partition recovery

Losing an entire disk partition is one of the most frustrating PC mishaps imaginable. Whether it happens while installing a new OS, resizing partitions, or due to system crashes and malware attacks — the result is the same: your data seems gone.

Fortunately, modern partition recovery software for Windows can help you bring those lost partitions back. The challenge? Dozens of tools promise miracles, but not all deliver.

To help you out, we tested 25+ partition recovery tools on real drives — including formatted, deleted, and corrupted partitions — to find which ones actually work.

Below are the 10 tools that stood out for recovery success rate, performance, and ease of use.

TL;DR – Best Partition Recovery Tools for Windows

Tool Best For Starting Price
EaseUS Partition Recovery Best overall for reliability & ease of use $49.95/month
MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum All-in-one partition & data recovery $109/year
AOMEI Partition Assistant Best for partition management & OS migration $49.95/year
DiskInternals Partition Recovery Professional-grade recovery tools $39.95
Hetman Partition Recovery Multi-device & multi-file system support $37.95
Recoverit For file and partition recovery versatility $79.99/month
TestDisk Best free tool for advanced users Free
DiskGenius Full-featured disk management suite $69.90
Disk Drill Best for beginners with extra utilities $89
Stellar Data Recovery Easiest for everyday users $69.99

What Is Partition Recovery (and Why It Matters)

Think of your hard drive as a filing cabinet, and each partition as a drawer. When a drawer (partition) disappears — through deletion, formatting, or corruption — the files inside become inaccessible, even though they may still physically exist on the disk.

Partition recovery software scans your drive for these “missing drawers” and restores access to them — often with their folder structure and files intact.

You might need it if:

  • You accidentally deleted a partition.
  • You botched an OS installation or upgrade.
  • A virus or crash corrupted your partition table.
  • The drive developed errors or bad sectors.

While backups are always best, partition recovery can be your lifesaver when you don’t have one.

  • Disclaimer: Use recovery tools carefully. Results vary depending on drive condition and how quickly you act after partition loss. Always try to recover data to a different disk.

RELATED: Top Windows Partition Managers (incl. free options)

10 Best Partition Recovery Tools for Windows

At TheSweetBits, we began with an array of 25 data recovery tools that offered partition recovery options. Most of the tools were general data recovery tools, but there were, of course, dedicated options. As we said, we tested HDDs as well as SSDs that had earlier contained partitions. In some cases, these partitions were deliberately deleted, but we included drives with corrupted partitions as well.

All the testing was done on a Windows PC with a 13th-generation Intel processor and 16GB of RAM. All HDDs and SSDs were connected using a USB 3.0 port to ensure that variables didn’t affect the judgment. In addition to the success rates of the data recovery tool, other factors like ease of use and compatibility were also taken into consideration.

#1 EaseUS Partition Recovery

At the top spot, we have the much-deserving EaseUS Partition Recovery. In addition to offering the highest partition recovery success rates, this tool from EaseUS packs an intuitive UI design. It thus becomes one of the partition recovery tools that don’t need you to be tech-savvy.

easeus partition

Like the many EaseUS tools we have tested, EaseUS Partition Recovery also follows a three-step process. So, after you have installed the app, you can select a disk, preview available partitions, and recover the partitions you want to have back.

Our Testing Experience

We tried testing EaseUS Partition Recovery with multiple storage devices like SATA and M2 drives. We also made sure that it works with different file systems like NTFS, FAT, and Ext2/Ext3. The program worked great with multiple partition tables, including MBR and GPT.

A worth-mentioning feature is “Explore support” as it helped us with selecting the partitions that we need to restore. We used the explore feature by clicking on the lost partition to preview the stored files and narrowed down the necessary partitions while avoiding unnecessary ones.

We faced a slight delay while dealing with corrupt partitions. However, it is still impressive that Partition Recovery from EaseUS can handle such devices in the first place. Many generic data recovery tools we tested were not able to detect corrupted drives.

Pricing

Though EaseUS Partition Recovery offers a free version, it lacks many features. If you want access to all the features like RAW recovery and maximum compatibility, you need the paid plan. You can pay either $49.95 per month or $69.95 per year for this package. If you prefer a one-time payment, you can get it for $99.95.

