Free Unformat | Unformat Hard Drive/USB Flash Drive
Formatting is an operation that initializes storage devices such as hard disks, memory cards, and USB drives, but it also means all your data saved to the drive is gone without a trace. Sometimes, you may lose important files due to intentional or accidental formatting. It is good news if you are in such a situation and desperately looking for any way to undo the format. This article will help you understand what unformat is and recover files after formatting free.
What is Unformat?
Before understanding unformat, you need to know the meaning and type of formatting. Different classes will determine your chances of unformat hard drives, SD cards, and more. Formatting has two methods to erase data and reorganize the drive. They are:
- ⏰ Quick format is regenerating the boot area information, initializing the FAT table, and other operations. All your data is still on the drive. Therefore, you can restore them quickly.
- ⚙️ The full format is to re-divide cylinders and tracks after erasing items and divide the ways into several sectors. This kind of physical-level formatting makes it challenging to unformat.
When you understand formatting, it should be easy to understand what unformat means. It is all about undoing everything in the formatting process and restoring the data on the drive. Next, we will help you through the process for free.
Top 6 Free Unformat Software You Need to Know
It can be frustrating to find out that valuable files are lost due to formatting. Don't worry; many tools can help you undo format hard disk, SD card, USB drive, etc. Below we have compiled six famous unformat software free.
- iBeesoft Free Data Recovery
- Pros:
- User-friendly interface and simple instructions
- Repair files corrupted during the formatting process
- Without any functional limitations
- Cons:
- Deep scan takes more time
- Recuva
- Pros:
- Easy-to-use wizard mode
- Scanning is fast
- Cons:
- There are functional limitations
- Does not perform well with large file recovery
- Glarysoft File Recovery Free
- Pros:
- Advanced filters
- Support encrypted hard disk/partition
- Cons:
- May install other programs
- No portable version
- Disk Drill
- Pros:
- The advanced recovery engine
- Provides additional utility options
- Cons
- Paid version is expensive
- There is an additional cost to upgrade
- Wise Data Recovery
- Pros:
- A very user-friendly interface
- Supports multiple file types
- Cons
- Slow scan
- Cannot preserve the directory structure
- PhotoRec
- Pros:
- Completely free
- Supports most file systems
- Cons
- Can't preview found files
- The command line interface is not for novices
iBeesoft Free Data Recovery is an excellent tool for getting lost files. It provides users with various versatile recovery options to recover almost any data. The best free unformat software for Windows 11, 10 and macOS can scan multiple storage devices, including hard drives, USB sticks, and flash memory cards. With iBeesoft's sophisticated algorithms and deep scanning technology, you can rest assured that the app will find all information that can be retrieved from the various storage devices.
Recuva for Mac or Windows is a powerful yet free file recovery software that helps you find deleted, lost, and inaccessible data. It supports over 500 data types and 20 file systems. Thanks to its intuitive design, you can use this tool to unformat hard drive and external storage devices in a few quick steps.
Have you ever formatted your hard drive accidentally and lost important data? With Glarysoft File Recovery Free, it is now easy to recover files from formatted USB drive, HDD/SSD, and memory card for free. This free unformat tool can restore various file types, such as images, videos, emails, documents, etc.
Disk Drill is an essential tool for anyone looking to protect their data. Its robust features allow it to quickly locate and recover files from your computer's hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or any other external drive. The free format recovery software can extract almost any file from most storage devices, even if damaged.
Wise Data Recovery is an effective tool that can help you find lost files and folders in no time. With its powerful search engine, you can quickly resume what your need even when it has been previously deleted or formatted. So if you require a reliable and free unformat solution, it is an ideal choice.
PhotoRec is a free, open-source software tool to recover formatted or deleted files. The application analyzes the media's content and then extracts any potential information it finds. With its robust scanning and extraction capabilities, this unformat app has become an indispensable tool for anyone who wants to protect their digital memories from accidental loss.
