Losing files on a Windows 11 PC can be stressful, especially when the files are no longer in the Recycle Bin. Things can get worse when an entire drive becomes inaccessible, or Windows suddenly shows a partition as RAW. In such cases, normal file management tools cannot do much.
This is where “data recovery software” can help. iFinD Data Recovery is made for recovering deleted, formatted, and inaccessible files from Windows storage devices. It also includes deeper recovery features such as partition scanning, file carving, and NTFS MFT parsing.
In this review, we looked at these features, the recovery process, and the Windows 11 test results published by iFinD to see what the software actually offers.
iFinD Data Recovery: Quick Overview
Before we get into the details of its recovery features, here is a quick look at what iFinD offers:
| Feature | iFinD Data Recovery |
| Windows 11 support | Yes |
| Deleted file recovery | Yes |
| Formatted drive recovery | Yes |
| RAW partition recovery | Yes |
| Lost partition recovery | Yes |
| NTFS/MFT parsing | Yes |
| Deep scanning | Yes |
| File carving | Yes |
| File preview | Yes |
| Free recovery | Up to 1GB |
| Supported storage | HDD, SSD, USB, SD cards and more |
The software supports Windows 11 as well as older versions such as Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. It also supports various storage devices and file systems such as NTFS, exFAT, and different FAT formats.
How Does iFinD Recover Lost Files?
Not every data-loss situation is the same. A recently deleted photo is different from a drive that has suddenly become RAW.
iFinD uses different methods depending on the condition of the storage device.
For normal deleted-file recovery, the software can use information that remains in the file system. On an NTFS drive, this includes information from the Master File Table, or MFT.
The MFT contains records about files and folders on an NTFS volume. When these records are still available, they can help recovery software understand where files were located and what their original names were.
When the file system is badly damaged, another method becomes useful: file carving.
Rather than depending completely on the original file and folder records, file carving looks through storage sectors for known file patterns. So, even if Windows cannot show the original folder, the recovery software may still find the data itself.
Test 1: Recovering Deleted Files
Deleted files are usually easier to recover when the storage space they occupied has not been used for new data.
iFinD’s own published comparison test used a drive containing:
- 8 folders
- 156 files
- Deleted data that needed to be recovered
According to iFinD, the software found all eight folders and all 156 files. The company also reports that the recovered files opened correctly. During the deeper scan, iFinD identified 6,256 files.
Note: This may sound encouraging to you, but there is an important detail here. These numbers come from iFinD’s own test, not an independent testing lab.
Test 2: Deep Partition Recovery and RAW Drives
A RAW drive is a different problem.
Windows may detect the drive but ask you to format it before using it. Sometimes, the partition may not appear at all. If this happens, do not format the drive right away.
Formatting can make the recovery situation more difficult. Instead, a recovery tool can be used to scan the storage for existing file-system information and recoverable files.
iFinD has a separate Partition Recovery mode for missing, deleted, damaged, and inaccessible partitions. It can also scan and recover data from RAW drives.
The basic difference is:
- File Recovery: Useful when the partition is still visible but files are missing.
- Partition Recovery: More suitable when the partition itself is missing or inaccessible.
- Deep Scan/File Carving: Useful when normal file-system information is damaged.
iFinD also has a formatted-drive test in which it found 14,272 files, compared with 11,304 found by Recuva in its stated test conditions. Again, this is a vendor-published comparison, so it should be treated as a reference rather than a universal recovery benchmark.
NTFS MFT Parsing: What Makes It Useful?
If you use Windows, your storage drive may use the NTFS file system.
The Master File Table is an important part of NTFS. It keeps records related to files and directories. When files are deleted, some of this information can remain on the drive for a while.
This is where MFT parsing can help.
Instead of searching the drive blindly, recovery software can examine the remaining NTFS records and use them to identify files and their locations. This can make the results easier to understand and may help preserve original file names and folder structures.
As per iFinD, it can parse residual MFT records and directory information during recovery. It also describes using deeper scanning when the available file-system information is not enough.
But there is no guarantee that the original structure will always come back. If the MFT has been badly damaged or overwritten, the software may have to depend more on file carving.
What About Actual File Restoration?
File restoration is indeed one of the most important things for users to consider.
Finding 10,000 files in a scan is not very useful if the files cannot be opened afterward.
iFinD includes a preview option, which lets users check supported files before recovering them. This can be especially helpful when a scan returns a large number of results.
For example, if you find hundreds of photos but only need a few, you can preview them first and choose the ones you want to recover.
The company’s published test also mentions successful preview of camera RAW files. iFinD supports many common document, image, and video formats, including formats such as:
- JPG and other image files
- Camera RAW files
- DOCX
- XLSX
- PPTX
- MP4 and other video files
- ZIP and archive files
The exact result will depend on how much of the original file is still there on the storage device.
How to Use iFinD on Windows 11
The recovery process is fairly straightforward.
You generally start by selecting the type of recovery you need and then choosing the affected drive. After that, the software scans the storage and displays the files it can find.
The process looks roughly like this:
Step 1: Select drive
Step 2: Scan
Step 3: Check results
Step 4: Preview files
Step 5: Recover
There is also a saved scan/resume option, which can be useful when dealing with a large drive that takes a long time to scan.
One rule is especially important: recover the files to a different drive.
For example, if files were lost from an external HDD, do not save the recovered files back to that same HDD. The new data could overwrite parts of the drive that may still contain other recoverable files.
iFinD Data Recovery Pricing
iFinD provides a free version with up to 1GB of recovery. Its official store currently lists these Windows plans:
| Plan | Listed Price |
| Home Monthly | $49.90 |
| Pro Perpetual | $59.90 |
| Pro+ Perpetual, 3 PCs | $99.90 |
| Business Pro | $299.90 |
What We Like About iFinD
After looking at its recovery features and published tests, a few things stand out.
1. It goes beyond simple undelete recovery
The software also deals with formatted drives, RAW partitions, and missing partitions.
2. MFT parsing is useful for NTFS drives
The ability to examine remaining MFT information gives it another recovery method besides basic file searching.
3. Deep scanning is available
When the file system is damaged, deeper sector-level scanning and file carving can help locate files that normal recovery may miss.
4. File preview is practical
You can check files before recovering them instead of blindly saving every scan result.
5. There is a free recovery allowance
The 1GB free limit gives users a chance to test the recovery results first.
Things to Keep in Mind
No data recovery program can promise that every lost file will come back.
The chances of recovery depend on several things, including:
- Whether new files have overwritten the lost data
- How badly the file system is damaged
- Whether the storage device is physically healthy
- Whether the original file structure is still available
- The type of storage being used
SSD recovery can also be more complicated because of features such as TRIM. And if a hard drive is making unusual clicking sounds or is not being detected properly because of physical damage, repeatedly scanning it with software may not be the right approach.
In these situations, you may need help from a professional data recovery service.
Final Thoughts
iFinD Data Recovery can recover recently deleted files as well as data from formatted drives, RAW partitions, and missing partitions. Features like NTFS MFT parsing and file carving help find lost data in difficult cases.
Its Windows 11 tests show successful file recovery, but these are company results, not a guarantee. Users should stop using the affected drive, preview files, and recover them to another device. The 1GB free limit allows testing before purchase.
