Windows File Recovery Review: Can Microsoft’s Tool Do the Job?

If you’ve been looking for a data recovery app and came across Windows File Recovery, it’s fair to wonder whether it’s worth using. The name sounds promising (though we think it’d hit harder if they added “Microsoft” to it), but the tool works very differently from most recovery software people are used to. We decided to test it in real scenarios and see what it can and cannot recover in this Windows File Recovery tool review.

Key Features of Windows File Recovery Tool

Windows File Recovery is a free, command-line utility from Microsoft designed to restore deleted files from local storage devices when standard options, such as the Recycle Bin or backups, are no longer available. It runs through the winfr command on Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11. There is no official graphical interface, previews, or guided setup. Everything depends on the selected mode and the accuracy of the command you run.

Let’s take a closer look at the main features Windows File Recovery offers and where its capabilities realistically begin and end.

File and Storage Support

The tool works with the most common Windows file systems: NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS. It supports a wide range of storage devices, including internal hard drives, external HDDs and SSDs, USB flash drives, and memory cards such as SD cards. From what we see in practice, it performs best on NTFS volumes, while recovery on SSDs often faces limits because TRIM may already clear deleted data blocks.

Windows File Recovery can restore many everyday file types. That includes documents like DOCX, PDF, and XLSX, photos such as JPEG and PNG, common video formats, audio files, and archives. File targeting relies on filters, so users can narrow scans by file name, folder path, extension, or keyword instead of pulling everything from the drive.

Recovery Modes

Windows File Recovery offers two primary modes:

• Regular mode works best for recently deleted files on healthy NTFS drives and often preserves original file names and folder structure.
• Extensive mode handles more complex cases, such as formatted drives, corrupted file systems, or non-NTFS media, but usually restores files by signature, which means names and folders may not survive. Internally, Extensive mode relies on Segment and Signature scanning methods, depending on the scenario

Built-In Safety and Organization Features

The software also automatically creates a recovery folder named Recovery_<date and time> on your destination drive. This keeps recovered files organized and prevents confusion when you run multiple recovery attempts.

Windows File Recovery generates detailed log files for each operation. These logs show exactly which files the tool found, which ones it recovered, and which it skipped. In our professional assessment, these logs prove invaluable when you need to understand why specific files weren’t recovered.

Privacy and Offline Operation

Windows File Recovery is a first-party Microsoft tool that doesn’t collect user data during recovery operations. It requires no internet connection once you’ve installed it from the Microsoft Store. It is a very simple, no-frills tool, without any in-depth settings or complicated configuration.

How We Tested Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery has fairly limited functionality, but testing it on only one narrow scenario felt too restrictive. To better reflect how people might actually try to use the tool, we ran tests across two common recovery situations that Microsoft positions as supported.

• First, we tested recovery on a system drive with NTFS, which is where Windows File Recovery is supposed to work best. We used a Windows 11 PC with all updates installed and ran tests on the system drive (C:), backed by a 1 TB Western Digital Blue HDD. This scenario focused on recently deleted files, which Microsoft highlights as the tool’s strongest use case.
• Second, we tested recovery from a USB flash drive formatted as exFAT, since removable media is another typical target for this tool. For this, we used a 32 GB SanDisk USB flash drive formatted in exFAT and connected it directly to the same system.

In both cases, we tested recovery using Regular mode and Extensive mode to see how results differed between the two approaches.

We did not test RAID arrays, failing disks, or advanced recovery scenarios, since Windows File Recovery is not designed for those situations. The goal was to evaluate how the tool performs in the types of environments and use cases it actually claims to support, rather than push it beyond its intended limits.

How to Use Windows File Recovery?

Since you’re going to be using a command-line interface, the Windows File Recovery tool is already different from other data recovery solutions that offer a graphical user interface. The basic command will always consist of the below:

winfr source-drive: destination-folder [/mode] [/switches]

You’ll also need to specify which mode you want to use. There are five modes to choose from:

• /regular – The standard recovery mode for non-corrupted NTFS drives.
• /extensive – A thorough recovery mode that supports all file systems.
• /ntfs – A fast recovery mode for healthy NTFS drives using the master file table.
• /segment – Recovery mode for NTFS drives using file record segments.
• /signature – Recovery option for file systems that use file headers.

In addition to the recovery mode, you need to specify what switches to use. Switches are what gives you control over the recovery process. There are multiple switches you can use, each with different functions. Let’s take a look at the parameters below:

Here is how it works:

1. You can install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store app that comes with your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer, or you can download it from the Microsoft website through your browser.
2. Press Windows Key + S and search for Windows File Recovery. Click the top result and select Yes if prompted to allow access.
3. The files were only deleted recently, so we will start from the Regular mode. So, in our case, the command will be winfr C: D:\recoveryfolder /regular /n *.jpg. When the command is ready, press Enter and then Y to any prompts that may follow.
4. While the tool was able to recover 1 out of 3 files, we were unable to open it. Then we tried the Extensive mode, winfr C: D:\recoveryfolder /extensive /n *.jpg. The results were the same.
5. Next, we attempted to recover three deleted text files from C: drive that contained lorem ipsum. They’ve also been deleted from the Recycle Bin. Let’s see if it can find and recover them. The command we use this time is winfr C: D:\recoveryfolder /regular /n *.txt.

