Forum Discussion
Looking for a best alternative to disk drill for data recovery, any recommendations?
- Jan 14, 2025
I tried Disk Drill app in the past but it couldn't find the deleted word documents and photos. Fortunately, I am able to recover the deleted by following the steps in this tutorial: https://www.cnetie.com/best-alternative-to-disk-drill
You can give a try!
I can relate to this! Disk Drill isn’t always reliable, sometimes it misses important files, and its scanning speed is crazy. I’ve been in a similar situation before, where I accidentally deleted a large folder and spent a whole day searching for it with Disk Drill, but I couldn’t find it at all!
Looking for a free alternative to Disk Drill? No problem! While free tools may have limited functionality, you can still recover a lot of data if you use the right method.
1. Recuuva
Recuuva is a classic free recovery tool from Piriform, which is very suitable for basic data recovery tasks.
Pros:
- Supports NTFS file system and can perform deep scans for accidentally deleted data.
- The free version is sufficient and also supports the recovery of pictures, documents, and audio.
Cons:
The interface is slightly outdated, and the deep recovery capability is not as good as that of professional tools.
Applicable scenarios: It is a good alternative to Disk Drill when simple files are accidentally deleted and the data is not complicated.
2. PhotosRe
This open source tool is a recovery tool that supports a large number of file formats and is particularly suitable for deep scanning.
Pros:
- Completely free and without functional restrictions.
- It can recover files such as videos, pictures, documents, and supports NTFS hard drives.
Cons:
- The command line interface is not very friendly and is suitable for users with a little technical foundation.
- Applicable scenarios: When you need a powerful free alternative to Disk Drill, PhotosRc is the best choice.
3. Windows File Recovery
This is a free tool officially produced by Microsoft and can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store.
Pros:
- Optimized for Windows file system, supports recovery of accidentally deleted files.
- Lightweight tool, completely free.
Cons:
- Based on command line, need to be familiar with basic operations.
- Applicable scenarios: If you are using Windows 11, this tool can be used as a simple alternative to Disk Drill.
If you want a quick and easy recovery, try Reecuva; if you need deep recovery, PhotosRe is the best choice; and Windows File Recovery is suitable for lightweight needs. Pick one according to the situation, it can solve your problem for free!