Windows File Recovery Stuck at 99%? Fix It Now!

What to do if Windows File Recovery is stuck at 99%? This article collects available troubleshooting methods to fix it. In addition, a better alternative will be mentioned to recover lost data.

By @Lora Last Updated December 11, 2024

Why does “Windows File Recovery stuck at 99%” happen?

Windows File Recovery is a command-line application designed by Microsoft. It is used to help users recover deleted/lost files from healthy/corrupted/formatted storage devices.

Users can verify the source/target drive, file type, and scanning range by entering relevant commands. After a few minutes, a recovery folder is formed in the target drive and files are successfully recovered.

However, the recovery process is not always successful. Some users have reported receiving the error “Windows File Recovery failed to create destination folder”, while others have complained that Windows File Recovery is not working – everything seemed OK until it got stuck at 99%.

Why does Windows File Recovery stuck at 99%? There are some reasons:

★ Data size: If the amount of data on the source drive is too large, scanning the entire drive may take longer. ★ Not enough storage: If there is not enough space on the destination drive, “Windows File Recovery stuck at 99%" error may happen. You should increase more space by freeing up space, extending the destination drive, or switching to a larger destination drive. ★ Windows File Recovery fails: If the Windows File Recovery app encounters some software issues, it can have problems finishing the scanning. ★ Low performance: Do not run too many programs during the recovery process to affect the success of the recovery.

No matter what the cause is, you still have a chance to salvage the situation. Rest assured that this article aims to solve the problem.

How to fix Windows File Recovery stuck at 99%?

If you find Windows File Recovery not working or you don't know how to use Windows File Recovery properly, don’t panic, to get everything back to normal, you could try these solutions below.

>> Quick Navigation:

▶ Solution 1. Cancel and retry

If the scanning and processing stuck at 99% for a long time, it is suggested to cancel it first. Tab on Ctrl+C to cancel it and then retry the scanning by inputting the command again.

Try a second time to see if it can finish the scanning and processing. If it doesn’t work, keep going and try the next solution.

▶ Solution 2. Close other apps

If there are too many apps or software running at the same time, your computer and utilities are prone to become sluggish.

When finding your computer gets slow using Windows File Recovery, try closing some apps, for example, some background programs. Do not let the unnecessary apps occupy and waste the “energy”.

▶ Solution3. Restart your computer

If it still stops at 99%, maybe you could try to reboot your computer. A reboot can save settings and modifications you made to the system and start related services immediately.

By rebooting the computer, everything is reset, and the application can run normally again. Not only that, but it can also resolve certain hardware or driver issues, as well as the BSOD issue.

▶ Solution 4. Reinstall the Windows File Recovery app

If there is something wrong with the Windows File Recovery app itself, you could reinstall it to fix this issue. Try to uninstall it first, and then download and install it.

Step 1. Go to the Start menu > locate Windows File Recovery. Or you could input Windows File Recovery in the search bar.

Step 2. Right-click on it > Uninstall. Wait for the related info to get deleted.

Step 3. Then go to Microsoft Store and get Windows File Recovery.

▶ Solution 5. Extend disk space

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition is a free partition resize tool for Windows 7, XP, 10, 8, and Vista. This feature-rich freeware allows you to resize original partitions, and merge partitions. Besides, when it comes to resizing data partition, no reboot is needed and no workflow will be interrupted. NTFS and FAT32 are supported.

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✦ Resize Partition

Resize partition is to add the unallocated space adjacent to the target drive. If the unallocated space is not adjacent, you cannot extend the target drive.

Step 1. In the main interface, you can see all partitions on different hard disks. Then right-click your system disk (this article takes C drive as an example) and select Resize/Move Partition.

Step 2. You can drag this button to increase the space required by the system drive and click OK.

Step 3. You can see that all the unallocated space on the right has been added to the C drive. Don’t forget to click Apply to generate the operation.

✦ Merge Partition

If your unallocated space is not adjacent, you can add storage through Merge Partition. This function can merge non-adjacent unallocated space with the target drive, or even merge unused adjacent partitions with the target drive.

Step 1. Right-click C drive and select Advanced> Merge Partitions.

Step 2. Select a non-adjacent unallocated space or an adjacent partition (if this partition has data, then the data in the partition will be merged into the C drive), and click OK.

Step 3. Click Apply, you will see the C drive has been extended.

A better alternative to Windows File Recovery

When using Windows File Recovery, you may find it difficult to avoid a command syntax misspelling or error. Then why not choose a professional Windows data rescue application?

MyRecover will be of great help. It is specially designed for Windows users who are using Windows OS 11, 10, 8, 7 SP1, and Server. 

Use MyRecover to Restore Data Easily

A dependable and user-friendly Windows data recovery software

  • Recover lost and deleted data from SSD/HDD/USB/SD card, and so on.
  • Recover deleted files while retaining the filenames, formats, and paths.
  • Retrieve more than 200 different sorts of data, such as photographs, videos, messages, emails, charts, and so on.
  • Recover data with a high success rate and at a high speed.
  • Compatible with NTFS/FAT32/exFAT/ReFS, etc.

 

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Step 1. Install and run MyRecover > Find the drive where files were lost > click Scan.

Step 2.  Scanning duration depends on how big is the data of your affected partition. However, restoring files while scanning is feasible.

Step 3. Select the data you need > Recover x files.

Not only applies to healthy hard drives, but it can recover deleted files from corrupted hard drives as well.

Related suggestions

Data loss can be quite upsetting if you have no backups available. To enhance data security, some tips are ready for you.

  • Close unnecessary background apps when implementing important operations.
  • From time to time, clean up and free up storage space.
  • Back up essential files on external storage devices or in the cloud before deleting them.
  • Unless your computer is running low on storage, do not delete files/data from the Recycle Bin on purpose.

But don't worry too much, even if your files have been permanently erased, MyRecover can still help recover items deleted from Recycle Bin.

In this post, several feasible solutions to the “Windows File Recovery stuck at 99%” issue have been given in detail. In addition, you could also learn how to use Windows File Recovery properly to get back your files.

If you want to get rid of Windows File Recovery commands, you might as well try MyRecover.