2022 Quick Format Recovery: Recover Data/Files from Hard Drive after Quick Format

If you need to recover lost files after a quick format, you can try using software designed to recover formatted files. These tools can scan your device and attempt to recover deleted files, but the success of the process depends on various factors, including the type of file system used, the amount of data that was overwritten, and the condition of the device's storage media. It's also worth noting that quick formatting often overwrites the file system, making recovery more challenging.

PAGE CONTENT:

Part 1. How to Perform Quick Format Recovery - Undo Quick Format
Part 2. Overview of Quick Format
Bonus Tip: How To Safely Perform a Quick Format without Losing Data

Can I Still Recover Files after Quick Format

"I accidentally quick formatted a hard drive and lost some important files saved in that drive. Can I possibly undo the format and recover data after quick format?

Here are some reliable quick format recovery tools: Deep Data Recovery Wizard, Disk Drill, and Recuva. These tools can help recover data from formatted drives, including documents, photos, and videos. They work by scanning the formatted drive for recoverable files and allowing you to preview and recover them. It's worth noting that the success of data recovery depends on various factors, including the type of file system used, the amount of data overwritten, and the quality of the recovery software.

Quick Format

 Important: Once you've finished quick formatting your device, stop using it right away to prevent any further data loss. This will give you the best chance of recovering your lost files.

You can easily and safely recover lost data with the software Deep Data Recovery, which offers a reliable and quick format recovery tool. This tool allows you to recover data files from a formatted drive, partition, or external storage device in just three simple steps.

Part 1. How to Perform Quick Format Recovery - Undo Quick Format

Applies to: To unformat a hard drive and recover data from a disk that was quickly formatted by mistake, you can try using data recovery software. This software can scan the formatted disk and recover deleted files.

In this part, you'll learn:

1. A tool that can be used to recover data from a disk that was quick formatted is Recuva. It is a free data recovery software that can recover files from a disk that has been formatted, including quick formatted disks.
2. To unformat a hard drive and recover data from a quick format, you can use specialized software such as Recuva, Deep Data Recovery Wizard, or Disk Drill. These tools can scan the hard drive for recoverable files, even after a quick format.

Formatting a storage device is more complex than deleting files, and you can't recover all lost data using the recycle bin. Therefore, you'll need to use a reliable format recovery tool to get back all your formatted files.

2022 Best Quick Format Recovery Tool Free Download

Deep Data Recovery is an ideal choice to recover lost data, enabling you to rescue lost files from formatted drives with a corrupted file system, invalid or RAW issues. It fully scans the formatted device and lists all found files for preview on its scanning result window.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

What else can Qiling quick format recovery tool do:

Recover files from various data loss scenarios, including software crashes, virus attacks, accidental deletions, RAW issues, and hard disk damage, among others.
Data recovery software can recover data from various storage devices, including hard drives, partitions, SD cards, USB flash drives, memory cards, and more.
The file type retrieval feature supports various file types, including photos, videos, audio files, emails, and documents, among others.

If your disk has been formatted, don't panic! You can recover files from a formatted disk on your own.

#1. Perform Quick Format Recovery - Recover Files from Quick Formatted Drive

Note: To increase the chances of successful data recovery, install Qiling data recovery software on a separate disk, rather than the formatted one.

Step 1. Run Deep Data Recovery. Choose file types and click "Next" to start the recovery process.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. To recover data from a formatted hard drive partition, select the partition that was mistakenly formatted and click the "Scan" button.

Step 3. After starting the software, it will begin scanning the hard drive for lost data and files. Once the scan is complete, you can use the "Filter" feature to quickly find specific file types, or click "Search files or folders" to select the data you want to recover.

Step 4. Preview the scanned files. Then, select the ones that you wish to recover and click "Recover". Choose a new location to store the files and click "OK".

Note If you want to revert the formatted device to its previous file system, save the recovered data to another secure location first. Then, follow the tips below to unformat the drive.

Bonus Tip: If Qiling quick format recovery tool doesn't find your lost formatted data, you may also turn to Qiling data recovery service for a try.

If you need help recovering data, Qiling Data Recovery Experts offer a one-on-one manual recovery service after a free diagnosis. This service includes various options such as consulting with experts, and providing assistance with data recovery after the diagnosis.

Repair corrupted RAID structure, unbootable Windows OS and corrupted virtual disk file (.vmdk, .vhd, .vhdx, etc.)
Recover/repair lost partition and re-partitioned drive
Unformat hard drive and repair raw drive (BitLocker encrypted drive)
Fix disks that become GPT protected partitions

#2. Undo Quick Format - Unformat Hard Drive to Its Previous State

If you've changed the device file system while quick formatting the device, you may want to revert it back to its previous format. To do this, you can try the following tips for help.

Step 1. Connect the formatted external device to your computer.

Step 2. To format a drive, open Windows File Explorer, right-click on the drive, and select the "Format" option from the context menu. This will erase all data on the drive and prepare it for new files.

Step 3. To set the file system back to the previous format, click "Start" and follow the instructions to restore the previous version of the file system. This will undo any changes made to the file system since the last backup.

Format device to its previous file system.

It's recommended to set the file system for a storage device to NTFS for Windows hard drive partitions and FAT32/exFAT for external hard drives.

After recovering the data, you can save it back to your storage device and continue using the device as usual.

Part 2. Overview of Quick Format

After recovering data from a formatted hard drive, you may want to learn more about Quick Format. This process allows you to quickly erase data on a hard drive, making it available for reuse. Quick Format is a faster alternative to a full format, which completely wipes the drive and can take longer to complete.

