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Our Windows version | Windows 11 |
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How long we tested | 3 weeks |
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Number of tested tools | 17 |
There’s no telling when data loss can strike and you may end up having to recover files from any kind of storage medium, such as SD cards, SSDs, hard drives, RAID setups, and more. It’s important that your chosen data recovery software is fully compatible with the ones you use.
Data loss can occur on any operating system but not all data recovery programs support multiple platforms. Make sure the app you choose is fully compatible with the OS you run or, at least, has a version for that platform particularly. Certain programs even allow the recovery of storage media formatted for a different operating system entirely.
While there are a few genuinely free data recovery programs out there and some with a decent trial version, they’re often either overly complex, ineffective, or have recovery limits. So if you’re willing to invest, you should find a program that fits your price range. Also, consider whether you’d prefer a program with subscriptions or a one-time payment.
Download the program to your Windows or macOS laptop and install it
Start the recovery software and choose the disk you want to scan for lost data
Hit Recover to scan the selected disk for files that can be restored
Select the files that you want to retrieve and click the Recover button again to restore the data
Do routine maintenance on your computer/laptop. Neglecting your computer or laptop can lead to dust build-up, ventilation issues, and other hardware pitfalls. In turn, this could cause your device to abruptly fail, resulting in data loss. So make sure to always perform regular maintenance on your machine to ensure that it stays in tip-top shape.
Password protect your machine. If you live in a household with multiple people, then it’s a good idea to put a strong password on your computer or laptop. You never know when a child or another unauthorized person might try to make their way into your machine and fiddle with your files. Better safe than sorry.
Avoid suspicious emails and files. Suspicious emails are rife with phishing emails and other forms of malicious files. Accessing the contents of these emails could severely compromise the security of your computer. This could lead to hackers accessing your machine, putting your important files in jeopardy. So if you see a suspicious email, simply delete it.
When GZ files are deleted from a computer, they are not permanently erased just yet. So long as they’re not overwritten by new data, these files remain out of sight on the storage media and can be recovered through quality data recovery programs. Backup tools like File History, System Restore, and Timeline can also be used to recover lost data.
Data recovery software often saves recovered files in a specified directory which you can then access through Windows File Explorer. Disk Drill, for example, is one of the best data recovery programs around and includes a button at the end of the retrieval process that will open the folder where your recovered GZ files are located.
A quality data recovery program should allow for the retrieval of a wide range of different file types, whether they’re documents, images, audio clips, and others. Disk Drill is an excellent option that is capable of recovering GZ extension and you can easily filter out the results by typing the extension into the search bar at the results screen.