Command Prompt can fix many issues related to Windows, including hard drive file corruption, USB drive problems, and SD card issues. This powerful in-built tool has helped many users fix bad sectors on their hard drives and convert RAW file systems to NTFS. You can also use built-in or third-party tools to repair corrupted files. Here, we'll discuss four possible solutions in detail. Check them out now!

Which method is suitable for me?

When using CMD to fix corrupted files, you'll have at least four methods at your disposal. To save time, all the solutions are listed in the comparison table below. You can learn about each one and choose the method that suits your needs.

Feature Fixo Tool CHKDSK Command CHKDSK Alternative SFC Command
Supported File Types All Files All Files All Files System Files
User Friendliness Straightforward Complicated Straightforward Complicated
Risk None Data Loss Data Loss None
Required Technical Knowledge None Yes None Yes

Method 1: Repairing/Restoring Corrupted Files with Software

The most effective way to repair a corrupted file is to use a specialized file repair tool.

The <a href="/repair-tools/">Fixo tools</a> let you repair and recover corrupted photos, videos, Word documents, Excel files, or any other file in all sorts of damage scenarios. <br><br>Download and run the <a href="/file-recovery/download-file-repair-tool.html">file repair tool</a> to fix corrupted files with just a few clicks on Windows 10, 8, or 7.

Step 1: Download and run Fixo on your computer or laptop. Choose "File Repair" to fix corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and more. Click "Add File" to select the damaged document.

Add the file to Fixo for document repair

Step 2: Click “Repair All” to fix multiple files at once. If you only want to repair one document, hover over the target file and click “Repair.” You can also preview a document by clicking the eye icon.

Select the document to repair Select the document to repair

Step 3: Click “Save” to save the selected documents. Choose “Save All” to save all repaired files. “View Repairs” will take you to the folder with the repaired files.

Save the repaired document in Fixo

Method 2: Repair Damaged Files with CHKDSK from the Command Prompt

If there are bad sectors or filesystem corruption, you won't be able to access your files. In this case, you can use the CHKDSK command to repair damaged files. Here's how.

Step 1: Type “CMD” in the search box. Right-click “Command Prompt,” and select “Run as administrator.”

Repair corrupted files from the command line-1

Step 2. Type E:\f\r\x, and press Enter. Replace E with the letter of the drive where you saved the Excel file.

Repairing corrupted files from the command line - 2

Method 3: Run CHKDSK Alternatives to Repair Corrupted Files

Download CleanGenius and install it on your computer. Now, let's start checking and fixing file system errors on your device.

Step 1: Click "File Showing" to proceed.

Click to display file content

Step 2: Select the target device and check the box next to "Check and repair file system errors." Click "Run" to start fixing the problematic device.

Select the device and check for file system errors

Step 3: When the repair is complete, click “Here” to open and use your device.

After the file system is repaired, click Open and use the device.

Method 4: Repair Corrupted Files with the Command Prompt (SFC)

Many computer issues are caused by corrupted system files. If your Windows 10 installation is damaged, you'll encounter stability problems and various other issues.

Fortunately, the SFC command can fix corrupted files in your system. Here's how to do it on Windows 10.

1. Open the search bar, type in cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2: Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Use SFC to repair damaged files Use SFC to repair damaged files

Conclusions

File corruption can happen suddenly and for a variety of reasons. When regular files become corrupted, you won't be able to open them. The methods above should help you recover damaged files depending on your needs. If using the command line seems too difficult, try running a tool like Fixo. It's a simple way to recover and repair damaged files.