16 Free File Recovery Software Programs

Undelete Plus is a great free file recovery program but the program could use a serious face lift. The user interface needs work (e.g. some prominent buttons don't seem to do much) but overall it's an effective file recovery tool.

Undelete Plus can recover files from hard drives, external drives, and memory cards. Any drive using any popular file system should be accessible by Undelete Plus.

Undelete Plus will undelete files in Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95.

If you've been unsuccessful recovering files using other undelete programs on my list, try Undelete Plus. I don't think it's the best file recovery program out there but it might be the one that helps get your file back.

PC Inspector File Recovery is another good free file recovery program with an arguably "deeper" search for deleted files than other similar undelete programs.

PC Inspector File Recovery can recover files from most hard drives, external drives, and memory cards.

PC Inspector File Recovery supports Windows XP, 2000, NT, ME, and 98. Windows Vista is not listed as a supported operating system. I tested File Recovery with Vista and could not get the program to work properly.

I'd recommend trying PC Inspector File Recovery only if another, higher rated file recovery program didn't do the job for you. The not-so-easy-to-use interface, lack of Vista support, and long hard drive scan times keep this file recovery app out of the Top 10.

EASEUS Deleted File Recovery is another great file undelete program. Recovering files is very easy to do with just a few clicks.

My favorite aspect of EASEUS Deleted File Recovery is that the user interface is structured much like Windows Explorer. While that may not be everyone's ideal way to display files, it's a very familiar interface that most people are comfortable with.

EASEUS Deleted File Recovery will undelete files from hard drives, optical drives, memory cards, and pretty much anything else that Windows sees as a storage device.

Deleted File Recovery supports Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, and 2000.

The aptly named Recover Files does just that and does it as well as any other average file recovery program.

Files located on hard drives, external drives, ZIP drives, memory cards, etc. are all recoverable by Recover Files. Anything that holds data that you can hook up to your computer is probably fair game for Recover Files.

Recover Files will undelete files in Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95. I tested the portable/standalone version of Recover Files in Vista.

Try Recover Files if another undelete program doesn't provide the results you like but you're probably better off starting with a program like Recuva (#1) or DiskDigger (#2).

NTFS Undelete is another free undelete program. What I like most about NTFS Undelete is its Windows Explorer-like user interface, making it an easy file recovery tool for beginners to use.

The biggest downfall of NTFS Undelete is exposed in its name - it only supports file recovery on NTFS formatted drives. This means that NTFS Undelete will only work with some hard drives in Windows Vista and XP.

NTFS Undelete comes in an installable version and in an ISO version for use in creating a portable CD version. This is not a bootable ISO image.

I tested NTFS Undelete with Windows Vista and could not get the program to work properly with either the ISO image or the installable version. It did work fine in Windows XP with both versions.

The free PhotoRec file recovery tool does the job but it isn't nearly as easy to use as other programs on my list.

PhotoRec is limited by its command-line interface and multiple step recovery process. However, my greatest problem with PhotoRec is that it's very difficult to avoid recovering all deleted files at once, not just the one or two you're after.

PhotoRec can recover files from hard drives, optical drives, and memory cards. PhotoRec should be able to undelete files from any storage device on your PC.

PhotoRec supports Windows Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95. I tested PhotoRec in Windows Vista.

If another file recovery program hasn't worked, give PhotoRec a try. I just don't recommend making it your first pick.