{"id":54899,"date":"2025-05-05T14:17:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T14:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=54899"},"modified":"2026-06-01T14:20:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T14:20:47","slug":"photorec-review-is-it-competitive-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/photorec-review.html","title":{"rendered":"PhotoRec Review: Is It Competitive in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our PhotoRec review looks at four areas that matter most in recovery software: features, recovery performance, user feedback, and overall value. We scored each category from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), then averaged the results for a final verdict.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"summary\"><p><\/p>\r\n<p>&#x1f4cc; <b>Here\u2019s our brief summary:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a 100% free way to recover lost files, PhotoRec is absolutely worth a look. Just be ready for the trade-offs that come with an open-source tool built around one recovery method: signature scanning.<\/p>\r\n<p>In our tests, PhotoRec did basically what it promised. It recovered files when the file system was corrupted (or missing altogether). But it is what it is: it won\u2019t preserve original filenames or folder structures, and its interface, even in the \u201cgraphical\u201d QPhotoRec version, will turn away many potential users.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you\u2019re okay with those sacrifices, PhotoRec can be a useful tool to keep around. If not, there is a whole range of better options that offer previews, cleaner scan results, and a much smoother workflow.<\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>&#x1f44d; Strengths<\/th>\r\n<th>&#x1f44e; Weaknesses<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Completely free and open-source<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Works on damaged, formatted, or RAW drives<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, DOS<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Recognizes hundreds of file formats<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Portable &#8211; no install needed<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>No original filenames or folder structure preserved<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Interface (even QPhotoRec for Windows) feels clunky and outdated<\/li>\r\n\t<li>No preview during scan; you only see results afterward<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Not beginner-friendly, despite having a \u201cGUI\u201d option<\/li>\r\n\t<li>No automation<\/li>\r\n\t<li>You don\u2019t get to pick what gets recovered. If PhotoRec finds it, it grabs it<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-secondary\" role=\"alert\">\r\n<p>&#x1f50e; <b>Why You Can Trust Us:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Every app review is the result of a hands-on, multi-step process run by team experts. Our QA specialists run recovery tests on real drives. Then, lab engineers verify the results to make sure every text is accurate. Experienced technical editors present the results in a clear, reader\u2011friendly format.<\/p>\r\n<p><b><a href=\"\/howto\/how-we-test.html\">See how we test<\/a> \u2192<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_is_photorec\"><\/span>What Is PhotoRec?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>PhotoRec is a free and open-source file recovery tool developed by Christophe Grenier &#8211; the same developer behind TestDisk, which we <a href=\"\/howto\/testdisk-review.html\">reviewed separately<\/a>. As we explained in that review, TestDisk focuses on partition repair and structural recovery. PhotoRec, on the other hand, covers the other side of the equation: actual file recovery.<\/p>\r\n<p>The two tools are often mentioned together as TestDisk &amp; PhotoRec, but while TestDisk helps you restore partition tables and boot sectors, PhotoRec can recover lost files directly \u2013 photos, videos, documents, and more.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Key Feature<\/td>\r\n<td>Details<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bb; Available Platforms<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows (9x\u201311\/Server), macOS, Linux, BSD, Solaris, DOS<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4b8; Free Version<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes, 100% free and open-source (GPL v2+)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4da; Supported File Types<\/td>\r\n<td>Over 480 file extensions across ~300 file families<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f9e0; File System Support<\/td>\r\n<td>Ignores file system<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5c4;&#xfe0f; NAS\/RAID support<\/td>\r\n<td>No built-in support for RAID or NAS volume structures<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bf; Disk image creation\/scanning<\/td>\r\n<td>No disk imaging capabilities<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f9f0; Recovery Method<\/td>\r\n<td>Block\/cluster scanning with file signature matching<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"os_compatibility\"><\/span>OS Compatibility<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>One of the great things about PhotoRec is how widely it runs. It supports:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Windows (XP through 11, plus Windows Server versions)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Linux (most distros)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD<\/li>\r\n\t<li>SunOS and even DOS<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Is PhotoRec free on all OSs? Absolutely. It\u2019s an open-source project through and through. Whether you\u2019re on Windows, macOS, or Linux, you get full access to everything it offers. And yes, that includes PhotoRec for Mac.