know more about this new tool, you can go to Microsoft’s guide on the following. here. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you run into any problems, comment below and let us know.
