Is there any good hard disk data recovery software for Windows 11 recommended?

A lot of these hard disk data recovery software can be super complicated. You download one that's supposed to be user-friendly, but then you're faced with a maze of settings and options. It feels like you need a PhD just to navigate it! Plus, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you might accidentally overwrite the very files you’re trying to recover.

I have encountered similar problems before. The hard disk suddenly becomes "need to be formatted before use". In fact, many times there is a problem with the partition table. There is no need to rush to format it, nor to install any messy software. I share two methods of hard disk data recovery for PC Windows 11 that I have used myself. Pure system built-in tools can solve it:

✅ Method 1: Use Windows' "chkdsk" command to repair the file system

Open the command prompt (administrator privileges), and then enter this:

bash
chkdsk X: /f /r

Replace X: with the drive letter of your hard disk. This command will scan bad sectors, repair file system problems, and sometimes directly "revive" data. I repaired an old hard disk in this way before, and even the photos were there.

✅ Method 2: Use Windows 11's built-in "File History" or "Previous Versions" to restore

If you have opened the file history before or the system has made a restore point, you can right-click the folder → Properties → Previous Versions to see if there is a backup version that can be restored. This is also a more practical hidden function of hard disk data recovery for PC Windows 11.

Of course, if your partition table is directly broken, these two methods may not be 100% effective, but there is no harm in trying. I generally don't trust the recovery software that is downloaded from the Internet, which may overwrite the data.

The above two methods are serious recovery ideas that do not rely on third-party tools, especially suitable for situations like you who dare not tamper with the hard disk. I hope it can help you~
Hard disk data recovery for PC Windows 11 relies on these two ideas to support it first.

attrib is a command-line tool built into Windows to modify the attributes of a file or directory, including Hidden, System, Read-only, Archive, and so on. When files are set to the Hidden or System attributes, Windows Explorer does not display them by default. When files are set to the Hidden (H) or System (S) attributes, Windows Explorer does not show them by default, and attrib can be removed to restore the visibility of the files. 

For me, attrib is the best free hard disk data recovery for PC. You can use this free tool on any Windows desktops and laptops.

File attribute storage mechanisms

Windows records file attribute flags (such as H, S, R, A) in the file system's Master File Table (MFT) (NTFS) or Directory Entry (FAT/exFAT). Windows records the file attribute flags (such as H, S, R, A) in the Master File Table (MFT) (NTFS) or Directory Entry (FAT/exFAT) of the file system.

When a file is marked as Hidden (H) or System (S), the system hides the file so that it is not visible in normal file browsing.

How to use the attrib command for data recovery

Use the attrib -h -s command to remove the hidden (H) and system (S) attributes of a file and make it visible in File Explorer as a normal file again.

attrib -h -s "C:\path\to\file.ext"

You can modify the attribute flag of a file so that it is no longer hidden by the system by using the attrib command. After the modification, the file will reappear in File Explorer (provided that the folder options are not set to "Do not show hidden files").

Additional Notes

If a file is set to read-only (R), you can use attrib -r to remove the attribute.

If a file has been deleted by mistake, attrib cannot recover it directly, but needs to be combined with a recycle bin or data recovery tool.

Some malware may use attrib +h +s to hide its files, so you can use attrib -h -s /s /d to scan the entire directory to recover the hidden files.

TestDlsk is quite a ride! If you're looking for something that's packs a punch, it's definitely worth checking out. Just a heads up, though—it’s not exactly the most user-friendly tool out there, especially if you're not super tech-savvy. 

As the best hard disk data recovery software, TestDlsk is an open-source program, which means all the cool kids (like developers and data recovery geeks) have had a hand in making it better over time. It's primarily designed to recover lost partitions and help you fix disks that aren’t booting. So if you've screwed up your partitions or your PC is throwing a tantrum and won't boot, TestDlsk might just save the day. When I tried it out, I was a bit intimidated at first because of the command-line interface. It's not pretty, and it won't hold your hand. But once you get the hang of it, it’s like finding hidden treasure! You basically run the program, tell it which drive you want to work on, and it scans for lost partitions. I’ll admit, it took a little patience on my part and some trial and error (I totally had a moment where I thought I broke something), but eventually, I got it to recover some stuff I thought was gone for good.