How to Unformat Hard Drive/USB Flash Drive Free with Best Tool
Recovering files from a formatted disk, USB drive, SD card, and more can seem daunting, but with the help of the best free unformat software, it doesn't have to be. Here you can rely on the iBeesoft free data recovery tool; all you have to do is follow its prompts, and within minutes, you should be able to restore all of your formatted files in their original condition.
- Download and install iBeesoft free unformat software.
- Launch it and select the formatted drive to scan.
- After completing the progress, select the found file to preview
- Finally, choose your formatted data and click "Recover" to save it.
Tip: The scan time depends on the size of your drive and the number of files. If your target files are found during the unformat process, click the "Pause" button and check and save them.
How to Avoid the Situation of Having to Format a Drive and Keep Your Data Safe
The Inevitable formatting of your drive can be scary as it involves losing all the precious data stored on it. Fortunately, following these tips can prevent formatting your drive and losing your data.
- 🎏 Make sure you periodically back up your data onto an external device or cloud storage to have a copy if anything happens.
- 🔍 Check your disk for errors regularly; most operating systems include built-in tools like CHKDSK, which will flag any potential problems before they cause a catastrophic failure.
- ⛱️ Frequently scan your drives for malicious software and viruses that could lead to formatting.
- ⏏️ If the hard disk is an external device, please eject it correctly. This can effectively avoid the situation that the drive access is denied, the file system is shown as RAW, and you must be formatted before using it.
Following these tips and using best practices for regular maintenance, you can avoid formatting your drive and save time and energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
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As long as the computer recognizes your drive, you can use formatting to repair it. However, the data you saved in it may need to be recovered. Don't worry; you can also use iBeesoft data recovery software to get them back.
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If you receive "Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format." Then this error may be caused by the drive being protected, physically damaged, empty of content, or other reasons. For this, you can use the command prompt to fix this problem. Here are the specific steps:
- Click the Windows key on the keyboard to enter CMD.
- Select Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
- Type format E: /fs:NTFS and press Enter. (E is the drive letter, and NTFS is the file system type.)
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After formatting, if you do not save new data in this disk, you can unformat a hard disk, flash drive, etc. However, act quickly; the longer the time, the higher the chances that the files will be lost forever.
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All data will be erased after formatting. You can return your lost items for free if you have backed up this hard disk or partition. If not, then you can still rely on iBeesoft free unformat software for Windows 10, 11 and Mac.
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Generally, you cannot undo formatting. Although, the files stored in this drive will be gone. But you can use a professional tool (iBeesoft Windows or Mac data recovery software) to get them back. If no data is lost, this is equivalent to undo format.
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You can use the following method to unformat hard drive in Windows 11, 10, and Mac without backup.
- Download and install iBeesoft Data Recovery.
- After launching the software, click Go to setting to filter file types.
- Choose the formatted drive and click Scan.
- Select the lost items and click Recover to choose a location to save them.
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You need to connect this external drive to the computer and scan it with iBeesoft Data Recovery to complete the unformat external hard drive.
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- Hold the Windows + R keys and type CMD in the opened window.
- Type chkdsk D: /f and press Enter. (D is the drive letter of the formatted hard disk)
- Type D:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and press Enter.
- Open the target drive to examine the returned data.
If this method for unformat hard disk fails, then you can try iBeesoft Data Recovery.
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There are many free unformat tools available in the market. To save you time, we list six easy-to-use ones for your reference.
- 🥇 iBeesoft Free Data Recovery
- 🥈 Recuva
- 🥉 Glarysoft File Recovery Free
- 🎖️ Disk Drill
- 🏅 Wise Data Recovery
- 🏵️ PhotoRec
Conclusion
Unformatting a disk, partition, USB drive, or SD card can be daunting, but it is entirely possible with the proper free unformat tool for Mac or Windows. The most crucial point to remember is that you should act quickly to get the best chance of recovering your formatted files; once data has been overwritten, the possibility of undo format significantly decreases. Overall, drive formatting does not mean you have to forever say goodbye to all your data!