Many data recovery programs exist that can help recover your accidentally deleted files for free.   They also can help you recover, or "undelete" files on your computer.

1.   Undelete 360

Undelete 360 is the free version of a commercial product, and so leaves out some useful features (file filtering, previews and so on).   These still appear in the interface, though, and suggest you upgrade if you ever click on them, which can be annoying.

There are no restrictions on the amount or size of the files you can recover, though, and otherwise the program is very simple to use: point it at a drive, it'll scan for deleted files, then you can view particular file types (JPGs, PDFs, videos and more) by choosing them from a tree.
Scanning speed isn't great, but Undelete 360 can recover files that other programs miss , and so it's definitely worth considering.

2.   Puran File Recovery

Puran File Recovery is one of the better free data recovery programs I've seen.   It's very easy to use, will scan any drive that Windows sees, and has a lot of advanced options if you need them.
One particular thing to note - Puran File Recovery identified more files on my test machine than most other tools so be sure to give this one a shot in addition to Recuva if it didn't find what you were looking for.

Puran File Recovery will even recover lost partitions if they haven't been overwritten yet.
Puran File Recovery v1.  2 Review and Free Download
Puran File Recovery works with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP.   It's also available in portable form for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows so it doesn't require installation.

3.   PC Inspector File Recovery

PC Inspector File Recovery did well in our tests, correctly locating the full set of missing files on both FAT and NTFS drives.   These are clearly presented in a simple folder view, there's also a simple search dialog to help you locate files by name, and the program can then restore them to local or network drives.

Getting to this point may take a while, though, as the interface is a confusing mess of tabs (we'd recommend you experiment on a USB key or some other spare drive until you've figured it out).
It's a little odd that the program can preview files as text or a hex dump, but won't preview JPEGs.   PC Inspector File Recovery deserves a look for its core engine, then, but you'll need some patience to take full advantage of it.

4.   TOKIWA DataRecovery

TOKIWA DataRecovery is an effective data recovery program and is very similar to many others on my list.
The best thing TOKIWA DataRecovery has going for it is its ease of use.   It has a single program window where you can scan for files to recovery, sort the files, and undelete them.   There are no complicated procedures at all.

TOKIWA DataRecovery can recover files from hard drives, memory cards, USB drives, and other external drives.

TOKIWA DataRecovery is a standalone, 412KB file making it a completely portable tool suitable for a USB drive or floppy disk.

DataRecovery supports Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, 2000, NT, ME, 98, and 95.   I successfully tested TOKIWA DataRecovery with Windows 8.

5.   Pandora Recovery

Unlike some of the competition, Pandora Recovery doesn't just present the files it finds in a single list.
You can also browse them in an Explorer-like folder view, or use an excellent search tool to filter them by file name, size, creation or "last modified" dates (so you could search for everything altered yesterday, for instance).   Images can be previewed, too.

Unfortunately file detection isn't always so reliable, particularly on FAT drives, and the program's quick scan didn't recover anything for us.
The more thorough Surface Scan mode did retrieve everything, though, so on balance we'd say Pandora Recovery is still worth a try.

6.   Recuva

Recuva is the very best free data recovery software tool available, hands down.   It's very easy to use but has many optional advanced features as well.
Recuva can recover files from hard drives, external drives (USB drives, etc.  ), BD/DVD/CD discs, and memory cards.   Recuva can even undelete files from your iPod!

Recuva will undelete files in Windows 8 & 8.  1, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008/2003, and older Windows versions like 2000, NT, ME and 98.   64-bit Windows versions are also supported.   There is also a 64-bit version Recuva available.

Undeleting a file with Recuva is as easy as deleting one! I highly recommend that you try Recuva first if you need to recover a file.
Recuva v1.  51.  1063 Review and Free Download
Piriform provides both an installable and a portable version of Recuva.   I tested file recovery with Recuva v1.  51.  1063 using their portable version in Windows 8.  1.

Read more >>hxxp: www.trendymediablog.com/2014/11/21-free-data-recovery-software-tools.html