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x2757;&#xfe0f; That said, there\u2019s one major catch for Mac users: <b>PhotoRec can\u2019t access the internal system disk on newer Macs with T2 or M1-M5 chips<\/b> due to Apple\u2019s security restrictions. You\u2019ll still be able to scan external drives and USBs just fine, but not the main system disk.<\/div>\r\n<p>PhotoRec also often comes (bundled with TestDisk) on Live CDs (like GParted or SystemRescue). That means you can boot straight into a recovery environment without touching your internal drive. Super useful if your system won\u2019t boot or you want to play it extra safe.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f517; You\u2019ll find a full list of supported LiveCDs right here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/wiki\/testDisk_Livecd\">testdisk livecd<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ease_of_use\"><\/span>Ease of Use<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Ease of use is where PhotoRec shows its age. This is not a modern recovery app with a dashboard, visual scan results, or a friendly \u201cnext-next-finish\u201d workflow. It runs in a terminal-style interface, and you control everything with the keyboard: arrow keys, Enter, and basic menu prompts.<\/p>\r\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean PhotoRec is impossible to use. The workflow is fairly logical once you understand it: choose the disk, select the partition (or whole device), pick the file system type, choose where recovered files should be saved, and start the scan.<\/p>\r\n<p>But it is still intimidating for beginners. There are no previews, no visual file tree, no recovery chances, no easy way to understand what the scan is finding while it runs. PhotoRec simply recovers everything it recognizes and saves the results into folders with generic file names. You only get to sort through the files after the scan finishes.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"qphotorec_vs_photorec\"><\/span>QPhotoRec vs PhotoRec<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>There\u2019s also QPhotoRec, a GUI version that Windows users can run instead of the classic terminal-based PhotoRec. It uses the same recovery engine under the hood, so the actual recovery logic is the same. The main difference is how you interact with it. PhotoRec gives you a keyboard-driven terminal menu, while QPhotoRec gives you a simple window with dropdowns, buttons, and file-type options.<\/p>\r\n<p>You\u2019ll find it in the same archive as the main photorec.exe file, there\u2019s nothing extra to install or download separately.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 alignnone wp-image-59230 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/qphotorec.jpg\" alt=\"QPhotoRec \" width=\"991\" height=\"809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/qphotorec.jpg 991w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/qphotorec-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/qphotorec-500x408.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/qphotorec-768x627.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">\r\n<p>&#x2139;&#xfe0f; What is qPhotorec? QPhotoRec should not be confused with a separate recovery app. It is merely a graphical \u201cwrapper\u201d for PhotoRec, which means it uses the same Photorec under the hood. Don\u2019t expect it to find files that the main utility missed &#8211; the recovery method and results will be the same.<br \/>\r\nThe difference is convenience. QPhotoRec gives Windows users a graphical window instead of keyboard-driven terminal menus. That is it.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"file_format_file_system_support\"><\/span>File Format &amp; File System Support<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Unlike many PhotoRec alternatives, this data recovery tool relies entirely on signature scanning. That means it doesn\u2019t take the file system into account at all &#8211; so listing supported file systems doesn\u2019t really apply here. Whether your drive is formatted as FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, ext4, or something more exotic &#8211; it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\r\n<p>What does matter is whether PhotoRec recognizes the file type you\u2019re trying to get back. Since it\u2019s scanning raw data for known file signatures, recovery depends on that recognition. If your file has a unique header and it\u2019s included in PhotoRec\u2019s library, it\u2019s got a solid chance of coming back.<\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec can recover more than 480 file extensions from 300+ file families, including office documents, archives, video, RAW camera, and audio formats. You can check out the full list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/wiki\/File_Formats_Recovered_By_PhotoRec\">supported file types here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"storage_devices_data_loss_scenarios\"><\/span>Storage Devices &amp; Data Loss Scenarios<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>On its official page, PhotoRec positions itself primarily as a recovery tool for photo devices and media storage. Think memory cards, USB flash drives, and camera storage &#8211; it was literally built with that use case in mind.