1. What is a quick format
2. Does quick format erase all data
3. Why could you recover data after quick format

Quick Format vs. Full Format

Quick format and full format are two methods to format a hard drive partition. Quick format is a faster method that simply wipes the partition table and marks the space as available, while full format, also known as complete format, completely erases all data on the partition, overwrites the entire disk, and updates the partition table, making it the more secure option.

The main difference between Full Format and Quick Format is that Full Format scans the entire volume, including bad sectors, to ensure a clean start, whereas Quick Format only rewrites the volume's metadata, leaving existing data and bad sectors intact.

Full Format A formatting process is a formatting process that completely resets a storage device by removing address files and scanning bad sectors, effectively erasing all data on the device.
Quick Format The process of setting a storage device to full capacity by removing all saved data and resetting its file system, skipping bad sectors, is called a quick format.

Does Quick Format erase all data?

A Quick Format is faster than a Full format and only removes saved data, not completely erasing it.

Yes, it is possible to recover lost data after a quick format of a hard drive. The process involves using specialized software to scan the hard drive for any remaining data, which can be accessed even after a quick format. This is because a quick format only deletes the file system and does not overwrite the actual data on the drive.

Why could you recover data after quick format?

Quick format is possible because it only removes data from the target device, without wiping or erasing it. This process rebuilds the file system, leaving the data area intact, meaning it won't be damaged.

To recover a quick-formatted drive or storage device and all its important files, it's essential to stop using the drive immediately. This allows for a higher chance of successfully retrieving data, as continued use can lead to overwriting of the original data, making recovery more difficult or even impossible.

To undo a quick format, you'll need professional data recovery software to recover lost data and then revert the file system back to its previous state.

Bonus Tip: How To Safely Perform a Quick Format without Losing Data

To safely quick format a device without losing any data, follow these steps: First, ensure you have backed up all important files and data from the device. Then, go to the device's settings and look for the "Format" or "Quick Format" option. Select this option and confirm the action.

#1. Back-Up Data to Another Device in Advance

To prevent data loss when quick formatting a drive, create a backup of your data in advance. You can either clone the drive to an external storage device or use a backup software to create an image of the drive, allowing you to restore your data if needed. This proactive approach ensures your important files and folders are safely preserved, even if you decide to reformat the drive for any reason.

Manually copying and pasting valuable files to another location one by one is a time-consuming process.
To ensure a smooth transition, it's also important to select and back up all valuable data at one time with the help of reliable file backup software.

#2. Use the Default File System While Quick Formatting A Disk

If you don't have a specific need to change the file system, it's recommended to use the default file system provided by Windows when quick formatting a drive, as it's usually sufficient for most users.

In part 1, we introduced the way to undo a quick format using Windows file explorer, and you can also follow the same steps to execute a quick format, just don't change the file system.

Here’s how to quickly format a hard drive using Disk Management:

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer.

Step 2. Right-click "This PC/My Computer", click "Manage", and select "Disk Management".

Step 3. Right-click the target drive and select "Format".

Step 4. To quickly format your target drive, select the option "Perform a quick format" and click "OK".

Note: Don't change the file system as shown below. Just use the default format for your drive.

Quick format drive

After the process is complete, your drive is formatted and you can use it for saving data or other purposes again.

The Bottom Line

If you need to recover files from a storage device that has been formatted, we recommend using Deep Data Recovery, a reliable quick format recovery tool. This tool can help you recover files from the device, and if you've changed the file system, you can also reformat the drive to revert its format to the previous state.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

We also collected information about Quick Format and provided tips on how to safely quick format a device without losing data by creating a backup in advance and using the default file system recommended by Windows.

Quick Format FAQs

If you have any remaining questions about Quick Format, check out the Q&A section below for potential answers. It may provide the solution you're looking for.

1. Formatting a hard drive can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the drive and the speed of the computer's processor. A small drive with a few hundred gigabytes may take only a few minutes to format, while a larger drive with multiple terabytes may take significantly longer.

The time it takes for a quick format on a hard drive can vary greatly depending on several factors, including the size of the drive, the type of drive (HDD or SSD), and the operating system being used. Generally, a quick format on a smaller SSD (512GB or less) might take around 1-5 minutes, while a larger HDD (1TB or more) could take anywhere from 10-30 minutes or even longer. Additionally, if the drive is heavily fragmented or contains a large number of files, the format time may be significantly longer.

Format tool for quick format
Used space on your device
USB connection cable for external storage device - 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0

Formatting a hard drive can take anywhere from 3-5 minutes for small drives (up to 50GB), 20-30 minutes for medium-sized drives (50-500GB), and 1-3 hours or even longer for larger drives (1-2TB).

2. Can I recover files from a low-level formatted drive?

If you proceed with the low-level formatting process without interrupting it, the data recovery is unlikely. However, if you pause the formatting process before it's completed, there's a possibility of recovering data, especially if you have a backup power source or a battery-powered device that can be used to interrupt the formatting process. In such cases, the data recovery success rate is relatively high.

1. Low-level format didn't utterly finish.
2. Low-level format procedure stopped or you halted the operation.
3. The data sectors of storage devices were not completely erased or were only partially deleted.

3. What do I do if the computer says "Windows was unable to complete the format"?

Here are 7 fixes to resolve the "Windows was unable to complete the format" error:

#1. Use Qiling Partition Master
#2. Run Diskpart Command
#3. Use Disk Management
#4. Clear Virus
#5. Remove Write Protection
#6. Check and Fix Disk Error
#7. Repair Bad Sectors

For a step-by-step guide, please refer to: How to Fix "Windows Was Unable To Complete The Format" Error for help.