There is no dearth of good data recovery tools in the market. MiniTool Power Data Recovery is one such application, promising to recover deleted files from hard disks and other storage media.
But how good is the software in truth? Does it really work? How do you use it? Let’s find out in this detailed review.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery: At a Glance
Feature | Performance |
Recovery Speed | 🚄 Medium. Small files in seconds. |
Platforms | 💻 Microsoft Windows only. |
Free Trial | 🆓 Yes. Can recover up to 1 GB of data. |
Support | 🗣️ Limited. Email-only. |
Pros | ✅ Scan specific locations ✅ Recover 1 GB of data for free. ✅ Works on Windows. |
Cons | ❌ Advanced features disabled in trial. ❌ The preview function is slow and clunky. ❌ Lacks functionalities found in competing tools. |
MiniTool Power Data Recovery: Main Recovery features
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a full-fledged data recovery tool with a suite of useful features. Here is an overview of what it can do.
Preview Files Before Saving
The data recovery application is bundled with a separate file previewing program that displays pictures and similar files without actually recovering them. This lets you determine which files you actually want to keep without having to rely on just guesswork.
However, this file previewer is not included by default. To enable it, you have to first try previewing a file from the scan results. Doing this will prompt the app to download the addon and integrate it.
Scan All External And Internal Storage Devices
MiniTool Power Data Recovery can scan not just your hard disk, but any external drive or USB device connected with your computer. This extends to normally hidden storage and concealed partitions as well.
You can scan almost every type of file system in use, including every version of FAT and the more modern NTFS. Once scanned, you can restore your chosen files as well, though keep in mind the data limit of 1 GB on the trial version.
Another limitation to keep in mind is that the scans cannot be saved in the trial, forcing you to rescan the drive repeatedly if you don’t manage to save everything the first time. You must get a license to be able to get over this limitation.
Create Bootable Media
Often you turn to a data recovery application after a hard drive failure or an OS crash. In cases like this, it can be impossible to even boot into your computer, so installing any software to recover your files is out of the question.
To help you out in such a situation, MiniTool Power Data Recovery can be loaded into a flash drive. A bootable USB thus created can be used to run the application from pre-boot, allowing you to retrieve files from a malfunctioning hard drive.
There is one problem though – this feature can only be used on the premium version. If you want to use MiniTool to recover files from pre-boot, you have to buy a license first.
Scan Specific Locations
There are many times when you only want to recover files deleted from a specific folder, rather than the whole drive. Scanning an entire disk with a data recovery tool wastes a lot of time, and makes it harder to locate what you actually want.
Thankfully, MiniTool has this great feature that allows you to scan only specific locations. The Desktop, Recycle Bin, or any custom folder on your computer can be selected. This greatly speeds up scanning and recovery time.
How to recover data using MiniTool Power Data Recovery
- First, download the application from the official website. The browser should autodetect your OS and offer the correct version accordingly.
- Run the setup to install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your computer. The setup may download a couple of files during the installation, so make sure you have internet access.
- Now, open the app to see a list of all the drives connected to your computer. You can either scan a whole drive for deleted files or select a specific location from below.
- MiniTool will start looking for lost files in the location you specified, displaying them in a File Explorer-like view.
- Once the results start populating, you can pause the scan to look through them. You can search for specific file names or just browse through the list to see if there is any file you want. Image files can be previewed, but the previewer is not downloaded by default. To enable that function, select an image file and click on Preview.
- The addon will be downloaded shortly, after which the preview will load. This allows you to see the contents of the file before committing to actually recovering it. A useful function, as you can only restore a limited number of files on the free trial.
- After you have confirmed the files that you wish to keep, enable their checkboxes and click on the Save button. You will be prompted to specify a destination folder. Make sure to choose a location that’s not on the drive you are recovering from and hit OK.
- Depending on the size of the files you have marked for restoration, the process can take anything between a few seconds to even an hour. Once it is done, a small dialog box will confirm the success and show you the amount of data remaining in your free quota.
Interface and User Experience
Earlier, MiniTool sported an outdated UI that made it difficult to use. Many options were buried in obtuse menus, making them hard to locate.
But in the latest version, the company has completely revamped the tool’s user interface. The new UI is much easier to parse and brings the tool on par with most leading data recovery software. You no longer have to waste time just trying to find options anymore.
That being said, the software can be a bit irritating about convincing the user to get a license. Pop-Ups, constant reminders, even locked features are used to try and get users to buy the software. Needless to say, it makes using the trial application a bit frustrating.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery: Pricing and Plans
When it comes to pricing, there are multiple categories of plans. Apart from the usual distinction between the duration of each license, there are also differences in the pricing schemes between enterprise and personal plans.
Windows
MiniTool has the most number of plans for Windows. For personal use, you have three plans to pick from.