One of the best parts? This hard disk data recovery software doesn’t mess around with your files as it works; it just checks things out without writing anything until you're ready to recover. So, your chances of getting your stuff back are pretty solid if you act fast and stop using that disk before recovery. But remember, it's not all sunshine and rainbows—if you're looking for a straightforward, click-and-recover type of experience, TestDlsk might not be that. It’s more for the adventurous souls willing to dive deep into the techy side of things.

If you backed up the files with OneDrive, which is common for Windows 11/10 users, then you can restore deleted files from cloud backup without using hard disk data recovery software for Windows PC at all!

OneDrive file recovery is mainly based on its powerful cloud storage architecture and multi-dimensional data protection mechanism, the core principle of which is to realize safe file recovery by means of version history, recycle bin staging and regular snapshot backup.

When a user mistakenly deletes or modifies a file, the system will retain multiple historical versions of the file in the cloud (the default retention period is a certain period of time, such as 30 days or more), and the user can restore the file by selecting the version at any point in time through the “version history” function; if the file is completely deleted, it will first go to the OneDrive Recycle Bin (the retention period is usually 30 days), and during this period, it will go to the Recycle Bin (the retention period is usually 30 days).

If a file is completely deleted, it will first go to OneDrive Recycle Bin (retention period is usually 30 days), during which it can be restored directly to the original path; in addition, some Enterprise or Premium plans also support file recovery points (similar to snapshots), which allow you to roll back an entire folder to a specific time state on demand.

The whole data recovery process relies on the multi-copy storage and distributed synchronization technology of Microsoft's global data centers to ensure data integrity and consistency, and at the same time, through permission control to ensure that only authorized users can perform recovery operations, taking into account both security and convenience.

No hard disk data recovery software is needed under this case!

Here are a few that I’ve come across and think they are quite reliable hard disk data recovery software for PC.

Phot0Rec: This is actually a companion to TestDlsk but focuses on recovering photos and videos. It’s dedicated to pulling media files from your drives, so if you’re missing memories instead of documents, this one’s your pal. It’s also pretty effective, and the recovery process is similar to Recuve in that it scans and retrieves lost files.

Disk Drill: This one has a free version that’s quite decent. It has a simple interface and can recover multiple formats. Plus, it has some extra features like data protection and disk health monitoring that might come in handy down the line.

So, my go-to is usually Phot0Rec for its ease of use when i am finding a hard disk data recovery software for PC—perfect for when you're in a bind and just want to get your files back without too much hassle. But if you're feeling adventurous and need something more hardcore, give Disk Drill a shot! Just remember, no recovery software is foolproof. The key is to stop using your hard drive immediately after data loss to give yourself the best shot at recovery. Good luck, and hope you find your files!

If a file has been deleted by mistake, but the "File History" feature has been turned on before, you can restore it directly from a system backup.

File History is a built-in backup feature in Windows 10/11 that automatically saves versions of your personal files (documents, photos, music, etc.) to an external drive or network location. It allows you to restore previous versions of files if they are lost, corrupted, or accidentally modified. This means it can work as a hard disk data recovery software on Windows PC.

Check if "File History" is turned on.

Open Settings (Win + I) > System > Storage > Advanced Storage Settings > Backup Options.

If it shows “Backing up with File History”, it is turned on and you can proceed with the recovery.

Recovering deleted files from File History

1. Open the Control Panel (searchable from the Start menu).
2. Select “System and Security” > “File History”.
3. Click “Restore personal files” (left menu).
4. Browse the backup history to find the file or folder that was deleted by mistake.
5. Select “Restore” (to restore to the original location) or “Restore to...” (to specify a new location).

You don't have to install any hard disk data recovery software for pc in order to retrieve deleted files from Windows PC.