Accidentally formatted your hard drive and lost all your important files? Don’t panic — you’re not alone, and yes, there is a way to get those files back.
Whether you’re using a Windows PC or a Mac, recovering data from a formatted hard drive is possible — as long as you act fast and avoid overwriting the drive. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know and recommend a trusted tool that makes the recovery process surprisingly painless: Aiseesoft Data Recovery.
Can You Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive?
Yes, and here’s why: when you format a drive, the data doesn’t immediately disappear — it just becomes "invisible" to the operating system. The space gets marked as available for new data, but the original files are still there (at least until they’re overwritten).
So if you haven’t saved much new data to the drive, there’s a high chance you can get everything back.
There are a ton of recovery programs out there, but Aiseesoft Data Recovery is one I’ve personally had great results with. It’s simple, fast, and works on both Windows and macOS. It can recover lost files from formatted internal/external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, SSDs — you name it.
How to Recover Files from a Formatted Drive Using Aiseesoft
Step 1: Download & Install
Grab Aiseesoft Data Recovery from the official site and install it on your computer. Important: Don’t install it on the same drive you’re trying to recover from.
Step 2: Select the Drive & File Types
Launch the program. You’ll see a list of drives. Select the formatted drive and choose the file types you want to recover (or just select all if you’re not sure).
Step 3: Start the Scan
Hit Scan. The Quick Scan will run first. If you don’t find your files there, go for Deep Scan — it takes longer but digs deeper.
Step 4: Preview & Recover
Once the scan finishes, preview your files. Select what you want to recover and click Recover. Make sure to save them to a different drive.
Once the scan is complete, you can preview the files it found. Select the ones you want to recover and click Recover to save them back to your computer.
You can download it free to scan your lost file:
Pro Tips to Maximize Recovery Success
- Stop using the drive immediately after formatting
- Avoid installing recovery software on the formatted drive
- Use Deep Scan if Quick Scan doesn’t find your files
- Don’t save recovered files to the same formatted drive
Final Thoughts
Formatting a hard drive by accident can feel like a disaster, but with the right tool, it doesn’t have to be. Aiseesoft Data Recovery makes it easy to get your files back — even if you’re not tech-savvy. Just remember, the sooner you start recovery, the better your chances.
Whether you’re on Windows or Mac, this method works. So before you assume your data is gone forever, give it a try. You might be surprised at how much you can recover.