Disk Drill stands out as the best partition recovery software for a multitude of reasons. To start with, the tool combines powerful data recovery algorithms with a sleek user interface, putting professional data recovery capabilities in the hands of regular Windows users.
All commonly used file systems are supported, including NTFS/NTFS5, AFPS, HFS/HFS+/HFSX, FAT/FAT32/exFAT, EXT3/EXT4, and others. Disk Drill can also recover files (over 400 different file formats, in fact) from RAW partitions that don’t have any file system at all.
The free version of Disk Drill for Windows can recover up to 500 MB of data, and it comes with several useful disk tools that many other developers sell as stand-alone products.
But what makes Disk Drill really #1 for us is that it’s beginner-friendly while being capable of handling complex data loss scenarios. It can still restore files from damaged partitions, even if the partition has been experiencing various errors. Disk Drill can even find lost partitions and reconstruct whole partitions.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, NTFS, NTFS5, exFAT, HFS, HFS+, APFS, ext2/3/4, RAW.
Fix partition table: No.
Price:
| Disk Drill Basic | Free |
| Disk Drill PRO | $89.00 |
| Disk Drill Enterprise | $499 |
| Competitive Upgrade | 50% OFF |
Limitations on the free/trial version: The free version can recover only 500 MB of data.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7.
TestDisk is a completely free and open-source partition recovery tool developed by CGSecurity. While its lack of a modern GUI gives it a not-so-great first impression, it’s easy to use with enough patience and it’s even more capable than many paid options.
TestDisk uses a meticulous algorithm to scan for partition signatures and check the disk’s file system metadata to locate lost partitions. If any lost partition data is found, TestDisk lets you easily write it back to the partition table (with the correct parameters) — which should restore access to your files.
Our tests have shown excellent results with this app despite its rough exterior and lack of a full development team. It can even repair boot sectors under certain conditions.
Overall, TestDisk is a very capable partition recovery tool as long as you’re willing to endure a small learning curve — if you’re budget-constrained, it’s a no-brainer.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: BeFS, CramFS, FAT12/16/32, FATX, exFAT, HFS, HFS+ and HFSX, JFS, btrfs, ext2/3/4, GFS2, LUKS encrypted partition, Linux RAID md 0.9/1.0/1.1/1.2, RAID 1/4/5/6, Linux Swap, LVM, LVM2, NSS, NTFS, ReiserFS 3.5, 3.6 and 4, Sun Solaris i386 disklabel, UFS, UFS2, XFS, SGI's Journaled File System, Wii WBFS, Sun ZFS.
Fix partition table: Yes.
Price: Free and open-source software.
Limitations on the free/trial version: None.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
DiskInternals Partition Recovery is a lesser-known but fairly priced and very beginner-friendly partition recovery tool. What makes it stand out is its graphical features and a linear-style recovery process that makes it very easy to use.
A helpful wizard appears as soon as you open the app (that looks like a Windows installer), simplifying the recovery process even further. The app lets you choose one of three scan types: (1) Fast recovery for surface-level file data scanning, (2) Full recovery, which utilizes more complex algorithms and looks deeper for the missing partition data, and (3) Reader mode, which simply lets you open unreadable disks.
Overall, DiskInternals Partition Recovery is competent and easy to use. However, it lacks the additional recovery features and polish of its bigger competitors. Its file browser looks clunky and outdated (especially for paid software), its recovery features are limited, and we noticed that the app struggled with severely damaged storage devices.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT, ReFS, UFS, HFS, NTFS, ReiserFS, APFS(reader mode), RomFS(reader mode), Reiser4, XFS, ext2/3/4.
Fix partition table: No.
Price:
| Trial version | Only preview |
| Personal | $139.95 |
| Business | $219.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: The free trial version can only preview recoverable files.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP/2000.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a capable partition recovery tool with a beginner-friendly interface and a generous free trial that can restore up to 1 GB of data.
It ticks all the boxes of a modern premium recovery app — multi-algorithm scanning, bootable disk version, and the ability to scan RAW and non-mounting drives and damaged partitions. In terms of recovery performance, we found it reliable for restoring standard photos and documents (and surprisingly some proprietary signatures from like KDC and NRW).