The Final Take

Considering the features and speed it offers, EaseUS Partition Recovery is a worthwhile investment for most people out there. If you prioritize compatibility and success rates over generic features, you’d appreciate the package from EaseUS.

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Powerful scanning algorithms
  • Wide compatibility

Cons

  • Limited effectiveness in certain data loss scenarios

Editor’s Note: While EaseUS Partition Recovery is a great choice for partition-specific issues, those needing a more comprehensive data recovery solution may explore the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for its broader file recovery and repair capabilities. This tool offers a wider range of features in its premium versions, including advanced file repair and recovery options beyond just partitions.

#2 MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum

MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum is a feature-packed, comprehensive tool that’s perfect for anyone in search of the ultimate partition management solution. It offers a wide range of features, from the basic to the advanced, and one of its standout capabilities is partition recovery.

minitool partitionpro

Starting with the downloading and installing MiniTool software, there were no issues, and the setup file took care of the entire installation. Even though the home screen is intuitive, we felt room for improvement, and with additional refinement, it would arguably be the best in its segment.

Our Testing Experience

Our testing showed that MiniTool Partition Wizard supports the retrieval of lost partitions due to accidental deletion, formatting, or other system errors. The tool scans the storage media thoroughly, searching for lost partitions and displaying them in a clear and understandable manner.

We can preview files within the found partitions before initiating the recovery process. Additionally, we have the option to selectively recover specific files or folders, saving time and storage space by excluding unnecessary data.

Aside from partition recovery, MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum offers a range of other useful features. These include data recovery from damaged or deleted files, CD/DVD drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and the ability to recover data from inaccessible or corrupted drives.

Pricing

The MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum is priced at $109 per year. If you want unlimited recovery of disk partitions and files, you can get the ultimate version for $159 lifetime license. The premium versions also offer extra features like scan result history and support for WinPE bootable media.

The Final Take

Whether you’re a novice or an expert, MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Platinum has got you covered when it comes to managing your partitions with ease. The performance was impressive, and we recommend this tool to most people.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Supports various storage devices
  • Quick/deep scan option

Cons

  • The price is a bit high

#3 AOMEI Partition Assistant

AOMEI Partition Assistant is an all-rounder and is ideal for those looking for a complete partition tool that can recover data as well. It packs a clean and simple design, making it accessible to both new and experienced users. It assists you with multiple steps in handling disk partitions, including cloning and booting.

aomei partition

Getting started with AOMEI Partition Assistant was straightforward. First, you select the disk containing the lost partition, then initiate a scan. The software then searches for lost or deleted partitions. Once the scan is complete, you can preview the found partitions and their contents.

Finally, you select the partition you want to recover and initiate the recovery process.

Our Testing Experience

Like the overall best option, AOMEI Partition Assistant also handled the variety of storage devices and file systems with ease. We felt that AOMEI gets an additional advantage in terms of compatibility, probably because it is designed to be a comprehensive assistance suite.

It also works with different file systems like NTFS, FAT2, FAT16, exFAT, ReFS, Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4. We found the Preview feature quite handy as we have the option to know what is inside without spending resources or time recovering everything.

While the interface is intuitive, it may feel slightly dated compared to some other tools on the market. However, its comprehensive feature set and robust performance make it a strong contender in the partition recovery space.

Price

AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a free standard version with basic partition management features. For advanced features like partition recovery, you need to upgrade to a paid version. The pricing options include a yearly subscription for $49.95, which covers two PCs, and a lifetime license for $59.95.

The Final Take

In the end, despite being recovery-focused, AOMEI Partition Assistant does a great job of dealing with various types of disk partitions. Considering the reasonable pricing plans, we can’t ask for more from this package. It thus suits most people who need a better way to manage partitions.

Pros

  • Easy partition management
  • Drag-and-drop interface
  • Supports various file systems

Cons

  • Poor error handling

#4 Partition Recovery by Disk Internals

You should check out Partition Recovery by Disk Internals if you need a professional partition recovery suite for all intents and purposes. This tool is made for professionals, offering maximum performance in terms of recovery success rates and compatibility.

DiskInternals

Setting up Partition Recovery by Disk Internals on your Windows PC does not take more than a few minutes at max. We were excited to try the app, considering its compatibility claims, but we thought the UI could use some improvements.

