I accidentally factory reset my computer without backing up my files first. Is there any way to get my documents and photos back?
Recovery is possible but you need to act fast — do NOT install new programs or save new files to the computer because that overwrites the space where your old files existed. After a factory reset, the files are not immediately erased — the space is just marked as available. Download a data recovery tool onto a USB drive from another computer. Recommended free tools include Recuva by Piriform, TestDisk, or PhotoRec. Install and run the recovery tool from the USB drive (not from the reset computer's hard drive). Scan your C drive and the tool will find recoverable files. Success rates vary: if the reset was recent and you have not used the computer much since, recovery rates of 60 to 80 percent are common. If the reset was a while ago and you have been using the computer, the chances are lower because new data overwrites old file locations. For the best results with important files, consider a professional data recovery service — they cost $300 to $1500 but have specialized equipment that can recover data even from formatted drives. For the future, set up automatic cloud backup using OneDrive, Google Drive, or Backblaze to prevent this situation.
