Quick format vs full format
A quick format writes a new, empty filesystem structure and leaves the old data sitting in place — that's why recovery works. A full format on Windows Vista and later also writes zeros across the whole volume, which genuinely destroys the contents. If you did a full format and let it finish, software recovery won't help.
Step 1 — Stop using the drive
Don't install anything onto it, don't copy files to it, and if it's your system drive don't reinstall Windows. Every write reduces what's recoverable. Shut down and connect the drive to another machine, or use an external enclosure, when you can.
Step 2 — Run a Deep Scan
After a format, the file table that held names and paths is usually replaced, so Quick Scan may come back thin. Deep Scan reads the volume sector by sector and carves out files by their signatures — documents, photos, video, archives — and recovers original names wherever remnants of the old metadata survive.
Step 3 — Preview, then recover elsewhere
Preview a handful of files first to gauge quality. Then recover to a different physical drive with enough free space. Recovering onto the formatted drive itself will overwrite data you haven't rescued yet.
Step 4 — Verify before you move on
Open a sample of the recovered documents, photos and videos. Partially overwritten files can look fine in a listing and still fail to open, so confirm the important ones before you reuse or wipe the source drive.
When it won't work
Full formats, encrypted volumes without the key (BitLocker), and physically failing disks that click or drop off the bus are all outside what recovery software can do. A free scan will tell you within minutes which situation you're in.