DEV Community: catherinemcguire

Softaken Enhances Windows Data Recovery with Advanced Scanning for Deleted and Lost Files?

catherinemcguire — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:24:38 +0000

Summary

Softaken has enhanced its Windows data recovery solution with advanced scanning features to recover deleted, lost and permanently deleted files for the users. The software offers a practical recovery workflow for Windows users that need to recover files lost due to accidental deletion, loss in the Recycle Bin, deletion using Shift+Delete and other common data-loss scenarios.

Data Loss can happen unexpectedly due to accidental deletion, formatting, system problems or other storage related issues. It is especially difficult to get important files back if they are not even accessible through the normal Windows recovery options. Softaken Data Recovery Software deals with these situations with scanning and filtering features to locate recoverable files quickly.

Advanced Lost and Deleted Data Scanning

One of the important features of Windows Data Recovery is its Deep Scanning mechanism. The software performs a deep scan of the storage media to find files that may not be detected by a simple scan.

This feature is useful especially for files deleted with Shift+Delete command or files that are no longer available in the Recycle Bin. The software can scan the selected drive and display the recoverable data for selection.

Restore Files from Recycle Bin

Windows recycle bin can often help you to recover files which have been accidentally deleted. It has a dedicated Recycle Bin recovery feature that allows deleted items to be restored with their available names and metadata.

Users can scan the Recycle Bin and find the files they need, instead of having to search through a large number of deleted files.

FAT and NTFS file system support

Windows Data Recovery works with common Windows file systems, FAT, NTFS. This makes the software suitable for a wide range of storage environments on Windows.

The software also has technical recovery capabilities, including NTFS Master File Table analysis, FAT directory entry recovery, low-level sector analysis and file signature detection.

Recover different file types

Data loss is not just documents. The users may need to restore photos, videos, audio files, archives and other types of content.

Windows Data Recovery supports recovery of several common file categories. Users can search for different types of data through one recovery flow.

More options for search and filter

Searching a large drive can take a long time to locate one particular file. To make this process easier, offers search and filtering options to help users refine scan results.

This enables users to find specific files and select which ones to recover instead of restoring unnecessary data.

Batch Data Recovery

Another handy feature is batch recovery. Instead of restoring each file individually, users can select more than one retrievable item and restore them all at once.

This can be especially useful in case a lot of files have been deleted by mistake or that an entire folder contains important data that can be recovered.

Easy recovery process

aims at providing a simple workflow that can be followed by both beginners and experienced Windows users.

The fundamental recovery process is:

Step 1: Download and Launch the Software

Install Windows Data Recovery and run the application on the Windows computer.

Step 2: Choose the Drive

Choose the drive or storage location where the deleted or lost files were originally saved.

Step 3: Start Scanning

Run the correct scan to find recoverable files. Deep scanning can be used when files cannot be found with a standard scan.

*Step 4: Preview & Filter Results

Check the detected files, and use search or filtering to find the data you need.

Step 5: Choose Files for Recovery

Select one or more files to restore.

Step 6: Choose a Destination
Choose a safe place to save the recovered files and finish the recovery process.

For Windows Users

Designed for Windows systems, the software provides an easy-to-use interface that simplifies the recovery process. According to the current product requires Windows 10 or later with 64-bit environment and minimum 4 GB RAM.

Its combination of scanning, filtering, preview and batch recovery features makes it a good choice for those who prefer a structured way to recover accidentally deleted or lost files.

Why Advanced Scanning is Important in Data Recovery

When a file is deleted, its visible entry may be gone, but recoverable data may remain on the storage device until overwritten. This is the reason for users to not write unnecessary data to the affected drive after data loss.

Deep scanning helps you find files that are not easily accessible with traditional recovery methods. However, the recovery results may depend on the drive’s condition, overwriting, the file-system structure, and the data loss type.

Conclusion

Windows Data Recovery is an all-in-one solution to recover deleted & lost files in windows system. Thanks to features such as Deep Scan technology, Recycle Bin recovery, FAT and NTFS support, advanced search and filtering, multiple file-type recovery, and batch restoration, the process of recovery is simplified.

offers a recovery workflow that blends scanning technology with an easy-to-use interface for users facing challenges in recovering accidentally deleted files, Shift+Delete deletions, or difficult-to-locate data. Users can also test the available trial version to determine if the full version meets their recovery needs.

