Recover lost files on Windows 10 – Microsoft Support

Can you give some tips to help me use the correct syntax?  

• Always use drive letters in the source and destination path, don’t forget the colon (:) after the drive letter, and make sure there is a space between the source and destination.

• When you specify just a folder name, such as /n \Myfolder\, add a backslash (\) at the end of it.

• If a file or folder name has spaces, surround it with quotes. For example:

winfr C: E: /regular /n “\Users\<username>\Documents\Quarterly Statement.docx” 

What does <username> mean in the command examples? 

In the File Explorer address bar, enter C:\users to see a list of potential users on your computer. There may be several users on your computer, including you, the administrator, and the default account. When you see <username> in a file path, it is a placeholder for the current username on your computer. 

Why am I getting this message: “Source and Destination cannot refer to the same physical partition?” 

The source and destination drive or partition path should not be the same. If you only have one drive, use a USB or external hard drive as your destination path. Don’t create a partition after losing data, because this reduces the chance of a successful recovery. 

Why does the recovery operation take so long? 

​Depending on the size of the disk, it may take some time to recover the file, especially if you are using Extensive mode. 

Why are additional files recovered from my operating system drive? 

Behind the scenes, Windows is constantly creating and deleting files. By default, Windows File Recovery filters out these files, but some slip through. To prevent this, use the /n <filter> as per examples in this article. 

What is the $Recycle.Bin folder? 

For NTFS and segment modes, you may also see lost files recovered from the Recycle Bin (files either in the recycle bin or that were permanently deleted) with the name $files.xxx and stored in a folder called $RECYCLE.BIN. 

What happens if the destination drive is full? 

If you see the following message: ”Destination disk is full, please free up space before resuming: (R)esume, (S)kip file, or (A)bort,” free up drive space on the destination drive, and then choose one of the options. 

I was not able to recover the file, now what? 

If you used Regular mode, try again in extensive mode if the file type is supported. It’s possible that the free space was overwritten, especially on a solid-state drive (SSD). If you need help, contact your administrator.