Price:
Personal Monthly Subscription | $69 |
Personal Annual Subscription | $89 |
Personal Ultimate | $99 |
Buying the $69 license allows you to use the premium features for just 1 month. This does remove the data recovery limit though, so you can potentially use this period to recover as many files as you want.
With $89, this duration is increased to a year, and with $99, to lifetime. All of these licenses also give access to any software upgrades rolled out while they are active, keeping your app up to date. The $99 license also increases the number of computers you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery on to three.
For enterprise users, there are four plans.
Price:
Business Standard | $119 |
Business Deluxe | $199 |
Business Enterprise | $399 |
Business Technician | $499 |
Those looking to use MiniTool for enterprise systems (both PCs and servers) don’t get a monthly plan. The three main plans are annual, differing only in the number of computers supported. Like with personal plans, this gives you access to premium functions while also removing any data limit from recovery.
There is also the $199 license for small business owners with a single server. This gives lifetime support and unlimited software upgrades – but only for one computer.
Support
Customer support for MiniTool Power Data Recovery is quite limited. There is no chat option or a particularly informative user guide that addresses each potential issue.
If you have a problem, your best bet is to check the FAQ section. While by no means comprehensive, it does list the most common problems and their solutions.
Beyond that, there is email support. You can send a mail to MiniTool if you face any problem, though be warned the replies can be a bit slow in coming, especially if you are a free user. Overall, stellar customer support is not one of the strengths of this application.
User reviews
User reviews of the MiniTool Power Data Recovery software are mixed. On one hand, people praise its ease of use, while on the other hand, its features are felt as lacking when compared to other data recovery tools.
User | Remarks |
Noel | “The system slows down a lot while performing recovery actions. The speed of recovery is not really great when compared to other software in the market.” |
Matt | “This product is simple to use and very powerful. it allows us to recover data very easily.” |
Iván | “The worst is the price of the license because it seems expensive, you have to take into account that it is a user-level software and not so professional.” |
Jose | “The software is easy to manage and control. I like that you have the option to restore files for external drives and damaged disks.” |
On the whole, it seems that people that stick to its basic premise have no complaints. The free version is good enough for recovering a few important files. If you want a data recovery tool for long-term use, though, MiniTool doesn’t seem to be the best option in the market.
Final verdict
MiniTool’s Power Data Recovery is a decent data recovery application that can help you retrieve your lost files without too much of a hassle. Its free trial is generous enough to allow for restoring a bunch of important files, making it a great choice if you want to quickly save a few accidentally deleted files.
That being said, MiniTool is not exactly the best data recovery software out there. If you are looking to buy an application for extended usage, there are many apps that give you a better value for money, besides possessing advanced features not found in MiniTool.
Ultimately, MiniTool is outshined by most of its competition, both in functionality and in many cases, price. But thanks to its updated UI and relatively fast working, it is a good option to use for one-off recoveries using its free version.
The Competition with other tools
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a good app for basic recovery, but it leaves much to be desired. For an overall better application with more features and better functionality, try Disk Drill. It works on both Mac and Windows and comes with a free trial version.
If you need to recover data on a Linux computer, TestDisk is your friend. It is an old tool but is good at what it does. Its PhotoRec utility is great at recovering deleted photos on a Linux PC.
Recuva is a great tool if you use Windows, as it allows you to create a portable USB that you can use to recover files without installing. Recovery solutions like EaseUS or Recoverit are solid alternatives too.
FAQ
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a genuine tool to restore lost files on your computer. The application is not a malware or fake app and does get the job done. Sometimes recovered files turn up corrupted, but that is often the case in other data recovery tools as well.
Applications like Disk Drill can predict the recovery chances, giving you a better idea of if you can successfully recover it. MiniTool lacks such capabilities but is good enough for restoring basic deleted files.
No. MiniTool Power Data Recovery, like most data recovery tools, is a paid application. That being said, there is a trial version that is free to use with some conditions.
The main limitation is in how many files you can recover. You cannot restore more than 1 GB of data without buying a license.
Additionally, the free version disables many features of the app. Things like viewing saved scans or creating a bootable USB are out of reach without paying.
There are multiple pricing schemes depending on which OS you are using it on and whether you are a personal or enterprise user.
On Windows, the cheapest license costs $69. It lasts only for a month though, so you probably want to get the $99 lifetime license. This price can go up to $399 for heavy enterprise users.
- First, install the app on your computer or create a bootable USB.
- Now run the app, getting a list of all the drives connected with your computer. Choose the drive you wish to scan or browse for a specific folder.
- MiniTool will search for lost files in the indicated location, displaying them in a structured list.
- You can search for specific files or filter the results by type. You can also preview images before deciding whether you want to keep them.
- Select the files you want to recover and hit Save to start the recovery process. You will be prompted to choose a recovery destination.
- That’s it. Your files will be restored and saved to the folder you specified.
