SSD has faster read/write speeds compared to a hard disk. Using an SSD on your work or personal computer significantly decreases system response time. But no hardware is full proof, it can be human error or technical error which may lead to loss of data from SSD. Given the highly complex nature of SSD’s most users believe that data is permanently lost from their SSD and cannot be recovered.
And every once in a while we receive inquiries from our readers for the same. The most common one is, “How to recover deleted files from SSD”? So I decided to create an ultimate SSD data recovery guide.
Quick links to specific parts of the article:
- What Are Various Reasons For Data Loss In SSD?
- What Is Trim SSD & How To Restore Data From Trim Enabled SSD?
- Recover Deleted Files On SSD Using Data Recovery Software
- FAQs
What Are Various Reasons For Data Loss In SSD?
There are many reasons why data might be deleted from your SSD and each reason may require a different solution for recovering data. I will be discussing some of the most common reasons why files might be deleted from your SSD or why you are not able to access them.
1. Partition Corruption Due To Secondary OS
No two users are the same, some use their machine for professional use while others for entertainment. For work or for curiosity some time you have to install a different OS into your computer. While the process is straightforward but sometimes during the installation, the partition where you’re installing the secondary OS gets corrupted for one reason or the other.
If you too have a similar issue then you can try these partition recovery software to restore the files from the SSD partition.
2. Virus Or Malware
Everyone tries to protect their computer from viruses and malware but they sneak every once in a while. And, most often they delete or corrupt the file on your SSD. If you do find yourself in a similar situation then you can check out how to repair a corrupted hard drive article it would also work well on your SSD.
3. Physical Damage To SSD
If you have damaged your SSD while installing or handling it then a software solution won’t be of help to you. I would recommend reaching out to a technician who can look into your SSD and advice you whether data can be salvaged in some way or not.
4. Accidently Deleting A File
Sometimes in hurry, we can delete an important file accidentally, I know that because I am guilty of using the shift+delete button unsparingly. For those of you who aren’t aware, this command in Windows will permanently delete your file from the computer.
In most cases, the files from the empty recycle bin can be recovered from the SSD using third-party data recovery software.
5. Ageing SSD Or Bad Sectors In Your SSD
One major disadvantage SSD have is that they have limited write capacity. Meaning each SSD has a fixed amount of data that it can store in itself during its lifetime. And, that’s why the manufacturer even provides you with tools to monitor your SSD health. For example, Western Digital provides a WD dashboard for its SSD users that helps you monitor the SSD’s health. Samsung offers Samsung magicians software to monitor the health of Samsung’s SSD.
So if you have an old SSD that is acting funny then I would recommend checking its health. If you find the SSD’s health to be poor then I would recommend getting a new SSD and cloning the old one to the new one. Meanwhile, you can use the data recovery software for restoring the deleted files.
What Is Trim SSD & How To Restore Data From Trim Enabled SSD?
Before we start with the solutions to restore data from your SSD, we need to talk about TRIM SSDs. First and foremost, let’s understand how data recovery software works.
Storage devices like the hard drive are made of several sectors, for better understanding let’s call them pockets. When you install a program or save a file it is stored in these pockets.
Like Index on books that points at which page you can find a particular topic, hard drive also does that but instead, it points to the pocket/sectors. Whenever open a file, the hard drive points to the pockets where the files are stored just like an index of the books.
In the future, if you delete your file or uninstall a program from your hard drive, OS might show you that the file is gone but it still remains there. On a Hard drive, the file is removed from the index when it’s deleted so OS cannot find it but the file isn’t deleted. And, it will remain there until that sector/pocket is overwritten by new data.
During the early days, SSDs worked on the same principle too. However, to improve the read and write function TRIM-enabled SSDs were launched. This made the SSD faster but it also made data recovery almost impossible. Trim-enabled SSD deletes the file from the sector/pocket immediately so the file is not available for recovery.
By default, this function is enabled in most new SSDs which makes it difficult to restore the data. Unless you have manually disabled the TRIM function using the command, data recovery would be difficult if not impossible. You can still test the data recovery software I have mentioned here but your chances of recovering the file would be slim.
How To Find Out If TRIM Function Is Enabled In Your SSD?
If you want to find out if the TRIM function is enabled or not in your Windows PC, you can follow the steps below.
- Open Start Window and Type CMD.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt App.
- Four options would be displayed, click on, “Run As Administrator“.
- Windows Terminal would open up, copy and paste the following command, fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify and press enter.
- If the following results are displayed like in the image below then it means the TRIM function is enabled on your SSD. “C:\Windows\system32>fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify
NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 0 (Disabled)
ReFS DisableDeleteNotify = 0 (Disabled)“
Note: ‘0’ means enabled in this case.
