UndeleteOnClick Review: Is It the Best File Recovery Tool?

How UndeleteOnClick Recovers Lost Data — A Quick Guide

UndeleteOnClick is a lightweight Windows utility from 2BrightSparks that helps recover files removed from the Recycle Bin or permanently deleted from NTFS and FAT-formatted drives (including external HDDs, USB sticks, and network shares). Here’s how it works and how to use it effectively.

How it recovers files

• Metadata scan: For NTFS the program scans the Master File Table (MFT); for FAT it scans directory entries and file allocation tables to locate records of deleted files.
• File condition estimate: It analyzes which disk clusters the deleted file used and compares those clusters to current allocations, reporting a condition like Good, Fair, Poor, Lost, or Unknown to indicate recovery chances.
• Partial recovery: If only some clusters remain intact, UndeleteOnClick will attempt to restore available parts; overwritten sections may produce corrupted output.
• Support for NTFS features: It can recover NTFS-compressed and NTFS-encrypted files, alternate data streams (ADS), and preserves original timestamps when possible.

When to run it (critical steps)

1. Stop using the affected drive immediately — do not save, install, email, browse, or create files on that volume.
2. If possible, run UndeleteOnClick from a different drive or from external media to avoid writing to the target disk.
3. If the program is not available on the machine, copy the executable from another PC or run it from a USB key.

How to use UndeleteOnClick (quick workflow)

1. Launch UndeleteOnClick (no full install required — it can be run portable).
2. Select the drive to scan.
3. Optionally set filters: filename, extension, time range, minimum file size to reduce scan time.
4. Start the scan — results list deleted files and their recovery condition.
5. Select files to restore and choose a recovery destination (always restore to a different drive).
6. Verify recovered files; if parts are missing or corrupted, try restoring other copies or older backups.

Tips to maximize success

• Restore recovered