Best File Recovery Software For Your PC

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Published on October 20, 2025

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Losing important files can be a stressful experience. Whether it’s due to accidental deletion, a corrupted hard drive, or a system crash, the feeling of helplessness can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there’s a range of file recovery software available for PCs designed to help you retrieve your lost data. These tools scan your storage devices, identify recoverable files, and allow you to restore them, often with impressive success rates.

Choosing the right file recovery software can make all the difference in getting your precious documents, photos, videos, and other files back. This article explores some of the top file recovery software options for PCs, highlighting their features, benefits, and pricing to help you make an informed decision and increase your chances of a successful recovery.

Which File Recovery Software is Right for You?

Recuva

Recuva is a popular, user-friendly file recovery tool developed by Piriform, the same company behind CCleaner. It’s known for its ease of use and effective recovery capabilities, even for beginners. Recuva can recover files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and more.

Recuva employs a deep scan mode for more challenging recovery scenarios, which thoroughly examines your storage device for traces of deleted files. The software also offers a secure overwrite feature to permanently delete files, preventing future recovery. This is useful for sensitive data that you want to ensure is unrecoverable.

Easy to use interface
Quick and deep scan modes
Recovers from various storage devices
Secure overwrite feature

Pricing: Free version available; Professional version: $19.95

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a comprehensive data recovery solution suitable for various data loss scenarios, including accidental deletion, formatting, partition loss, and virus attacks. It supports a wide range of file types and storage devices, making it a versatile option for PC users.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is known for its advanced scanning algorithms, which can effectively locate and recover lost files even from damaged or formatted drives. It offers a preview feature that allows you to view recoverable files before restoring them, ensuring that you’re recovering the correct data. The software also supports recovery from RAID arrays and virtual drives, making it suitable for more advanced users.

Comprehensive data recovery solution
Advanced scanning algorithms
Preview recoverable files
Supports RAID and virtual drives

Pricing: Free version available (limited data recovery); Pro version: $69.95/month, $99.95/year, or $149.95 lifetime

Stellar Data Recovery

Stellar Data Recovery is a robust and feature-rich data recovery software designed to handle complex data loss situations. It supports a wide range of file types, storage devices, and operating systems, making it a reliable choice for both home and business users.

Stellar Data Recovery stands out with its advanced features like RAW drive recovery, which can recover data from severely damaged or corrupted storage devices. It also offers a disk imaging feature, allowing you to create a backup of your drive before attempting recovery, minimizing the risk of further data loss. The software includes a bootable recovery option for systems that won’t start, allowing you to recover data even when Windows is inaccessible.

Advanced data recovery features
RAW drive recovery
Disk imaging for backup
Bootable recovery option

Pricing: Standard: $59.99/year; Professional: $89.99/year; Premium: $99.99/year.

Disk Drill

Disk Drill is a user-friendly data recovery software known for its intuitive interface and powerful recovery capabilities. It supports a wide range of file types and storage devices, making it a versatile option for both novice and experienced users.

Disk Drill offers several unique features, including Recovery Vault, which creates a hidden index of deleted files, making them easier to recover. It also includes data protection tools that help prevent future data loss. The software can recover data from various file systems, including NTFS, FAT32, HFS+, and APFS.

User-friendly interface
Recovery Vault for enhanced recovery
Data protection tools
Supports multiple file systems

Pricing: Free version available (limited data recovery); Pro version: $89

PhotoRec

PhotoRec is a powerful, open-source data recovery software primarily designed to recover photos, videos, and documents from various storage devices. While its interface may not be as polished as some commercial options, its effectiveness and versatility make it a valuable tool for data recovery.

PhotoRec is particularly adept at recovering files from damaged or formatted storage devices. It ignores the file system and directly scans the underlying data, making it effective in situations where other recovery tools fail. The software supports a wide range of file formats and can recover data from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and more.

Open-source and free
Recovers various file types
Effective on damaged devices
Cross-platform support

Pricing: Free

Feature Comparison

Feature	Recuva	EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard	Stellar Data Recovery	Disk Drill	PhotoRec
Ease of Use	High	Medium	Medium	High	Low
File Types	Wide	Wide	Wide	Wide	Wide
Storage Devices	Wide	Wide	Wide	Wide	Wide
Advanced Features	Secure Overwrite	RAID Recovery, Preview	RAW Recovery, Imaging	Recovery Vault	File Signature Search
Free Version	Yes	Yes (limited data)	No	Yes (limited data)	Yes
Starting Price	$19.95	$69.95/month	$59.99/year	$89	Free

Tips for Successful File Recovery

Act quickly: The sooner you attempt to recover lost files, the higher your chances of success. Avoid writing new data to the affected storage device.
Choose the right software: Consider the type of data you need to recover, the storage device it was on, and your technical expertise when selecting file recovery software.
Scan thoroughly: Use deep scan modes if available to increase the chances of finding fragmented or partially overwritten files.
Preview before recovering: Always preview recoverable files before restoring them to ensure you’re recovering the correct data.
Recover to a different drive: Avoid recovering files to the same drive they were lost from to prevent overwriting other potentially recoverable data.

Data Retrieved, Peace of Mind Restored

Choosing the right file recovery software for your PC can significantly increase your chances of retrieving lost data. By understanding the features, benefits, and pricing of different options, you can make an informed decision and take the necessary steps to recover your precious files.

FAQ

What is file recovery software?

File recovery software is a type of application designed to retrieve data that has been accidentally deleted, formatted, or lost due to other issues like system crashes or malware infections.

Can file recovery software recover permanently deleted files?

The success of recovering permanently deleted files depends on whether the space they occupied has been overwritten by new data. The sooner you attempt recovery, the better your chances.

Is it safe to use file recovery software?

Most reputable file recovery software is safe to use. However, it’s essential to download software from trusted sources to avoid malware or other security risks.

Does file recovery software work on SSDs?

Yes, file recovery software can work on SSDs, but the recovery process can be more challenging due to how SSDs manage data. Some SSDs use TRIM, which can erase deleted data quickly, making recovery difficult.

How much does file recovery software cost?

File recovery software ranges from free, open-source options to paid commercial software with advanced features. Paid options often come with monthly, yearly, or lifetime licenses.