Could someone suggest a good data recovery software for Windows 10?

As far as I know, the built-in command line tool is not good enough for Windows 10 data recovery.

Cold Boot & External Adapter — is a solid and recommended approach for data recovery, especially when dealing with sensitive or important data. Here's an explanation:

• Physically remove the drive (HDD or SSD) from your Windows 10 machine.
• Connect it via a USB external adapter (such as a SATA-to-USB adapter) to another computer.
• Why: This prevents Windows from automatically writing or modifying data on the drive, reducing the risk of overwriting the deleted files.
• "Guarantees no Windows writes occur": Since the drive is treated as a secondary device, the operating system on the recovery computer won't automatically access or modify the data, ensuring a safer environment for recovery.

Benefits:

• Minimizes the risk of overwriting deleted data.
• Allows you to run data recovery software Windows 10 directly on the physical drive.
• Suitable for recovering files from drives that have been formatted, damaged, or have data that needs forensic-level handling.

How to do it:

1. Power off your affected computer.
2. Remove the affected drive carefully.
3. Connect it to another computer using a compatible external adapter.
4. Use trusted data recovery software Windows 10 on the second computer to scan and recover files.

Please give a try on Puran File Recovery. It is a lightweight, no-nonsense utility known for its simplicity and surprisingly deep scanning capabilities. While its interface remains rooted in the Windows 7 era, it is highly valued by power users because it is completely free for personal use with no recovery limits, unlike many modern "freemium" tools that cap recovery at 500MB or 2GB.

The data recovery software on Windows 10 offers three distinct scanning levels: Quick Scan, which instantly lists recently deleted files; Deep Scan, which performs a byte-by-byte search for file signatures; and Full Scan, which is specifically designed to detect lost partitions and recover data from formatted drives. It can even scan "RAW" or physical drives that Windows fails to recognize, making it a reliable choice for drives with logical corruption.

One of its standout technical features is the ability to maintain folder structures and full file paths, even when recovering from a formatted disk. It supports a wide array of file systems, including NTFS and FAT12/16/32, and includes a built-in search box with wildcard support to help you quickly filter through thousands of recovered items to find specific documents or photos.

Despite its lack of recent visual updates, this Windows 10 data recovery tool remains fully compatible with Windows 10 and 11 (both 32-bit and 64-bit). It is also available as a portable version, which is a critical safety feature; you can run it directly from a USB drive to avoid installing it on the same disk where your lost data is located, significantly reducing the risk of overwriting your files.

Perhaps you can restore the deleted data without installing any data recovery software Widnows 10 at all. When you empty the Recycle Bin, Windows doesn't immediately erase the data. It creates hidden metadata files ($I files) that contain the original path and deletion time.

Steps:

1. Enable Show hidden files in Folder Options.
2. Navigate to:

C:\$Recycle.Bin\[Your-SID]

3. Look for files starting with $I (e.g., $I123456.pdf). These are the metadata files.
4. Use this PowerShell script to parse them:

powershell
Get-ChildItem "$env:SystemDrive\\$Recycle.Bin" -Recurse -Force -Include '$I*' | ForEach-Object {
    $iPath = $_.FullName
    $rPath = $iPath.Replace('\$I', '\$R')
    if (Test-Path $rPath) {
        [PSCustomObject]@{
            OriginalName = [System.Text.Encoding]::Unicode.GetString([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($iPath))[28..511] -join '' -replace '\x00',''
            DeletedDate = $_.LastWriteTime
            RecoveryPath = $rPath
        }
    }
} | Format-Table

Windows includes several built-in command-line tools that can help with data recovery, ranging from official file recovery apps to system repair utilities. While these lack a graphical interface, they are often more powerful and reliable than third-party freeware。

1. Windows File Recovery (winfr) 

Released by Microsoft, this is the most direct command-line data recovery software for recovering accidentally deleted files. It is not installed by default but is a free, official download from the Microsoft Store. It can recover photos, documents, and videos from local hard drives, USB drives, and SD cards.

