(5 Ways) How to Recover Data from D Drive After Formatting

This article describes how to recover data from D drive after formatting in 5 simple and effective methods and the best option is using data recovery software. Scroll down to explore more.

By @Ivy Last Updated November 13, 2024

“I went to format usb drive and accidentally formatted my D drive. I thought I had a backup of the drive but didn’t. What’s the best software or way to recover the files?”

Many people panic when they accidentally format their D drive, believing all is lost. But is it truly gone forever? The answer is no, but the success rates do vary. Let's discuss this in more detail.

⚠️This article provides users with several practical methods to recover data from D drive after formatting. You can get the "How-to" guide in Part 2.

Is It Possible to Recover Data from D Drive After Formatting?

Factors	Description
💾Storage technology & status:	SSDs, for instance, with TRIM technology, can automatically erase data blocks to store data, making recovery harder. Note the TRIM feature does not work on external hard drives connected through the enclosure. Bad sectors or other hardware problems can make the situation worse. In addition, NTFS often leaves behind more metadata, which can be helpful for recovery tools. HDDs save data physically and make file recovery effortless.
✂The type of formatting method:	A quick format only removes the file pointers but does not erase the actual data, making data relatively easier as the data clusters remain intact until it's overwritten. The full format erases all data by writing zeros over the entire drive. Recovering data after a full format is more challenging but not impossible with advanced recovery tools. For details, click Quick Format vs. Full Format.
⌛Time since formatting:	The sooner you attempt data recovery after formatting, the higher the chances of success. Using the drive post-formatting (e.g. add new data) can lead to data overwriting, and this likelihood increases over time, making data recovery difficult. Usually, data types, like text files, images, documents, audios are easier to recover compared to large video files or databases.
🔧Recovery tools used:	The effectiveness and features of the data recovery tool play a crucial role. High-quality software uses advanced algorithms to scan and reconstruct lost files with a higher success rate.

How to Recover Data from D Drive After Formatting

Here are 5 practical methods to help you recover data from D drive after formatting.

#1: Use MyRecover – A Powerful Data Recovery Software

With its clear interface, advanced algorithms, and rich features, MyRecover is a powerful Windows data recovery software to recover data from D drive after formatting in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and servers. It’s compatible with NTFS, FAT32, ReFS, and ExFAT file systems.

❤❤❤ Why Choose MyRecover?

✔ It has a free edition that recovers up to 500MB.

✔ Top algorithms - thoroughly search and find as many files as possible.

✔ Search or filter files quickly through data types, file names, extensions, etc.

✔ Preview and recover files while scanning.

✔ Recover specific files or folders instead of all.

✔ Recover deleted or lost documents (e.g. recover deleted txt), photos, audios, videos, compressed files, etc., over 1000+ data formats.

✔ Recover data in any disaster, such as accidental deletion, formatting, lost partition, system crashes, etc.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server

Now, download MyRecover to get started.

Step 1. Select the D drive to scan.

Open MyRecover. Select the formatted D drive and click Scan. It will automatically run Quick Scan & Deep Scan to thoroughly scan deleted or lost data.

Step 2. Filter data to recover

MyRecover will display a list of recoverable files. You can click the Filter button to specify a data type, such as Documents, and then type the file name or extension to narrow it down. Or wait until the final scanning result.

Step 3. Preview and recover data from a formatted hard drive

Once found, preview the files and select the ones you wish to restore. Click on the "Recover x files" button and select a new location to save them. Avoid restoring files to their original location as this may cause data overwriting.

⚠️Notes:

The restore button displays the number and total size of selected files. You can recover 500MB of data for free.
It allows you to preview different file formats, such asjpg, png, bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, mp4, mp3, txt, json., xlsx, pdf, ini, html, etc.

To recover unlimited data with one company, please upgrade to MyRecover Technician edition.

#2: Restore Files from File History Backup

If you have a backup of your files on D drive, you can easily restore files from backup, thus greatly reducing or even avoiding data loss, especially the loss of important data.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System & Security > Restore your files with File History.

Step 2. It will display the most recent backup and the files in it. You can check if there are any files in the D drive.

Step 3. Once found, check it and click the green restore button to start D drive data recovery. You can also click the left arrow to check the previous backup.

#3: Restore Files from Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is also a built-in backup software that saves a copy of your user’s data. You can also include data on the other data partition, such as the D drive.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System & Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Then, click Restore my files.

Step 2. Click Search, Browse for files, or Browse for folders to find your lost files.

Step 3. Select a restore location, it is recommended to restore to a new location to effectively prevent data from being overwritten. Click the Restore button to start data recovery.

#4: Recover D Drive and Data After Formatting

You can also use the Rescan Disks feature in Disk Management to search for new or removed physical disks, re-read configuration information, and sometimes bring failed disks back online.

Step 1. Type diskmgmt.msc in the search box and press Enter to open Disk Management.

Step 2. Click Action and Rescan Disks to search for D drive. If it is found, you can try to access the D drive and copy data to a safe location.

#5: Seek Help from Professional Data Recovery Service

If your drive has bad sectors or other hardware issues, try to contact professional data recovery services, such as CBLData Recovery, Ontrack, SalvageData, DriveSavers, Geek Squad, etc., usually with specialized tools and knowledge to recover data from severely damaged drives.

Why Is Formatting Sometimes Needed?

Formatting certainly deletes data and makes data recovery difficult. But it’s also important to make the drives usable. Here are some common situations in the following:

You get a new hard drive which requires formatting to be recognized. Otherwise, you cannot perform any operation or use it to store data.
You switch a drive from Windows to Mac or Linux.
Your disk has bad sectors or its file system is corrupt. You may receive error messages like “You need to format the disk in drive D: before you can use it.”.
In addition, you need to format a drive if it shows signs of performance issues, virus or malware attacks 🐛, data corruption, etc.

⚠️Most recent operating systems recognize a hard drive through a compatible file system, such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, Ext2/3/4, etc. The easiest method is to format it.

Conclusion

Accidentally formatting D drive can be heartbreaking, but it's not impossible to recover data from D drive after formatting, even without backup. Powerful Windows data recovery software like MyRecover, with advanced algorithms, can help you do it effortlessly.