PhotoRec (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
PhotoRec is a strong file recovery program that supports a broad range of systems. Whether you have a digital camera or a conventional hard disk, PhotoRec has you covered as long as you know how to utilize it.
You would imagine that PhotoRec can only recover picture file types based on its name, however that is not the case. In truth, this open-source data recovery program is capable of recovering over 480 file extensions (about 300 file families) from hard drives, memory cards, CD-ROMs, USB flash drives, and other storage devices.
PhotoRec's text-only user interface is notorious for frightening inexperienced users away, but we found the data recovery procedure to be rather self-explanatory. Sure, novices may benefit from additional guidance, but that's what the official material is for.
PhotoRec's performance is comparable to that of several commercial data recovery software products. It employs a non-destructive data recovery mechanism that prohibits it from writing to the same storage device from which the user is attempting to recover data. In certain circumstances, PhotoRec can effectively recover fragmented files that have been strewn all over the place.
Pros:
- Compatible with all major operating systems
- Recovers about 300 file families
- Support for many file systems
Cons:
- Intimidating for beginners
- All files are automatically recovered during scan
- Unable to restore file names and folder structure
Versions / Licensing: Free and open-source
System requirements: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, Windows Server 2016/2012/2008/2003 / Any recent version of macOS / Linux kernel 2.6.18 or later
Supported languages: English, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
Supported file systems: FAT, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystem, HFS
Download: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec
