Forum Discussion
Munasian
Jul 14, 2026Iron Contributor
What Is the best photo recovery software for Windows 10?
I’ve been looking everywhere for a solid photo recovery software for Windows because I accidentally formatted my external drive and lost years of vacation pics, but every list I find seems totally co...
FabianRomero
Jul 14, 2026Bronze Contributor
You can use Windows' built-in backup and restore feature as reliable photo recovery software for windows to retrieve lost photos and various local files. It relies on pre-generated backup archives to restore data, providing an official, built-in option without the need to install additional third-party programs.
How to Use Photo Recovery Software for Windows
- Open the Control Panel on your computer.
- Find and open the Backup and Restore section.
- On the main screen, click the Restore My Files button.
- Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Restore Wizard that appears.
- Select the photos or folders you want to restore, and confirm the save location to complete the restoration.
Disadvantages
- It works properly only if a full backup was created before the data loss occurred.
- It cannot scan the disk to find recently deleted photos that have no backup records.
- It has poor compatibility with newer NVMe solid-state drives and exFAT storage partitions.
- Restoring large photo backup packages takes a long time.
The official Windows tool can only recover data from previously created backups. It is suitable for Windows users who regularly back up their systems and want to easily restore their local photo archives in bulk from backup files. However, if there is no corresponding backup record, it cannot scan for and recover recently deleted files.
ps
- If you plan to use the software to recover lost photos in the future, you should manually create regular file backups in advance.
- Do not save the recovered photo files back to the original partition, to avoid overwriting data.
- Without the appropriate backup archive, the tool cannot recover photos that have been formatted or permanently deleted.
- If the recovery wizard fails to load properly, run the Control Panel as an administrator.