--- title: "Windows File Recovery: Restore Deleted Files with Ease" description: "Explore the free Windows File Recovery tool and learn how to recover deleted files in Windows 10 through practical examples." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/windows-file-recovery/" --- # Windows File Recovery: Restore Deleted Files with Ease > Explore the free Windows File Recovery tool and learn how to recover deleted files in Windows 10 through practical examples. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/windows-file-recovery/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Windows File Recovery: Restore Deleted Files with Ease](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-design-5.png) # Windows File Recovery: Restore Deleted Files with Ease [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9a14f10ff1b1ec7d790d34f5b559e4d3de2d31b172e6ef266dfd8b479174d97b?s=192&d=mm&r=g)June Castillote](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/june/)17 September 20207 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Windows 10](/tag/windows-10/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#h-prerequisites) * [Checking the Windows Version](#h-checking-the-windows-version) * [Installing Windows File Recovery](#h-installing-windows-file-recovery) * [Understanding Usage and Options](#h-understanding-usage-and-options) * [What File Systems Are Supported?](#h-what-file-systems-are-supported) * [What Are The Different Recovery Modes?](#h-what-are-the-different-recovery-modes) * [What Are The Syntax And Switches?](#h-what-are-the-syntax-and-switches) * [How to Recover Deleted Files](#h-how-to-recover-deleted-files) * [Finding Out The Source Drive’s File System](#h-finding-out-the-source-drive-s-file-system) * [Recovering Lost Files From NTFS Volumes](#h-recovering-lost-files-from-ntfs-volumes) * [Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes Using Search Filters](#h-recovering-deleted-files-from-ntfs-volumes-using-search-filters) * [Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes](#h-recovering-deleted-files-from-non-ntfs-volumes) * [Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes Using Type Filters](#h-recovering-deleted-files-from-non-ntfs-volumes-using-type-filters) * [Conclusion](#h-conclusion) Have you accidentally deleted files from your computer? Maybe you were practicing with using _[PowerShell to delete files](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-delete-file/)._ The next thing you know, your photos and documents are gone, and they are not in the Recycle Bin. You should give the Windows File Recovery utility a try. _[Windows File Recovery](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-file-recovery/9n26s50ln705?activetab=pivot:overviewtab)_ or _WinFR_ is a free tool developed by Microsoft. It claims to work beyond the NTFS filesystem and uses different modes to scan the disk for files. But does it work? And how? In this article, you’ll learn about the WinFR tool and use it as a tool for recovering files in Windows 10. ## Prerequisites WinFR is not available to all Windows operating systems. It is only available for Windows 10 version 2004 (Build 19041.0 or higher). You’ll need to upgrade your Windows 10 version if you want to use it. This requirement also means that WinFR is not available on Windows Server OS. ### Checking the Windows Version There’s more than one way to _[check your computer’s Windows version](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/see-which-version-of-windows-10-you-have-12d35019-4da9-0cb1-ba47-f8b031b712ad)_. But the quickest way is to press `WIN+R` on your keyboard to pull up the **Run** dialog and type in `winver`. The **About Windows** box would appear where you can confirm the OS version.WinFR is a command-line utility that means you’ll be issuing commands in CMD or PowerShell to use it. ![Finding the Windows 10 Version](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-98-2.png) Finding the Windows 10 Version ### Installing Windows File Recovery The only (official) way to install WinFR is from the _[Microsoft Store](https://login.live.com/login.srf?wa=wsignin1.0&rpsnv=13&rver=7.3.6963.0&wp=MBI_SSL&wreply=https%3a%2f%2fwww.microsoft.com%2fen-ph%2fstore%2fr%2f9N26S50LN705%3frtc%3d1&lc=13321&id=74335&claims=%7b%22compact%22%3a%7b%22name%22%3a%7b%22essential%22%3atrue%7d%7d%7d)_. As you can see from the screenshot below, once you’ve searched the store for Windows File Recovery, the installation is only a one-click process. ![Installing WinFR from the Microsoft Store](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-99-2.png) Installing WinFR from the Microsoft Store And that’s it. You’ve installed WinFR. But, don’t expect to find a graphical user interface. WinFR is a command-line utility that means you’ll be issuing commands in CMD or PowerShell to use it. ## Understanding Usage and Options Before you start using WinFR, you should be able to understand its capabilities and usage options. And that is what you’ll learn in this section. ### What File Systems Are Supported? WinFR supports several file systems beyond NTFS. Below is the list of supported file systems and the example storage devices. * _[FAT and exFAT](https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/exfat-better-different-fat32/)_ – SD cards, Flash or USB drives (< 4GB). * _ReFS_ – Windows Server and Windows Pro for