However, the app has fallen behind its slightly more expensive competitors in terms of features and performance. Its preview tool is severely limited, it has no reliable session management, and it doesn’t have the ability to scan disk images.
Overall, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a very good choice for a specific set of users, but there are better options for partition recovery in general.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3/4, HFS+, ISO9660, Joliet, UDF.
Fix partition table: No.
Price:
For Personal Users:
| Trial version | Recover up to 1 GB data |
| Personal Monthly Subscription | $69.00 |
| Personal Annual Subscription | $89.00 |
| Personal Ultimate | $99.00 |
For Business Users:
| Business Standard | $119.00 |
| Business Deluxe | $199.00 |
| Business Enterprise | $399.00 |
| Business Technician | $499.00 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: The free version can recover only 1 GB of data.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7.
Hetman Partition Recovery is a low-price, somewhat outdated, but decent partition recovery app. It does a good job of supporting the majority of standard file systems across different platforms, it’s capable of recovering data from formatted and corrupted partitions, and its recovery wizard slightly alleviates the cluttered UX.
As you launch the app, you immediately start the process with dialogue windows that walk you step-by-step through the recovery process. The whole interface looks like Windows Explorer so it’s easy to navigate but it lacks a lot of polish that we expect from paid apps. Regardless, it did a good job of restoring standard image, document, and audio files that were deleted or formatted.
We also liked Hetman Partition Recovery’s uniquely capable preview tool, which not only displayed the files but also their hex code, which can be very useful in the right hands. Overall, Hetman Partition Recovery on its own has a good price if its limited abilities happen to address your needs specifically. There are just better options overall.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, Ext4/3/2/ReiserFS, XFS/UFS.
Fix partition table: No.
Price:
| Trial version | Only preview |
| Home version | $77.95 |
| Office version | $197.95 |
| Business version | $317.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: You can only search for recoverable files, not recover them.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a popular recovery app marketed heavily towards beginners with its modern and sleek interface. It also has very generous free data recovery offers, especially if you’re willing to post about the app on social media.
On the surface, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard has the hallmarks of a good premium recovery tool. It has a good interface, multi-scan algorithms, the ability to scan from formatted and logically damaged partitions, and a decent probability to also restore original file names and folder structures. It also performs above average when tested with restoring RAW photos and documents — especially standard formats.
However, we feel that this app falls short of its rather expensive price. Performance is not super reliable and the preview tool is severely limited (certain file types and under 100 MB only) — unlike other apps, it’s not reliable for predicting recoverability. It also can’t help with repairing incomplete or damaged partitions. It also has poor session management, despite the nice design.
Overall, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is actually pretty decent if we’re going by its free trial and if you don’t need to preview files over 100 MB. We simply expected more for its price and market maturity.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3, HFS+, ReFS.
Fix partition table: No.
Price:
| Free trial | Can recover up to 2GB of data |
| Monthly subscription | $69.95 |
| Annual subscription | $99.95 |
| Lifetime Upgrades | $149.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: The free version can recovery 2 GB of data.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
Activ@ Partition Recovery is not a super well-known name in the modern recovery space, but it’s a relatively affordable recovery app with a decent recovery tool kit that might be worth checking out.
First, we need to talk about the interface. It’s awful compared to other modern options, and the clutter will likely cause most beginner users to pause in order to process all the information. The recovery process is also much less streamlined — there’s no wizard and it isn’t immediately obvious what to do next if you haven’t spent some time with data recovery content in general.
But if you’re willing to brave the learning curve, Activ@’s kit is pretty impressive. Aside from the standard scanning algorithms, its SuperScan (which takes forever) has beaten out a lot of its competitors in terms of detecting reformatted and damaged partitions. It can also roll back partitioning changes, repair damaged partitions, and it even supports standard RAID partitions.
Overall, Activ@ Partition Recovery is actually a strong competitor despite not being as well known as the other apps on this list. However, its last update was in January 2024. This is far too large a gap for a paid app, especially considering that its free trial is limited to files under 64 KB.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, UFS, Ext4/3/2.
Fix partition table: Yes.
