[3+2 Methods] Undo Quick Format: Easily and Fast Recover Data

Can I undo quick format and recover files?

When do you need to format the disk? Generally, before using a new hard drive, you need to format it and create a File System, change the file system, or free up drive space. And sometimes, you might accidentally format a hard drive on a Windows computer. But what if you regret the operation and realize you've lost important files? Can you undo a quick format? Yes, you can.

What happens when you quick format an external hard drive? A quick format wipes out the old file system, making the drive look empty, but the old files are still there—you just can’t access them. It removes the files and directory info without changing the actual data, so it’s faster and easier to recover files.

What about a full format? A full format deletes all your files and then overwrites the entire hard drive with zeros, making it impossible to recover lost data. This picture shows the difference between quick format and full format.

How to do quick format recovery?

In this part, we will share 3 methods for you to learn how to undo a formatted hard drive. If you don't have the habits of backing up, you can refer to them. For users who have backups, it is recommended to restore files with them.

Method 1. Undo quick format with AOMEI FastRecovery

In common cases, people can use backups when they lose files after formatting a disk. But accidents usually happen suddenly, no mention that many users don’t have the regular backup habit.

So, how can you quickly recover files after a quick format before the data is overwritten? Are there easy tools to help? Use a professional Windows data recovery app like AOMEI FastRecovery. It should be simple to use, have a clear interface, and offer fast and deep scanning and recovery. This tool support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS in Windows 11/10/8/7 & Windows Server, and can recover data from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and more. You can use it to restore more than a thousand of file types including documents, pictures, texts, compressed files, and so on.

Now learn how to unformat a hard drive and recover the lost data using AOMEI FastRecovery.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

Method 2. Recover quick format data from Windows File Recovery

If you are using Windows 10 versions 2004 or later,  you can use this method to undo quick format and recover lost files. It doesn't have a graphical user interface, to get back lost files, you have to type in certain CMD. You'll have to pick one of four ways to get Windows File Recovery to work right: Regular, Extensive, Segment, and Signature. If you encounter Windows file recovery not working issue during the process. You can click to get the solutions.

To restore files removed from the Recycle Bin, you must first recall the previously saved location and then perform the command: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

Step 1. Type “Microsoft Store” in the search box and open it. And then find “Windows File Recovery” and click “Get”.

Step 2. After installing Windows File Recovery on your computer, type Windows File Recovery in the search box and select “Run as administrator”.

Step 3. Right-click the drive which saved the deleted files and select “Properties” to check the file system.

Step 4. There are some common switches to use. You could check them and their description in the following chart. To find more switches in the Windows File Recovery tutorial.

Step 5. For example, if you want to recover a zip file but you don’t know the detailed name from C: drive to E: drive, you could input the following command: winfr C: E: /regular /n \C:\Recycler\*.zip

Method 3.  Recover a quick formatted hard drive via Previous Versions

Restoring from Previous Versions is an easy way to get back things that you deleted by accident on Windows.You can easily get back to older versions of files if you've set up restore points or turned on File History ahead of time. This process takes regular snapshots of your system's settings so that if you change a file, you can find an older version in these places or in File History backups.

Step 1. Find the file or folder you want to recover in File Explorer. Right-click and choose "Restore Previous Versions". Then pick the right version from the list under "Previous Versions".

Step 2. Click "Restore" to recover it to its original location.

How to unformat a hard drive from backups?

If you regularly back up Windows, you can recover files from backups after a quick format. This works for File History, and OneDrive.

Method 1. Unformat a hard drive and recover data with File History

To recover files from formatted hard drive, you can run Windows File History to do so.

Step 1. Type "File History" in the search box and choose "Restore your files with File History" from the result.

Step 2. Next, search for the file you want to restore, confirm the file, and tap on the green "Restore" button.

Step 3. Then select "Replace the file in the destination" to begin the recovery.

Method 2. Recover formatted data from online backups

If you have regularly backed up your crucial data on cloud platforms like Google Cloud/Backup (Sync), Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, you can utilize these services for data recovery from formatted external hard drives.

▌Recover a quick formatted hard drive files from Google Cloud:

▌Recover files from a formatted hard drive from OneDrive:

Conclusion

This is all about how to undo a quick format and recover lost data. If you have no backup, using a reliable data recovery tool like AOMEI FastRecovery, Windows File Recovery, or Previous Versions are suitable methods for you. We also share how to recover data from a quick formatted hard drive if you have the habit of making backups.