FAQ

1. What is Windows Data Recovery?
Softaken Windows Data Recovery is a software tool that can help you recover deleted, lost and inaccessible files from Windows storage media.

2. Can Softaken recover my permanently deleted files?
Yes. It has advanced and deep scanning capabilities that can help to find permanently deleted files that are no longer available in Recycle Bin.

3. What file systems does Softaken Windows Data Recovery support?
The software is capable to recover various types of deleted and lost data from popular file systems of Windows like NTFS, FAT.

4. How does Softaken Windows Data Recovery function?
The user needs to select the affected drive, allow a scan on it, preview and filter the recoverable files, select the required data and save the recovered files to a safe destination.

Softaken Windows Data Recovery Review 2026: Features, Pros, Cons & Windows File Recovery Performance

catherinemcguire — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:05:40 +0000

Summary

It can be frustrating to lose important files from a Windows computer, particularly when files have been deleted permanently, removed from the Recycle Bin or deleted using the Shift + Delete command. In such cases, specialized data recovery software can help users to scan their storage to find potentially recoverable files.

Softaken Windows Data Recovery is a software utility to recover deleted and lost files for Windows users. Supports FAT and NTFS file systems with Recycle Bin recovery, Shift + Delete recovery, deep scan, search and filter, duplicate-file handling and batch recovery. The software currently supports Windows 10 and later 64 bit editions.

In this review, we will discuss about its major features, advantages, limitations, performance considerations and complete recovery procedure.

What Is Data Recovery Software for Windows?

Windows data recovery software is designed to locate files that are no longer accessible by standard Windows file-management techniques.

When you delete a file , the OS may delete the reference to the file you see , but parts of the file data itself may remain on disk until overwritten by new data . Recovery software looks at the structure of the storage and attempts to find these leftover data traces.

Thus, recovery software can be useful for accidental delete, emptying the Recycle Bin folder, Shift + Delete, and some data-loss situations related to the file system.

But you can never be sure of the outcome. The longer a storage device is used after deletion , the more likely it is that new data will be written over the data that was deleted .

The application includes several features to make recovery of Windows files easier.

1. Recover Files from Recycle Bin

The software is able to scan the Windows Recycle Bin to find and recover deleted items. Official product information says that it can also preserve original available names and metadata during Recycle Bin recovery.

This can be useful when users deleted documents, images, videos or other files by mistake.

2. Recovery Shift + Delete

Files deleted with Shift + Delete don’t go through the normal Recycle Bin workflow. The application scans the relevant storage location and provides the recovery of these permanently deleted files.

3. Scanning Deep

Deep Scan is useful when a regular search may not be sufficient.

The software will also do a more in-depth search of deleted data, to find files that may no longer show up in the standard Windows interface.

A deep scan can take longer than a basic scan, especially on larger drives .

4. Support for FAT and NTFS

The software is compatible with NTFS and FAT file systems. This provides flexibility to Windows users to recover data from supported storage configurations.

5. Restore Different File Formats

The application supports recovery of common file categories such as:

Pictures
Audio files Videos Archives

This makes it suitable for a range of common everyday data loss situations.

6. Search and Filter Capabilities

A big recovery scan can give a lot of results. It can therefore take time to manually go through all detected files.

Advanced search and filtering options help users narrow down results and find specific files faster.

7. Recovery of Batch

Users can recover multiple items together rather than restoring files one by one.

This batch operation can be very useful when recovering large numbers of documents, photographs, videos or other files.

8. Working with Duplicate Files

Duplicate detection helps users deal with the results of duplicate recovery. In case of duplicate copies of the same file, the user can take care of the duplicates at the time of recovery instead of restoring.

9. Recovery Custom Destination

The user can select the destination of the recovered files, instead of a fixed one.

It is recommended that you save the recovered data to a different drive or location, if possible, to reduce the chance of overwriting other potentially recoverable data.

10. Simple user interface

The product page emphasizes a simple layout and a step-based recovery workflow. This can help to facilitate the application for users with limited technical knowledge.