Price:
| Free version | Only preview for lost or formatted partitions |
| Standard license | $39.95 |
| Professional license | $49.99 |
| Ultimate license | $89.99 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: The free version only allows you to search for lost or formatted partitions. Recovery is included only with a paid subscription.
Supported operating systems: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
When we tested these tools, we measured them against criteria that we think would directly benefit those who will use it:
| Software Name | Price | Supported File Systems | Latest Update |
| Disk Drill Partition Recovery | $89 lifetime license (Windows + macOS) | FAT/FAT32/exFAT, NTFS, HFS & HFS+, APFS, EXT3/EXT4 and any RAW disk | December 13, 2024 (Version 5.7.916) |
| TestDisk | Free | BeFS, CramFS, FAT12/16/32, FATX, exFAT, HFS, HFS+, HFSX, JFS, btrfs, ext2/3/4, GFS2, LUKS encrypted partition, Linux RAID md 0.9/1.0/1.1/1.2, RAID 1/4/5/6, Linux Swap, LVM, LVM2, NSS, NTFS, ReiserFS 3.5, 3.6 and 4, Sun Solaris i386 disklabel, UFS, UFS2, XFS, SGI's Journaled File System, Wii WBFS, Sun ZFS | February 22 2024 (Version 7.2) |
| DiskInternals | $139.95 and more | FAT, ReFS, UFS, HFS, NTFS, ReiserFS, APFS(reader mode), RomFS(reader mode), Reiser4, XFS, ext2/3/4 | Janruary 21, 2025 (Version 8.17) |
| MiniTool | $69.00 for monthly subscription | FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3/4, HFS+, ISO9660, Joliet, UDF | December 31, 2024 (Version 12.3) |
| Hetman | $77.95 and more | FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, Ext4/3/2/ReiserFS, XFS/UFS | December 04, 2024 (Version 5.0) |
| EaseUS | $69.95 for monthly subscription | FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3, HFS+, ReFS | December 19, 2024 (Version 19.2.5) |
| Active@ | $39.95 and more | FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, UFS, Ext4/3/2 | January 29, 2024 (Version 24.0.2) |
To implement the fix, go through these steps below:
When run, it will begin scanning your drive. This can take some time, depending on how much there is to scan. If successful, your corrupted partition should be fixed.
Let’s break down each part of the syntax so you’re aware of what it does and how it can help:
How to Easily Recover a Partition in Windows 10
How to Recover Lost ReFS Partition and Data from It
What to Do When Drive Partition Has Gone Missing?
How to Recover Files from an NTFS Partition and Fix It
How to Recover Data from a Formatted Partition on Windows
How to Easily Recover Data From a Deleted Partition on Mac
How to Recover Data from EXT4 Partition on Windows
How to Recover Lost/Corrupted SD Card Partition on Windows
If you delete your partition, the data will still physically remain on the disk. However, it will be inaccessible, and the hard drive will see that space as free to store new data.
You can recover data from a deleted partition using a partition recovery tool. However, you must begin the recovery process before the data on the deleted partition is overwritten. If data is overwritten, recovery becomes next to impossible without the use of a professional recovery service.
To recover a RAW partition, you need to use special tools called data recovery software that is capable of scanning a storage device for the RAW partition data. Here are a few recommendations:
In some cases, partitions can be recovered using a command-line tool called diskmgmt.msc:
There are various reasons why your hard drive partition may be missing in Windows 7. These include more common reasons such as partition table issues, disk failures or errors, operating system errors, virus infection, and accidental deletion or formatting of partitions, among others.
You can recover your lost partition for free by rewriting the partition table or formatting your drive and redefining the partition. However, these methods can potentially lead to data loss. To minimize the risk, it is recommended to install reputable data recovery software like Recuva or Disk Drill to recover your data before attempting any partition recovery.
There really is no single “best” disk partition recovery software for the Windows 10 operating system, as it really depends on the features and specifications you’re looking for. Lazesoft Data Recovery, for example, offers a free home edition that doesn’t put a cap on the amount of data you can recover, making it a good option for users who aren’t willing to spend.
But if you’re looking for a data recovery program that excels in performance, includes lots of extra features, and sports a catchy user interface, Disk Drill is the way to go. The best thing to do is install the free version of any data recovery program – assuming it has one – and try it out for yourself.
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