How To Disable TRIM Function In Your SSD?
If you want to disable the TRIM function so that you can restore your files in the future then you can also do that. Repeat the steps I have mentioned above. Once you have completed those steps enter the following command.
- Firstly type, fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify NTFS 0 and if the result that is shown is disabled in the command prompt then type, fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify NTFS 1 . It will disable the TRIM function partially.
- Next type, fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify ReFS 0 and if once again the command prompt tells you that it is disabled then type fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify ReFS 1. And, now you have completely disabled TRIM function in your SSD.
Now TRIM function in your Windows computer has been successfully disabled. If in the future you want to recover your deleted data using data recovery software from your SSD then chances will be higher.
How To Recover Deleted Files On SSD Using Data Recovery Software
There are lots of recovery software available in the market but only a handful of them actually work. And, one of those is Stellar Data Recovery Software, which is one of the best Windows data recovery software you can use to recover deleted files from SSD.
It has a clean easy to use interface which makes the software easy to use. And, today we will be trying to recover deleted files from our SSD using the Stellar Data Recovery Software.
There are a lot of features in the software and we have covered them in our Stellar Windows Data Recovery review. So do read it if you want to know all the functions and features software has to offer.
If the file you are restoring is less than 1 GB in the size then you can use the free version of the software. However, if it exceeds the size then you will be needing a paid plan. If there are a lot of files that need to be restored then I would recommend the premium plan of the software.
Once you have installed the Stellar Data recovery software into your computer then follow the steps below.
Recovering Data On My TRIM Disabled SSD
By default my laptop had TRIM enabled on it but I have disabled the TRIM to test whether or not the file will recover. And I am going to run the Stellar data recovery software to see whether or not I am able to restore the file. For this test, I have selected an image, video, and mp3 file that I am going to delete from my New Volume F.
Now follow the steps below to restore the file:
- Open the Stellar Data Recovery app on your computer.
- Upon opening, the first screen of the app would ask you what to recover. You will have various options on the display which include Office documents, folders, emails, photos, audio, & video. I would recommend choosing the file type if you are looking for something particular as it makes the recovery easier.
- The next screen of the software will ask you where do you want to recover the file from. It simply means where was the file stored before it was deleted. You can select a particular drive/partition or choose a specific folder, desktop, or document folder. If you aren’t sure then you can select all of them.
- Once you have selected the drive/partition, press Scan.
- On the next screen, a dialog box will pop up telling you that, “Scanning Completed Successfully”, Click on OK to dismiss the dialog box.
- After that, you will see a list of files and folders that can be restored from the drive. If there are a lot of files available to restore then you can use the search box on the right side.
- In my case, I have deleted three files which are named ‘trim disabled image’, ‘trim disabled mp3 file’, and ‘trim disabled video’. I will be typing trim in the search box.
- As you can see software was able to find and detect the deleted files. By default, the software would have selected all the files for restoration, you can unselect them by clicking on the checkbox next to the file name. After that select the files you want to restore and click on Recover.
- A dialog box will appear asking you to select a folder where you want to save the file. Click on browse, then select the location where you want your deleted files to be restored, and then click on Start Saving.
- Once files are saved, a dialog box will appear congratulating you for the same.
Click Here to Try Stellar Data Recovery
Using the software, I was able to restore all three of my files and all three files were the same as before. As you can see in the images below, the file wasn’t corrupted or partially restored. I was able to get all three of my file perfectly intact.
Click Here to Try Stellar Data Recovery for Windows
Recovering Data From My TRIM Enabled SSD
If TRIM was enabled by default on your computer then the chances of file recovery are low. However, you can still try using the free version of the software. It would allow you to find out whether or not software works without spending a single penny. You would only need a plan if you are restoring files that exceed 1GB in size.
Steps for restoring the deleted files from your TRIM-enabled SSD would be the same as above. So follow the steps above to restore the file.
Talking about my experience, the software didn’t work for my TRIM-enabled SSD. The Stellar Data recovery software was able to identify the deleted file and restore them but restored files were corrupted. You can see this from the image below. However, I would still recommend giving a free version a shot anyway, maybe it works for you.
FAQs
Can Deleted Files Be Recovered From SSD?
Yes, if the TRIM function is disabled on your SSD. You can try recovering from TRIM-enabled SSD using third-party software but chances would be slim.
Can Permanently Deleted Files Be Recovered In SSD?
Using third-party software you can recover permanently deleted files on your computer.
How Can I Recover Permanently Deleted Files For Free In SSD?
You can use the Stellar Data Recovery as it allows you to recover data up to 1GB for free. You would be able to recover your Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or other small files without needing to pay any money.