2. Check Disk (chkdsk)

While primarily a diagnostic tool, chkdsk is essential for recovering data from "RAW" or corrupted drives where the file system has failed. It repairs the logical file system and can locate "lost chains" of data that were disconnected during a crash.

The /r Switch is the most important for recovery. It identifies bad sectors and attempts to move any readable data from those sectors to a healthy part of the disk. Example command:

chkdsk E: /f /r

Scans the E: drive, fixes errors, and attempts to recover readable information from bad sectors.

3. Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) & SFC

These two tools are specialized for recovering system files rather than personal data. If your Windows 10 installation is crashing or missing core features, these tools "recover" the OS to a healthy state.

SFC (sfc /scannow): Scans all protected system files and replaces corrupted ones with a cached copy.

DISM: If SFC fails because the local "source" is corrupted, DISM can connect to Windows Update to download and replace broken system files.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

You can try the above data recovery software available for Windows 10 if you accidentally deleted files from your computer.

UFS Explorer is a high-end data recovery software developed by SysDev Laboratories. It is widely considered one of the most technically capable tools in the industry, often used by forensics experts and professional recovery labs when consumer tools fail. 

This Windows 10 windows data recovery software primary strength lies in its ability to handle complex storage architecture (like NAS and RAID) and its surgical approach to failing hardware.

Why it’s a hidden gem: It is incredibly stable when dealing with damaged hardware (like drives with bad sectors) and has specialized versions for NAS, RAID, and even encrypted volumes. It focuses on "low-level" access, meaning it interacts with the data in a way that minimizes further stress on a failing drive.

Best for: Complex storage setups like RAID arrays or NAS drives, and for users who need a tool that handles hardware instability better than consumer wizards.

Price: Offers a trial version to see what is recoverable; full licenses vary based on the specific version (Standard vs. Professional).

One important note: the trial version of UFS Explorer is unlimited in time and scanning. You can scan a 10TB drive and see exactly what is recoverable. However, it will only let you save files smaller than 768 KB (Pro) or 256 KB (Standard) until you purchase a license.

Are you looking for a best data recovery software Windows 10? Well! Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool developed by Microsoft that allows users to recover deleted files from their Windows 10 computers. It can be especially useful if you've accidentally deleted important data or if files were lost due to corruption or system errors. Here’s an overview of how it works and some key points:

Features of Windows File Recovery:

Supports recovery of various file types including documents, photos, videos, and more.
Can recover files from local drives, external drives, and memory cards.
Works with NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
Uses different modes (Segment, Signature, and Default) to maximize chances of recovery depending on the situation.

Using Windows File Recovery as data recovery software Windows 10:

1. Download and Install:
Available for free from the Microsoft Store.
2. Run via Command Prompt:
It’s a command-line tool, so you'll need to open PowerShell or Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
3. Basic Syntax:

winfr source-drive: destination-folder: /options

4. Example:
To recover files from drive D: to a folder on C:, you might use:

winfr D: C:\Recovery\ /n *.docx

5. Choose the Right Mode:
Default mode for recent deletions.
Signature mode for more difficult recoveries.
Segment mode for severely damaged files.

Immediate Action: STOP Using the PC

1. Stop writing new data: When a file is deleted, Windows marks its space as "available." New files (including downloads, temp files, etc.) can overwrite it, making recovery impossible. Do not save new files, install data recovery software Windows 10, or even boot the PC unnecessarily if the files were on the main (C:) drive.

2. If the files were on a different internal drive (D:, E:, etc.), avoid using that specific drive.

Method 1: Check Recycle Bin First

This is the simplest step, but often overlooked after a crash. Maybe you are able to recover deleted data without using data recovery software Windows 10.

• Open the Recycle Bin from your desktop.
• Sort by Date Deleted.
• If you find your files, right-click and select Restore.

Method 2: Use Windows' Built-in Tools

File History (If you had it enabled beforehand)

• Go to the folder where the files were originally located.
• Right-click in the folder, select Properties -> Previous Versions tab.
• If you see a list of previous versions (from backups), you can restore from there.
• Note: This only works if you proactively set up File History before the deletion.