How to Recover Deleted Files: Step by Step

The recovery workflow is pretty straightforward. Here is a complete process, step by step.

1. Install the software.

First, download and install the data recovery application on a compatible Windows computer.

The current specs are Windows 10 or higher, 64-bit, with 4 GB of RAM and 100 MB of free disk space. Also administrator privileges are required.

Note: If the deleted files were on a specific drive don’t unnecessarily use that drive before beginning the recovery.

Step 2: Start the Application

Start the installed recovery software.

The main interface leads you through the scanning and recovery process. The simple layout is designed to facilitate users in navigating the process of recovery without complex configuration.

Step 3: Choose the Drive

Choose the drive from where the deleted files were originally saved.

For example, if the document that was deleted was on the C: drive, select the source drive accordingly.

It is important to select the correct source as the application needs to scan the location where the potentially recoverable data is located.

Step 4: Begin Scanning

After selecting the desired drive, start the scanning process.

The application scans the selected storage location and tries to locate deleted files. The deep scan mechanism can do a more detailed search in difficult recovery situations.

The time to check depends on things such as the capacity of the drive, the storage conditions, the file-system structure, and the amount of data being examined.

Step 5: Review Scan Results

Review detected files after the scan is complete.

If a lot of results are shown, use the search and filter options to narrow the list.

If you just want photos, for example, you can focus on image related results and not look at each detected object by hand.

Step 6. Select Files to Recover

Select the files you want to restore.

You can select all files at once and recover them, instead of recovering each file individually if you have to recover more than one file.

Duplicate handling can also help reduce unnecessary copies at this stage.

Step 7: Choose a Destination

Select the destination location to store the recovered files.

If possible use a different drive than the source drive . This is an important recovery practice because writing recovered files back to the same storage device can risk overwriting other deleted data.

Step 8: Begin recovery

Choose the files and the destination, then start the recovery operation.

The application restores the selected files to the specified location. Batch processing can be handy if you are recovering multiple items simultaneously.

Performance Evaluation

The performance of data recovery depends on many factors, so it is difficult to judge the recovery software only by the scanning speed.

Storage capacity, file system condition, amount of deleted information, drive health and data overwriting can affect the results.

The application combines standard scan with deep scan, search and filter, duplicate management and batch recovery. These features are designed to make the recovery process easier, especially when users have to deal with a large amount of deleted files.

Deep scanning takes longer because it takes a more thorough scan of the storage device. So users should not necessarily equate a longer scan with bad performance.

The fact that the software is available to try out for free is also useful as users can preview potentially recoverable data and test the recovery workflow before buying the full version.

Advantages

Supports Windows 10 64-bit and later.
NTFS and FAT file system support
Recovers Deleted Recycle Bin Data
Supports Undo Shift + Delete
Includes deep scanning.
Supports images, audio, videos and archives
It provides search and filter options
Enables batch file recovery
Has duplicate file handling
Allows user to select where to recover to
Provides a free trial
Provides simple recovery workflow

Cons

Windows-focused vs. cross-platform recovery solution
System requirements: 64-bit Windows 10 or newer (at time of writing)
Deep scanning might take longer on bigger storage devices
Whether deleted data has been overwritten will determine the success of recovery
Physical damage to storage may require professional hardware-level recovery services
System Specifications

The current product specs state the following requirements:

Explanation of Requirement
Operating System Windows 10 and later
Architecture 64 bit RAM Minimum 4 GB
Free disk space 100 MB Processor Any Pentium Class Privileges Administrator Privileges Language English

The demands are not big so the software shouldn’t need a high-end computer just to do basic recovery operations.

Free Demo or Full Version

The product page contains a demo version and a full version.

The demo allows you to enjoy features like Recycle Bin Recovery, Shift + Delete Recovery, Deep Scan Technology and supports multiple formats. The full version adds lifetime availability and is currently on sale for $29 on the product page.

The trial approach can be useful for users who want to determine if their required files are detectable before committing to the full version.

Who is this recovery tool for?

This solution may be well suited for:

Windows users who have lost files by accident
Users who cleared the Recycle Bin
Those who used Shift + Delete
People recovered images, videos, audio or archives
FAT or NTFS storage users
Users who want to recover multiple files simultaneously
Beginners interested in a simple recovery workflow

Software recovery is less suitable as a guarantyd solution for physically failing or severely damaged drives. In those cases, you might want to consider a professional data-recovery service.