So, while Windows File Recovery failed to recover the three JPG files that were deleted, it did manage to recover the three TXT files we deleted afterwards. Now let’s move on to the results.

Test Results and Observations

The results were mixed. On the NTFS system drive, Windows File Recovery struggled with media files even under ideal conditions. In our first scenario, it failed to properly restore three recently deleted JPG images, recovering only one corrupted file. Switching from Regular mode to Extensive mode did not improve the outcome.

Text files performed better. Using the same system drive, the tool successfully recovered three TXT files that had been deleted and removed from the Recycle Bin. All opened correctly and retained readable content. This shows that Windows File Recovery handles small, low-fragmentation files much better than images.

Results from the exFAT USB flash drive were weaker. A few small documents appeared in scan results, but most images and videos were either missing or failed during recovery. Extensive mode again made little difference.

Scan times were short. The 1TB partition finished in under two minutes, and the USB drive scanned even faster. Decent scan times, but the tool was hard to use due to the command-line interface and limited feedback.

Overall, due to Windows File Recovery limitations, it only works in narrow, controlled cases. It can recover basic files under ideal conditions, but it is unreliable for photos, videos, and removable media. As a main recovery option, it is not something we would rely on.

What People Say about the Windows Recovery Tool?

Public opinion around Windows File Recovery is… mixed. Very mixed. We looked at user feedback in three main places: the Microsoft Store (where the tool lives), long-running Reddit threads in r/datarecovery, and community discussions on our forum from people who tried it in real loss scenarios. The overall picture is consistent across all of them.

On the Microsoft Store, Windows File Recovery currently sits at 2.8 out of 5, based on 234 ratings. That alone tells you this is not a universally loved tool. Some users praise it as a lifesaver. Others uninstall it five minutes later and never look back.

“This works with the command line in DOS. There is no explanation on how to use it. For most people it is impossible to use.” Rusty on Microsoft Store

“More complex files (pictures, audio, video) will be ‘recovered’ but unreadable/corrupt.” Jeffrey on Microsoft Store

“I think our collective experience with winFR is that it’s garbage.”

u/77xak on r/datarecovery

“Microsoft: ‘In the Windows file system, the space used by a deleted file is marked as free space, which means the file data can still exist and be recovered. But any use of your computer can create files, which may overwrite this free space at any time.’”

“Also Microsoft: ‘To recover your data, go ahead and download the app from the App Store! Good luck!’”

u/crshovrd on r/sysadmin

As you can see, users don’t hold back in their reviews. Even when following Microsoft’s instructions, many still report empty results, unreadable files, or unusable output, which is why a lot of them end up switching to third-party tools very quickly. One particularly common theme: people expect a Windows app, but get a DOS-style utility instead. That mismatch alone explains a large chunk of the low rating.

Windows File Recovery vs Other Popular Recovery Tools

To understand where Windows File Recovery really stands, it helps to compare it with tools that users commonly turn to when they need to recover files. The differences become clear once you look at usability, file system coverage, and real-world recovery capabilities.

Even basic third-party recovery tools, including fully free ones, offer broader capabilities than Windows File Recovery. Once you compare it with freemium or professional solutions, the gap becomes obvious. Compared to Disk Drill, Windows File Recovery lacks many practical features that make recovery predictable and safer. Disk Drill offers previews, disk image support, stronger media handling, and a clearer workflow that reduces user error.

R-Studio and DMDE target advanced recovery scenarios, including formatted drives, RAW partitions, and RAID structures. PhotoRec also surpasses Windows File Recovery in complex cases. While it does not preserve filenames or folders, its signature-based scan often finds data that Microsoft’s tool misses. Even Recuva, which is far from a professional tool, offers a graphical interface and a smoother experience for simple deletions, which makes it more approachable than Microsoft’s own solution.

Conclusion

Windows File Recovery is best described as a basic, last-resort tool rather than a complete recovery solution. It can recover recently deleted files on NTFS drives and sometimes does that well, but results drop quickly in more complex cases or when dealing with other file systems.

The lack of a graphical interface, previews, and clear guidance makes this tool hard to use for most Windows users. It is not something we would really recommend for actual recovery work.

Since it is free and comes from Microsoft, you can try it out, but it is best to keep expectations low and not rely on it in more serious data loss cases. We recommend considering some better alternatives like Disk Drill or other great data recovery software.

FAQ