<\/p>\r\n<p>The developer even lists a bunch of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/wiki\/Digital_Photos_Recovery_Using_PhotoRec\">tested devices<\/a> &#8211; so if you\u2019ve got an old <b>Canon EOS 60D<\/b>, <b>Nikon CoolPix 950<\/b>, or <b>Olympus Stylus 300<\/b> lying around with a corrupted card, there\u2019s a solid chance PhotoRec can help.<\/p>\r\n<p>Keep in mind, you can use PhotoRec on more than just camera cards. It also works with hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, and other storage devices. Keep expectations realistic, though: PhotoRec recovers files through signature scanning, so you won\u2019t get original filenames or folder structure back \u2013 just raw files dumped into a folder. So if you\u2019re trying to recover hundreds or thousands of files, it can get messy fast. But when the file system is gone or totally corrupted? This kind of blind, deep scan might be exactly what you need.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"extra_features\"><\/span>Extra Features<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>This one\u2019s easy to cover \u2013 because there are no extra features. PhotoRec neither performs disk imaging nor examines SMART data, and it lacks backup tools and file previews. Just you and the terminal window.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>PhotoRec Features Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 3.0<\/div>\r\n<p>In terms of features, we can\u2019t score it higher than 3 &#8211; and that\u2019s generous.<\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec scores points for its wide OS support &#8211; you can run it on almost anything. It also recognizes 480+ file types, which is solid.<\/p>\r\n<p>But that\u2019s where the list ends.<\/p>\r\n<p>No disk imaging. No RAID support. No file previews or metadata recovery. <b>3 out of 5<\/b> is fair.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_recover_data_using_photorec\"><\/span>How to Recover Data Using PhotoRec<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve covered what PhotoRec is and what it\u2019s supposed to do, let\u2019s talk about what it actually did in our hands-on test.<\/p>\r\n<p>We divided this section into three parts: Testing Process, Installation &amp; Scanning, and Recovery Results. If you\u2019re short on time and just want to see how it performed, here\u2019s a quick summary:<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Test Case<\/td>\r\n<td>Deleted Files \/ Formatted Drive \/ Corrupted Drive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Scanning Speed<\/td>\r\n<td>14 min<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Total Data Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>~1 GB<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Documents Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>500+<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Photos Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>450+<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Videos Recovered<\/td>\r\n<td>25+<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"testing_process\"><\/span>Testing Process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>For our tests &#8211; since this is a full-fledged data recovery tool (as much as it can be) &#8211; we used the same methodology we&#8217;ve applied to many others. That means we ran PhotoRec through three real-world scenarios:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Deleted files<\/li>\r\n\t<li>A quick-formatted USB stick<\/li>\r\n\t<li>A corrupted partition table (RAW\/unreadable drive)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>We didn\u2019t try to overcomplicate things. These are the kinds of situations real users actually face, and we wanted to see how PhotoRec handles them without any extra tweaking or ideal conditions.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>For the <b>deleted files<\/b> test, we just shift-deleted the content.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>For the <b>formatted drive<\/b>, we ran a quick format &#8211; not a full wipe.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54917 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/quick-format-on-windows.jpg\" alt=\"drive formatting on windows 11\" width=\"1213\" height=\"785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/quick-format-on-windows.jpg 1213w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/quick-format-on-windows-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/quick-format-on-windows-500x324.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/quick-format-on-windows-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1213px) 100vw, 1213px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>And for the <b>corruption scenario<\/b>, we modified the partition table slightly with HxD, rendering the drive unreadable (appeared as RAW).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Here\u2019s our test setup:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><b>OS<\/b>: Windows 11 Pro (latest build)<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Machine<\/b>: MacBook Air M1 via Parallels (for fun)<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>RAM<\/b>: 16 GB<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Storage<\/b>: Internal 512GB SSD<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Test Device<\/b>: Kingston DataTraveler 16GB USB 3.0<br \/>\r\n<b><\/b><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Test Files<\/b>: About 1.3 GB worth of mixed formats &#8211; Office docs, PDFs, JPEGs, MP3s, MP4s, and a few RAWs (NEF, CRW, CR2, ORF, etc.)