Final Thoughts

This Windows data recovery solution offers a limited but useful set of features for typical file-loss scenarios. For Windows users who want to recover deleted files, there are multiple options such as Recycle Bin recovery, Shift + Delete recovery, deep scanning, FAT/NTFS support, search and filtering, duplicate management, and batch recovery.

The step by step workflow is another advantage for the beginners and the free trial lets you try it out to see if the files can be detected before purchasing.

FAQ’s

Can it recover Shift + Deleted files?

Yes. The software specifically supports deleted files using the Shift + Delete command.

Support for NTFS and FAT?

Yeah. Supports both the NTFS and FAT file systems.

Can I recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin?

Yes, Recycle Bin recovery is one of the main functions, recovery including the available original names and meta data.

Can I recover multiple files at once?

Yes. Batch recovery lets the user select and recover multiple files at once.

Softaken Mac Data Recovery Review 2026: A Closer Look at APFS Snapshots, Deep Scan & File Recovery

catherinemcguire — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:39:12 +0000

Losing important files from a Mac can be stressful, especially when the data has been deleted, a drive has been formatted, or a storage volume becomes inaccessible. While macOS provides options such as Trash and Time Machine, these methods may not always be enough. Dedicated data recovery software can provide additional ways to locate and restore missing files.

In this Softaken Mac Data Recovery Review 2026, we look at its recovery sources, APFS Snapshot support, Deep Scan, preview functionality, supported file systems, external-drive recovery, and overall usability. We will also cover the pros and cons to help users decide whether this recovery solution fits their requirements.

What Is Softaken Mac Data Recovery?

Mac Data Recovery is a recovery application designed specifically for macOS environments. According to Softaken, the software can recover deleted or lost documents, photos, videos, music, and other files from Mac storage and compatible external media.

The software supports APFS, HFS+, HFS, and ExFAT volumes, while FAT32 and NTFS are also supported in applicable external-drive scenarios. It is compatible with Mac devices including MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro.

One of its main differentiators is its snapshot-first recovery approach, which checks available APFS snapshots before moving to deeper scanning techniques.

APFS Snapshot Recovery

APFS Snapshot support is one of the more interesting features of Softaken Mac Data Recovery.

APFS snapshots can contain earlier versions of data and may provide a faster recovery route for recently lost files. Softaken states that its software checks local APFS snapshots as part of its recovery workflow before relying on deeper scanning methods.

This can be useful when a recently deleted file may still exist within an available snapshot.

Instead of immediately performing a lengthy disk-wide scan, the snapshot-first approach attempts to use a potentially more direct recovery source.

Deep Scan and RAW Recovery

When files cannot be located through conventional sources, Deep Scan becomes important.

provides signature-based deep carving for difficult recovery situations. The product page states that it supports 13+ core file signatures and five advanced scan modes.

RAW recovery can be particularly useful when a volume has suffered logical problems or when the original file-system information is no longer sufficient to locate files.

However, RAW recovery generally has limitations. File names and original folder structures may not always be recoverable when files are found through signature-based carving. Therefore, users should preview the results before committing to recovery.

Multiple Recovery Sources

Another notable aspect of the software is that it isn't limited to conventional disk scanning.

Lists more than 11 recovery source providers, including:

APFS Snapshots
Time Machine
Trash
Apple Notes
Photos
Mail
iCloud-synced folders
Browser Downloads
VSCode/Cursor history
Deep Carving
External storage

This unified approach can make the recovery process more flexible because users can investigate different possible locations where their missing data may still exist.

Preview Before Recovery

Preview is an important feature in any data recovery application.

allows users to preview recoverable files before restoring them. The software displays file information and provides selective recovery so users can choose the files they actually need.

This is useful for avoiding unnecessary recovery of large quantities of data. It also gives users an opportunity to check whether the recovered file appears usable before saving it.

Time Machine Recovery

Time Machine remains one of the most useful backup mechanisms available to Mac users, but backup data can sometimes become difficult to access.

provides recovery support for Time Machine hard drives and backup structures. The software can therefore be useful in situations where users need to examine or recover files from Time Machine-related storage.

