Can you recover data from a formatted SSD or after reinstalling Windows?
In short: often, yes. Contrary to popular belief, formatting an SSD or reinstalling Windows on it does not immediately wipe your old files. They stay physically in the memory chips until the SSD actually erases them. Ordinary recovery software can no longer see them, but a properly equipped lab can read them through the controller's technological mode, on supported controllers. The golden rule: stop using the SSD straight away. What matters is how much data has been written since formatting: every new write can take the place of old data.
Typical situations
According to ACE Lab's technical support, three requests come up again and again with SSDs:
- Files deleted by mistake.
- A partition or drive formatted by accident.
- Formatted, then Windows reinstalled over the old files. This is the hardest case, but not necessarily hopeless.
Why recovery software can't see your files on a formatted SSD
On a traditional hard drive, a deleted file stays readable until it is overwritten. An SSD behaves differently: after a deletion or format, Windows sends the TRIM command. The SSD then removes those blocks from its internal mapping table (the translator, which records where each piece of data sits in the chips). When a program tries to read them, the SSD simply returns zeros.
Yet the data has not been physically erased. The SSD only erases it when it needs those blocks for new writes, in other words when it has no empty blocks left. Roman Morozov, Chief Services Officer at ACE Lab, confirmed this to us on the sidelines of the conference: as long as the SSD still has empty blocks, it does not erase the old ones, no matter how long that takes. Until then, professional equipment such as the PC-3000 can use the controller's technological mode to fall back to an earlier version of the translator or read the raw contents of the chips, without desoldering them.
Can you recover files after a Windows reinstall?
This was the most interesting part of the workshop. An SSD does not write new data over the old data: it puts it in completely empty blocks. The old blocks are only marked as free, and are actually erased only when the SSD runs out of empty blocks.
In practice, the deciding factor is how much data has been written to the SSD since formatting: the less, the more old blocks remain intact.
| Situation after formatting | Recovery chances |
|---|---|
| Only Windows reinstalled, SSD switched off quickly | Good: few old blocks have been reused |
| Software, updates or files added afterwards | Partial: some of the old blocks have been rewritten |
| SSD used normally for days or weeks | Low: a lot of new data has been written and most old blocks have been reused |
A clean Windows 10 install takes roughly 10 to 15 GB, Windows 11 roughly 20 to 27 GB. That volume, plus anything you installed or copied afterwards, can take the place of old data, which is then lost for good. The rest may still be recoverable.
The demonstration
The ACE Lab engineer used his own work SSD: a 1 TB XPG Gaming Pro running Windows 10 and holding 473 GB of data. The SSD was formatted, then Windows 11 was installed on it.
The result: the old folder structure was rebuilt, including the work folder and the desktop, and the files opened normally.
How recovery works in the lab
- Identifying the SSD controller. The method depends on the controller. It is currently available notably for Silicon Motion and Phison controllers (SATA, NVMe and USB) and some Maxio controllers, which are very common in consumer SSDs.
- Physically reading the entire contents of the chips through the controller's technological mode, including blocks marked as empty or erased. The chips are not desoldered.
- Filtering out the new Windows installation, so that only the old data remains.
- Rebuilding the old file system and extracting the files.
This physical read is slow: for a 1 TB SSD it can take several days, sometimes longer. That is the price of a complete result.
In the best case, you get the full folder tree back with file names. In other cases only a "raw" recovery is possible: the files are found, but without their names or folders. For photos and videos, that is often what matters most.
What to do right now
- Stop using the SSD. Do not install or copy anything, and do not finish the Windows setup if it is still running.
- Shut down the computer or unplug the external SSD, so that Windows and programs (updates, indexing…) stop writing to it.
- Do not connect the SSD to another computer "just to take a look": the system may automatically send it TRIM commands or write to it.
- Do not run recovery software installed on that same SSD: installing it could overwrite the blocks you want back.
- Do not try to "repair" the partition or roll back to a restore point.
- Write down what happened: when the format took place, what has been installed since, how much data was on the SSD, and whether BitLocker was enabled. This helps a lot with the diagnosis.
How we recover data from a formatted SSD
This method is new: ACE Lab presented it in October 2026. Belgium Data Recovery is equipped with the PC-3000 Portable PRO running the PC-3000 SSD utility, and with Data Extractor: the tools the method relies on.
- Free diagnosis: we identify the controller, check whether it is supported, assess the chances and give you a quote.
- Physical read of the chips and reconstruction of the old file system.
- Your data is returned on a drive you provide, or on a Belgium Data Recovery drive at extra cost.
We work on a No Cure No Pay basis: if we cannot recover your data, you pay nothing. If you gave us a list of your important files and we recover less than 75 % of them, you can turn down the result at no cost.
Frequently asked questions
01I formatted my SSD by mistake. Can I recover my files?
Not necessarily. After formatting, the data is invisible to ordinary software but often still present in the chips. Stop using the SSD and have it diagnosed.
02I reinstalled Windows on my SSD. Can I get my old files back?
Often partly, sometimes almost entirely. The SSD writes the new installation into free blocks. The less data you have written since formatting, the better the chances.
03Why can't data recovery software find my files on a formatted SSD?
Because of the TRIM command: the SSD returns zeros for deleted blocks, even though the data is still there. It has to be read through the controller's technological mode, with specialised equipment.
04Does this work on every SSD?
No. The method depends on the SSD's controller. It currently works on Silicon Motion, Phison and some Maxio controllers, among others. The free diagnosis tells you whether yours qualifies.
05What if my SSD was encrypted with BitLocker?
On many Windows 10 and 11 computers, BitLocker (or "device encryption") is switched on by default. In that case the recovered data stays encrypted: without the BitLocker recovery key of the old installation (48 digits), it cannot be used. The key is often saved in your Microsoft account, so check there before contacting us.
06Why does recovery take several days?
Because the entire physical contents of the chips have to be read, including the areas the SSD considers empty. For a 1 TB SSD, this can take several days.
07Will my files get their names and folders back?
In many cases, yes. If the old file system is too badly damaged, the files are recovered without their names, which is often enough for photos or videos.
Real cases handled in the lab