Our Testing Experience

Once we installed and started with the recovery operation, and just like any tool, we were asked to pick the disk on which we wanted to perform the restore operation. However, the interesting thing happened once we selected a disk and proceeded to the Folder Structure Recovery window.

The program offers two scanning modes here. The Full Recovery mode provided the flexibility to manage and manually select the file systems of our liking. On the other hand, the “Fast Recovery” mode is straightforward and ideal for lightly damaged disks.

Once the recovery operation was done, we noticed that the Full Recovery mode did a significantly better job than the Fast Recovery mode, with better recovery featuring more files. However, on the dark side, the Fast Recovery mode took a lot of time to finish.

The performance was good, but we were disappointed with the Preview section as it felt completely outdated. The interface of the Preview section resembled a combination of Windows XP and Windows 7 themes, and we couldn’t preview everything inside the selected partition.

Pricing

Once the free trial is complete, you can get Disk Internals Partition Recovery for either $39.95 (Personal) or $219.95 (Business). All these plans offer core features like advanced compatibility, but you may not get extra options like Exporting to Virtual Disk and offering data recovery services to third parties.

Our Take

Despite its rudimentary UI design, Disk Internals Partition Recovery is a great choice for professionals. The tool offers great value in terms of performance and compatibility. We really liked the option to read disk partitions from macOS and Linux.

Pros

  • Three scanning modes
  • Supports RAID recovery
  • File preview feature

Cons

  • It can be complex for beginners

#5 Hetman Partition Recovery

If you want support for multiple storage devices and file systems such as FAT, NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, etc., you must check out the Hetman Partition Recovery. Like most prominent partition recovery tools, it comes with advanced scanning and recovery algorithms, resulting in faster scanning and recovery of lost partitions.

hetman partition

On the other hand, the interface is one of the best-looking in the segment, as it is easy to navigate. The paid versions pack more features, and it is a great choice if you have to deal with many partition recoveries. Our experience with Hetman Partition Recovery was satisfactory, but we encountered a few more glitches.

For instance, we had to completely disable our antimalware suite before Hetman Partition Recovery could start up. You should watch out for these minor issues while using the app. On the bright side, the app does a great job of integrating with Windows.

As for pricing, the paid version of Hetman Partition Recovery starts at $37.95.

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Supports all Windows versions
  • HEX editor

Cons

  • Conflicts with anti-malware suites

#6 Recoverit

Wondershare’s Recoverit is a data recovery tool that is different from the standard partition recovery tool. With Recoverit, we start by selecting a disk, and the recovery begins automatically. So, you get to decide if you want to recover an entire partition or a single file from the bunch.

recoverit

Unlike the partition recovery tools, all the lost data is displayed in one place, and one doesn’t have to worry about managing partitions after recovering them. Like our list’s top three partition recovery tools, Recoverit supports all file system types and storage devices.

You also get a few extra features with the package. For instance, the Enhanced Recovery option offers the best results with removable devices. Meanwhile, its corrupted video repair utility and NAS data recovery are also great. Considering it is from Wondershare, the interface is free of issues.

The premium plans for Wondershare Recoverit are available for $79.99 per month.

Pros

  • Versatile file recovery
  • User-friendly design
  • Supports over 1000 file types

Cons

  • It may not be effective in all data loss scenarios

#7 TestDisk

If you believe you’re technically sound and can work with complex tools while referring to a few tutorials and walkthroughs, then TestDisk is for you. For starters, TestDisk is open software designed to recover lost partitions and can make non-booting disks bootable again.

testdisk

One capable of using TestDisk would never consider checking out any tools as it can easily handle all the recovery operations. TestDisk can easily compete with any modern data recovery tool, but the downside lies in its complexity and outdated interface.

However, it would be an absolute steal for only those who can figure out how to use it.

Pros

  • Free and open-source
  • Supports multiple file systems
  • Powerful recovery features

Cons

  • Steep learning curve

#8 DiskGenius

DiskGenius is another disk management and data recovery software that is extremely efficient at recovering lost data. We were extremely happy with its performance, but the reason for not considering it for top spots was its interface.

diskgenius

The interface is very technical, and most people might find it confusing, and only a few would navigate around and use the features without difficulty. There are no additional limitations; on the bright side, it supports multiple file systems and storage devices.

