In both cases, the recovery process is highly guided. The GUI tool is easier to navigate, but both editions can be automated through command-line parameters. PhotoRec comes in two versions for each platform, a command-line/text-only version and a GUI version. If all you need to do is yank the most readily recoverable data from a piece of media and you’re on a low budget, PhotoRec it is made to order.įree open source PhotoRec supports more than 400 file formats, making it a good first line of recovery for the most common file types. It’s also relatively foolproof to work with, and its more powerful options aren’t obtrusive. PhotoRec is a good, cost-free, first line of recovery for common file types. It’s even possible to add custom data signatures - in case you’re attempting to recover data from file formats of your own creation. PhotoRecįew data recovery tools out there are as immediately useful and versatile as PhotoRec.Ī free open source project that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X (both Intel and PowerPC Macs), PhotoRec uses file signatures to detect and recover files in 400-plus data formats, with more added all the time. Whatever the nature of your particular data disaster, you’ll likely find the tool you need right here. Ranging from free utilities for nontechnical users to commercial packages for businesses, they include tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and they encompass a variety of use cases, from simple end-user recovery (Recuva) to recovery as part of a general system analysis (Sleuth Kit/Autopsy) to reconstruction of data from RAID arrays (Kroll Ontrack EasyRecovery Enterprise).

In this roundup, we’ll look at a gamut of software products that you can use to recover data from damaged media, reformatted media, and the land of accidental deletes. The hardest part may not be the recovery itself, but sorting through the welter of tools available and figuring out which one is best for dealing with your particular disaster. The good news is that the tools for recovering data from disk drives, SSDs, SD cards, USB drives, and most every other kind of media continue to grow in power, ease, and versatility. It’s even more infuriating when you have only yourself to blame.

It’s devastating to lose the only copy you have of any file - that important document or irreplaceable photo - all because you mistakenly formatted the wrong drive or hit Delete too quickly. But while drive failures are fewer and further between, technology improvements do nothing to protect you from the No. Storage media is more reliable than it’s ever been.

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