Workstations. * _[NTFS](https://www.datto.com/blog/what-is-ntfs-and-how-does-it-work)_ file system- Computers (HDD, SSD), external hard drives, flash or USB drives (> 4GB). ### What Are The Different Recovery Modes? There are precisely three recovery modes in WinFR; _default, segment, signature_. But what’s the difference and which one should you use? Depending on the incident you’re in, the answer might be different. * Suppose you have a functioning NTFS volume, and the file you’re recovering was recently deleted. In that case, you should use the _default_ mode. * If you have an NTFS volume that was formatted or corrupted or if the file was deleted a while ago, you would use the _segment_ mode first. And if the _segment_ mode fails, use the _signature_ mode. * If you have a non-NTFS volume, only the _signature_ mode can be used. ### What Are The Syntax And Switches? As mentioned earlier in this article, Windows File Recovery is a command-line utility. You need to follow the proper syntax and ensure that your command is accurate. The syntax for WinFR is shown below. _Note: Using the `winfr` command requires an elevated CMD or PowerShell. This means that you should be able to run CMD or PowerShell as an admin._ ```powershell winfr [/switches] ``` The `` represents the drive to be scanned for file recovery. While the `` represents the destination drive where to save the recovered files. > _Note: The `` and `` cannot be the same. You should use a different drive to save the recovered files._ There are switches to control how WinFR will perform the file recovery in Windows 10. You’ll know these options by running the command `winfr /?`. ```powershell /r - Segment mode (NTFS only, recovery using file record segments) /n - Filter search (default or segment mode, wildcards allowed, trailing \ for folder) /x - Signature mode (recovery using file headers) /y: - Recover specific extension groups (signature mode only, comma separated) /# - Displays signature mode extension groups and file types /? - Help text /! - Display advanced features ``` If you read the list above, you’ll recognize that some switches are only applicable to specific modes and file systems. ## How to Recover Deleted Files Now that you’ve learned about the Windows File Recovery usage and options, its time to test what you’ve learned. It is best to test WinFR on non-operating system drives such as removable drives like USB flash drives and external hard drives. In the succeeding examples, note that two drives will be used as a source: * A USB flash drive (NTFS) (Drive G:) * A micro SD card (exFAT) (Drive E:) As you can see below, the source drives contain _mp3_, _txt_, and _png_ files. All these files are deleted before testing WinFR. ![List and delete files in PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143136.512.png) List and delete files in PowerShell ### Finding Out The Source Drive’s File System Source drives can be any supported drive. Knowing the file system would help you determine the options to use with WinFR. There are several ways to get the file system information. To get the file system details of individual drives, open the drive’s properties pages in Windows Explorer. ![Drive properties](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143219.652.png) Drive properties Or, to get all the disk volumes information at once, use the commands below in CMD. ```powershell diskpart list volume ``` The image below shows the list of drives and their information, including which file system they are using. ![List of volumes](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143259.829.png) List of volumes ### Recovering Lost Files From NTFS Volumes In this example, the `winfr` command will recover all deleted files from the NTFS volume (G: drive) using the default mode. The recovered files are then saved in _C:\\Recovered_. ```powershell winfr G: C:\Recovered ``` The demonstration below shows that the files were retrieved using the command above. ![Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/winfr_ntfs.gif) Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes And when you go to the destination directory, you can see that the files were recovered and saved under a sub-directory generated by WinFR. ![Recovered files saved to the destination directory](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143427.322.png) Recovered files saved to the destination directory A _RecoveryLog.txt_ file is also created that contains the summary of the file recovery operation. ![RecoveryLog.txt](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143454.443.png) _RecoveryLog.txt_ If the default mode wasn’t successful, you could try running the same command but this time, append `/r` to make it run in _segment_ mode. ```powershell winfr G: C:\Recovered /r ``` The snip below shows the recovery mode is set to the _segment_ mode. ![Windows File Recovery in segment mode](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143557.114.png) Windows File Recovery in segment mode On segment mode, the recovered files are saved to the destination location as well. However, the files are grouped under separate sub-directories based on their file types. For example, all recovered \*_.mp3_ files are saved under the _Media_ sub-directory. The recovered \*_.jpg_ files are saved to the _Pictures_ sub-directory, and so on. ![Recovered files saved to destination directory using