"I recently encountered a problem. My hard drive has accidentally formatted. There are important files in it. How can I recover data from a formatted hard drive?" If you accidentally delete data on a hard drive, you can quickly find it in the Trash or Recycle Bin application. However, formatting a hard drive is another story. This guide explains how to get back your files with or without a backup.

Part 1: Is It Possible to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive

Formatting a hard drive means to delete all data on the drive and create a file system to prepare an available space for the operating system. Whether you can recover data from a formatted disk depends on two main factors:

SSDs vs HDDs

SSDs and HDDs handle data differently. When you format a hard drive on an SSD, your files are permanently deleted by TRIM. That makes data recovery much more complicated and difficult. HDDs don’t come with TRIM, and it is easier to recover data on them.

Quick Format vs Full Format

There are two types of hard drive formatting, Quick Format and Full Format. The former just deletes the data index while leaving your data recoverable. The latter wipes and overwrites your data. That makes data recovery impossible.

Other factors involved with successful data recovery from a formatted hard disk include:

1. The hard drive is not physically damaged.

2. The hard drive can be recognized by your computer.

3. You have regular backups.

Part 2: How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive with Backup

How to Recover Files from a Formatted Drive on a PC

File History is the built-in backup feature on Windows 11/10. It backs up the entire hard disk. If you have turned on this feature, it allows you to quickly recover files from a formatted drive on your PC.

Step 1. Open the Settings application from the Start menu.

Step 2. Search for File History and click it.

Step 3. Then, click Restore your files with File History.

Step 4. Find the backup of the drive and select the proper timestamp.

Step 5. Go through the backup and select the files and folders you want to recover.

Step 6. Click the Restore button at the bottom to recover data from the formatted drive.

How to Recover Data from a Formatted Disk on Mac

Time Machine is the pre-installed backup feature on Mac. It allows you to recover data from a formatted drive if you have backed up your drive before formatting. Here are the steps below:

Step 1. Plug the backup drive into your Mac.

Step 2. Open the Finder app from your Dock bar.

Step 3. Navigate to the formatted drive.

Step 4. Click the Time Machine button on the menu bar.

Step 5. Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to find the desired files.

Step 6. Highlight all desired files and click the Restore button.

Part 3: How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive Without Backup

If you don’t have a backup, Apeaksoft Data Recovery is the best option to recover data from a formatted hard drive. Moreover, the user-friendly design makes it easy to learn, especially for average people. The built-in advanced technology can find as much data as possible.

How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Disk

Step 1. Scan your drive

Start the best hard drive recovery software after you install it on your computer. Go to Hard Drive Recovery and select the formatted disk. Click the Start Scan button to begin looking for lost files.

Step 2. Preview recoverable files

When disk scanning is done, you can preview the recoverable files by type or folder. Head to the Type List tab and select the desired data types. Or head to the Path List tab and select the desired folder. You can also quickly find specific files using the Filter and Search features.

Step 3. Recover data

Finally, select all files you want to retrieve and click the Recover button. Set an output folder and confirm data recovery from a formatted hard disk. This program can help you recover deleted videos, songs, photos, document files, and more easily.

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