This makes the application more versatile than a tool focused exclusively on deleted files.

Recovery from External Drives

Mac Data Recovery is also designed for external storage.

According to the product information, users can recover data from USB drives, SD cards, external hard drives, SSDs, and other compatible storage devices. Supported external file systems include APFS, HFS+, ExFAT, and FAT32, with NTFS support for external drives.

This can make the software relevant for photographers, designers, IT teams, and other users who frequently work with removable storage.

Recovering Data from Formatted Drives

Accidental formatting is another common cause of data loss.

provides formatted-volume scanning and Deep Scan options for recovering data from formatted APFS drives. The product page also describes recovery from logical disk errors and deleted or corrupted volumes.

The actual recovery outcome, however, depends heavily on what happened after formatting. If new data has overwritten the original storage blocks, recovery may become difficult or impossible.

Encrypted File System Recovery

The software also advertises support for recovery from encrypted file systems where valid access credentials are available.

This is useful for users who work with protected Mac data, although encrypted-drive recovery should always be approached carefully because successful recovery depends on the storage condition and available access information.

User Experience and Workflow

The basic recovery process is designed around three primary steps:

Select Location
Choose the Mac volume or external drive where the files were lost.
Scan Drive
Run an appropriate scan, such as a quick or deep scan, to identify recoverable data.
Preview & Recover
Review the scan results and selectively save the required files.

The guided workflow is intended to keep the recovery process relatively straightforward for both technical and non-technical users.

Compatibility

states that its Mac Data Recovery software supports macOS 10.15 Catalina and later versions, including Sonoma and Sequoia. It is designed as a Universal Binary application for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Supported Mac devices include MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro.

Pros

Snapshot-First APFS Recovery

The ability to check APFS snapshots before deeper scanning can be useful for recently deleted files.

Multiple Recovery Sources

It combines APFS Snapshots, Time Machine, Trash, Notes, Photos, Mail, iCloud, external drives, and other sources in one recovery workflow.

Deep Scan and RAW Recovery

Deep carving and signature-based recovery provide an additional option for difficult data-loss scenarios.

Preview Before Recovery

Users can examine recoverable files before restoring them, helping with selective recovery.

Is Mac Data Recovery safe to use?

According to the product page of, the Mac application is 100% offline, and there is no cloud upload or analytics. It also offers a preview workflow before recovery.

On-device processing can be an advantage for sensitive documents, photos, business files or personal information, as the recovery data does not need to be uploaded to a remote service.

Still recommends users to download the software from its official website and avoid installing recovery apps from any unknown third-party sources.

Free Trial & Preview

offers a demo mode to scan and preview the files to be recovered without any timer. Users need a license to write recovered files to disk.

This is very useful because it allows users to see if the missing files are being detected by the software before they buy it.

Final Word

After looking at the major capabilities, Mac Data Recovery is a recovery-oriented solution for today’s Mac users, especially those who are working with APFS storage.

Deep Scan’s snapshot-first approach, RAW recovery, preview capabilities, Time Machine support, multiple recovery source support, make it more flexible than a simple deleted-file recovery utility. Support for external storage also makes it useful for more than just internal Mac drives.

The biggest caveat is that data recovery is never guaranteed, especially on modern SSDs where TRIM can drastically reduce chances of recovery after permanent deletion. That’s why users should not write new data to the drive where important files are lost and first try the preview feature to see what can be successfully recovered.

To conclude, if you require APFS-aware recovery, multiple sources for recovery, Deep Scan functionality, and selective file recovery, Softaken Mac Data Recovery is worth considering in 2026.

FAQ’s Frequently Asked Questions
Does Softaken Mac Data Recovery support APFS?

Yes. The software supports other supported file systems like APFS and HFS+.

Is it possible to recover deleted files on Mac?

Yes. It is designed to recover deleted and lost documents, photos, videos, music and other supported file types.

Support for APFS Snapshots?

Yes. It has APFS Snapshot recovery as one of its highlighted recovery sources.

Can I preview files prior to recovery?

"Yes. Scan to see which files are recoverable and preview before saving.