Can I recover a .chk file?

Sometimes. Identify its true type with a hex viewer or file-type tool, rename it with the correct extension, and try to open it.

What created the FOUND.000 folder and .chk files?

CHKDSK — Windows' disk-check tool — saved recovered fragments there after finding lost file data.

Is it safe to delete .chk files?

Yes, if you are not missing any files. They are recovery leftovers.

Can I recover real files from .chk?

Sometimes. Detect the type with `file` or a recovery tool, rename with the right extension, and test. Fragments may not open.

What Is a .CHK File?

You found FOUND.000 folders full of .chk files after a disk check. They are recovered fragments. Here is how to tell what they were.

What a .chk file is

A .chk file is a fragment of data that CHKDSK recovered from a corrupted or improperly ejected disk. Windows stores them in folders named FOUND.000, FOUND.001, etc., with names like FILE0001.CHK.

What is inside

Each .chk holds bytes that were part of a real file whose directory entry was lost. It may be a whole small file, part of a large one, or unusable junk.

How to identify one

Open it in a text editor to look for readable content, or use a file-type detector / hex viewer to spot a signature (e.g. a JPEG or ZIP header). If you can identify the type, rename it with the right extension and try to open it.

Is it safe to delete?

Yes, if you are not missing any files. The .chk files and the FOUND folder are recovery leftovers.

How to open a .chk file by OS

Windows: .chk files appear in FOUND.000 folders after CHKDSK recovered lost clusters. Copy one, rename it with a guessed extension (e.g. .jpg, .docx), and try to open it. Tools like UnCHK or FileCHK batch-detect the real type.

macOS / Linux: mount the drive, run file FILE0001.CHK to detect the format, then rename with the correct extension.

Common problems

A .chk may be a fragment, not a whole file — CHKDSK saves whatever clusters it found, so partial recovery is common. If several .chk files look related, they may be pieces of one file.