We have noticed the paid version offers additional flexibility, but there is no improvement to the interface. Hence, we suggest looking for a recovery tool with an intuitive interface that provides great performance and recovery rate.

Pros

  • Comprehensive partition management
  • Supports virtual disk images
  • HEX editor

Cons

  • Complex interface for beginners

#9 Disk Drill

If you don’t want to go through the entire process of restoring and recovering a partition to get back the lost data, then Disk Drill is for you. Disk Drill is an efficient and reliable data recovery suite that can recover lost data from removable drives, hard drives, and physical/virtual partitions.

diskdrill partition

Like other disk recovery tools, it has advanced scanning algorithms and support for multiple storage devices and file types. However, it stands out from the rest because of its special tools, such as disk cleanup, duplicate file finder, and disk health monitoring.

The intuitive interface of Disk Drill is probably the best looking in its segment and matches the theme of Windows 11. One wouldn’t find it difficult to navigate, and even beginners can easily use this tool to recover lost data.

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Supports various file systems
  • Free version available

Cons

  • Limited features in the free version

#10 Stellar Data Recovery

While looking for data recovery with an extremely simple and user-friendly interface, we crossed paths with the Stellar Data Recovery tool. The interface is so straightforward that an individual with no prior experience or knowledge would use it straight away with ease.

stellar

We felt nothing new with the Stellar Data Recovery tool except for the interface. Like every other data recovery tool, it features custom advanced scanning algorithms paired with support for multiple storage devices and file types.

The recovery rate is promising, and purchasing a pro version can help you gain access to a few perks. These additional perks enhance the overall usability and performance, resulting in better data recovery. These paid plans start at $69.99.

Pros

  • Advanced recovery features
  • Supports encrypted drives
  • User-friendly interface

Cons

  • Expensive compared to competitors

FAQs

Is it safe to use partition recovery software?

It is safe to use partition recovery software if you download it from a reputable source and follow the instructions carefully. We suggest checking if the tool is prominent and has decent reviews. Also, try the free version before subscribing or purchasing a tool.

Why can’t I fully recover a deleted or lost partition?

Partition recovery success depends on how much data has been overwritten since the partition was lost. When a partition is deleted, its structure (like file system tables and pointers) is removed, but the raw data often remains until new files overwrite those sectors.

If you’ve installed new software, reformatted the drive, or written new files, full recovery becomes harder. That’s why you should stop using the affected drive immediately and run recovery software from a different disk or bootable media.

Can I recover encrypted or BitLocker partitions?

Recovery is possible only if you have the correct decryption key or password. Tools can detect the presence of an encrypted partition, but they can’t access the data without authorization.

For BitLocker-protected volumes:

  • If you have the recovery key, unlock the drive first, then attempt file or partition recovery.
  • If the encryption metadata itself is damaged, even having the key may not help — in such cases, only professional recovery labs may be able to assist.
Does TRIM affect SSD recovery?

Yes — and it’s a big deal.

TRIM is a background command used by SSDs to permanently clear unused blocks for better performance. Once TRIM executes, those blocks are wiped at the firmware level, meaning deleted partitions or files are often unrecoverable.

However, if TRIM was disabled (or the SSD was in an external enclosure that doesn’t pass TRIM commands), your chances improve. So while partition recovery on SSDs can work, it’s far less reliable than on traditional HDDs.

If you suspect data loss, stop using your SSD immediately to maximize recovery chances.

What’s the difference between file recovery and partition recovery?

They target different layers of data loss:

  • File recovery scans existing file systems to recover deleted or lost files within an intact partition.
  • Partition recovery works one level deeper — it looks for lost partitions themselves (e.g., when the partition table or volume record is damaged). If your drive suddenly shows as “Unallocated” or “RAW,” that’s a partition recovery case, not just file recovery.
How can I prevent future partition loss?
  • Back up regularly
  • Keep firmware and OS updated
  • Use surge protection or a UPS
  • Avoid untrusted third-party partition tools

Final Thoughts

Recovering a lost partition can be stressful — but with the right software, it doesn’t have to be catastrophic.

No matter which you choose, act quickly after partition loss — the sooner you run recovery, the higher your success rate.

Keep learning

* Readers like you help support TheSweetBits. When you buy something through the links in this article, we may get a small commission at no extra charge to you.
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