segment mode](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143637.580.png) Recovered files saved to destination directory using segment mode > _Note: Running Windows File Recovery in segment or signature mode takes a lot longer time to complete than when run in default mode._ ### Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes Using Search Filters If you don’t want to recover all deleted files, what you need to do is add a search filter when running WinFR. Adding a search filter is done by using the `/n` switch. For example, to recover only \*_.png_, you can use the command below. ```powershell winfr G: C:\Recovered /n *.png ``` You can also add multiple search filters by adding another instance of the `/n` switch. The code below will set the search filter to recover files with \*_.png_ and \*_.txt_ file extensions. ```powershell winfr G: C:\Recovered /n *.png /n *.txt ``` The snip below shows the result of running the above command. As you can see, the filter is set to \*_.png_ and \*_.txt_. ![Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes Using Search Filters](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143728.227.png) Recovering Deleted Files From NTFS Volumes Using Search Filters And to confirm that the search filter worked correctly, you can check the destination directory. You should be able to verify that only the intended files are recovered. ![Files recovered using Windows File Recovery with search filters](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143803.460.png) Files recovered using Windows File Recovery with search filters Below are some additional usage examples for search filters. ```powershell Recover files in G:\temp\data. When using directories as a search filter, make sure to append a trailing backslash character "\" winfr G: C:\Recovered /n \temp\data\ Recover files matching file extensions in a specific location winfr G: C:\Recovered /n \temp\data*.txt Recover files in G:\Documents and Music When using search filters that contain spaces, make sure to enclose the search string in double-quotes. winfr G: C:\Recovered /n "G:\Documents and Music" ``` ### Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes Now on to non-NTFS volumes such as _exFat_ and _ReFS_. To recover deleted files, you’ll need to use the `/x` switch to run Windows File Recovery in _signature_ mode. Note that the recovery time may take time depending on the disk’s size and the number of files in _signature_ mode. If you run `winfr` without the `/x` switch against non-NTFS volume, you will get an error such as the one shown below. ![Error when running winfr in default mode against a non-NTFS volume](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143836.735.png) Error when running winfr in default mode against a non-NTFS volume Error when running winfr in default mode against a non-NTFS volume So, to correctly recover the files from an exFAT volume, use the command below. ```powershell winfr E: C:\Recovered /x ``` The snip below shows that `winfr` runs in _signature_ mode when the `/x` switch is used. ![Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T143912.696-1024x451.png) Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes ### Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes Using Type Filters Just like in _default_ and _segment_ mode, filters can be applied to _signature_ mode as well. This is done by using the `/y:` switch. However, you must consider that file recovery in signature mode only works for specific file types. To know what these types are, run the command `winfr /#`. The output of that command is shown below. ```powershell Windows File Recovery Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved Version: 0.0.11761.0 ---------------------------------------------------------- Extension group - Extensions ----------------------------------------- ASF - WMA, WMV, ASF JPEG - JPG, JPEG, JPE, JIF, JFIF, JFI MP3 - MP3 MPEG - MPEG, MP4, MPG, M4A, M4V, M4A, M4B, M4R, MOV, 3GP, QT PDF - PDF PNG - PNG ZIP - ZIP, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, ODG, ODI, ODF, ODC, ODM, OTT, OTG, OTP, OTS, OTC, OTI, OTF, OTH ``` The command below recovers files with _PNG_ and _MP3_ extensions. ```powershell winfr E: C:\Recovered /x /y:PNG,MP3 ``` The snip below shows the above command in progress. As you can see, the extension filter is set to _MP3_ and _PNG_ only. ![Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes Using Type Filters](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Untitled-2020-09-16T144003.297.png) Recovering Deleted Files From Non-NTFS Volumes Using Type Filters ## Conclusion Microsoft’s development and release of their free file recovery tool is a welcome surprise. The Windows File Recovery tool can recover deleted files from many storage types and even from disks with non-NTFS volumes. Being a command-line tool, WinFR opens the opportunity for scripting and automated file recovery . Whether or not WinFR stacks up against third-party free file recovery tools is debatable and would need much more in-depth analysis. Is _Windows File Recovery_ a useful tool? Only you can answer that after being able to use it. But so far, with all the tests, it seems to be doing the job. Still, it is something that deserves to be considered an option when it comes to deleted file recovery in Windows 10. 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