Formatting your computer’s hard drive is often necessary for various reasons such as removing viruses/malware, improving performance, or installing a new operating system. If you format your computer without any backup then you will lose all its content, including your memorable and precious photos. Losing important photos from the formatted computer can be a distressful experience, but there are several effective photo recovery methods available to retrieve them.
This guide will explain various photo recovery methods to help you learn how to recover deleted photos after your computer is formatted. Just go with these methods to recover deleted photos and get all your lost valuable pictures back.
Can I Recover Photos after Format?
Yes, it is possible to recover deleted photos from a formatted computer. The fact is that when you format any storage device, including your computer’s hard drive, all its stored content including photos gets deleted. The space these deleted photos were occupying will be made available for new files. You can easily recover lost pictures until that free space is occupied by a new file or folder.
Recover Deleted Photos from Formatted Computer Using Stellar Photo Recovery
To recover deleted photos from any formatted devices, such as your hard drive, USB drive, SD cards, etc. you can download and install the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your device. This all-in-one photo recovery software allows you to recover deleted photos, videos, and audio files in a few simple clicks. Whether your picture is deleted by formatting the storage drive or due to accidental deletion, virus attacks, corruption, or any other reason, you can easily restore lost data using this tool.
Why Stellar Photo Recovery to Recover Deleted Photos?
The Stellar Photo Recovery software is known for several amazing features, which make it best for your multimedia file recovery. These features include:
- Recover permanently deleted photos, video and audio files of multiple formats.
- Can recover lost photos in multiple formats, including PEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP, and more.
- Supports recovery of photos captured on popular camera brands, such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, Kodak, etc.
- Allows you to preview the recoverable files after scanning the storage device.
- 100% safe and secure tool to download and recover lost photos.
- The software is available in multiple versions which vary in features and prices. Check and compare their features and use the one that best suits your requirement.
Here’s how to recover photos after your computer is formatted using the Stellar Photo Recovery tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your Windows/Mac device. Launch the software and from the homepage, select the storage drive where your deleted photo was earlier stored and click Scan.
Step 2: Wait till the scanning process is completed. After that, preview the recoverable files. If you are not satisfied with the scan results, you can choose the ‘Deep Scan’ option.
Step 3: Select the required photos, videos, and audio files and choose the ones you need to restore. Click the Recover button to save select files at the desired location.
Quick Steps to Recover Deleted Photos Using Backups
If you don’t want to use any third-party photo recovery software to recover deleted photos from your PC, then you can check previously created backups. If you have the habit of creating backups of important and memorable photos, then these backups play a very vital role in restoring lost data. Here are some cloud backup options that you can try:
Use File History (Windows):
Follow the below steps to recover deleted photos from your PC using Windows’ in-built File History backup utility:
- Type CP in the search box, and launch the Control Panel. Go to System and Security > File History.
- Click the “Restore personal files” option from the left navigation pane and open the folder containing your photos.
- Lastly, select the photos and click “Restore” to recover selected pictures at their original location.
Use Time Machine (Mac):
Mac users can recover deleted photos on Mac devices using the built-in Time Machine backup utility. All you have to do is:
- Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select “Enter Time Machine“.
- Browse through the backups to find the photos you want to recover.
- Select the photos and click “Restore” to recover them to their original location.
Via Cloud Backups
Another backup alternative that you can try to recover deleted photos from your PC is by using cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud:
- Firstly, log in to the cloud storage service through a web browser or app.
- Find the folder containing your backed-up photos.
- Select and download the photos to your computer.
How to Prevent Data Loss on Computers?
Formatting a computer is helpful in multiple ways, but it’s crucial to format your device correctly to avoid data loss and ensure the system runs smoothly afterwards. Here are some tips for a smooth formatting process:
- Create Regular Backups: Regularly back up your data to multiple locations, such as an external hard drive, cloud storage, or a network-attached storage (NAS) device.
- Use Reliable Antivirus Software: Protect your computer from malware and viruses by using reputable antivirus software and keeping it updated.
- Avoid Unnecessary Formatting: Only format your hard drive when absolutely required and ensure you have a recent backup before proceeding.
- Enable File History or Time Machine: Enable built-in backup features like File History (Windows) or Time Machine (Mac) to automatically back up your data.
Wrapping Up
Recovering lost photos after formatting your computer can be a challenging task, but with the right tools and photo recovery techniques, you can easily recover deleted photos from your PC. It is important to immediately avoid using the computer after formatting to avoid data overwrites, which makes the recovery process complex. Also, select proper photo recovery software or backup alternatives to successfully recover your lost photos. Additionally, implementing preventive measures such as regular backups and using reliable antivirus software can help protect your data from future loss. With these strategies, you can safeguard your precious memories and ensure they are never lost again.