12 Free and Useful Data Recovery Utilities

As the need for computers at work, home, and school has grown, so too has the amount of data we produce. Many times we consider the information we store on our PCs more important than actual physical objects. And why not, when the files we work with on the computer represent many long hours of hard work?

Still, it's amazing how many users take a flippant approach towards backing up important data—if they bother maintaining any backups at all. The following software won't replace any good backup regime, but they do offer a chance to successfully retrieve information lost through human or computer error. You may also want to check out these recommendations for data backup tools.

Cover image by Sean MacEntee.