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"installation_scanning\"><\/span>Installation &amp; Scanning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>We ran our test on a Windows machine using <b>QPhotoRec<\/b> &#8211; the version with a graphical interface. It\u2019s a bit more beginner-friendly than the command-line-only PhotoRec, which is why we went with it for most of our scans.<\/p>\r\n<p>On a Mac the process is slightly different. As we explained, there\u2019s no QPhotoRec for Mac, so install and run PhotoRec in Terminal &#8211; easiest via Homebrew. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Open Terminal. You\u2019ll find it in <b>Applications &gt; Utilities<\/b>, or just hit <b>Cmd + Space<\/b>, type &#8220;Terminal,&#8221; and press <b>Enter<\/b>.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54918 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos.jpg\" alt=\"run terminal on macOS\" width=\"1972\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos.jpg 1972w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos-500x346.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos-768x532.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/run-terminal-macos-1536x1064.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1972px) 100vw, 1972px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>If you don\u2019t have Homebrew installed (and you\u2019ll know because typing brew gives you a \u201cnot found\u201d error), paste this command and hit Enter:<br \/>\r\n<code>\/bin\/bash -c \"$(curl -fsSL https:\/\/raw.githubusercontent.com\/Homebrew\/install\/HEAD\/install.sh)\"<\/code><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Follow the prompts. It\u2019ll take a few minutes. Once Homebrew is ready, type this to install PhotoRec (it comes bundled with TestDisk):<br \/>\r\n<code>brew install testdisk<\/code><img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54911 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/install-photorec-with-testdisk.jpg\" alt=\"install testdisk with photorec\" width=\"1310\" height=\"882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/install-photorec-with-testdisk.jpg 1310w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/install-photorec-with-testdisk-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/install-photorec-with-testdisk-500x337.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/install-photorec-with-testdisk-768x517.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1310px) 100vw, 1310px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>To launch PhotoRec type:<br \/>\r\n<code>sudo photorec<\/code><\/li>\r\n\t<li>And hit <b>Enter<\/b>. You\u2019ll be dropped into a keyboard-only recovery interface &#8211; just good old arrow keys.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>Or you can just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/Download_and_donate.php\/testdisk-7.2.mac_intel_x86_64.tar.bz2\">grab the latest stable version<\/a> as a standalone archive &#8211; <b>TestDisk &amp; PhotoRec 7.2 (Feb 22 2024)<\/b> &#8211; straight from the official site. That\u2019s what we did for our Windows test. Just download, unzip it somewhere safe, and you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54914 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website.jpg\" alt=\"photorec official website\" width=\"1999\" height=\"841\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website-500x210.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-website-1536x646.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>On Windows, you can run both <b>photorec<\/b> (command-line) and <b>qphotorec<\/b> (the GUI version). We used qPhotoRec for our tests and, we\u2019ll walk you through how to use it. (If you\u2019re on macOS, we also show how to run PhotoRec from Terminal after it.)<\/p>\r\n<p>Here\u2019s how the recovery process looked for us using <b>qPhotoRec<\/b>, step by step:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>We launched qPhotoRec and picked our test USB drive from the dropdown menu at the top.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Next, we chose \u201c<b>Whole: Extract files from whole partition<\/b>\u201d instead of scanning just unallocated space. We wanted to catch everything, including any fragmented files that might still be lingering.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54915 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-interface.jpg\" alt=\"qphotorec interface\" width=\"1210\" height=\"886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-interface.jpg 1210w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-interface-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-interface-500x366.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-interface-768x562.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1210px) 100vw, 1210px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Under \u201cFile system type,\u201d we left the default setting as \u201c<b>FAT\/NTFS\/HFS+\/ReiserFS\u2026<\/b>\u201d since that matched our setup.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Then, we hit <b>Browse<\/b> to select a folder on our main drive. Not the USB! This is standard practice: you should never save recovered files to the same drive you&#8217;re scanning. If possible, use a completely different drive. Otherwise, you risk overwriting the very files you&#8217;re trying to get back.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Finally, we clicked <b>Search<\/b>, sat back, and watched qPhotoRec do its thing.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54916 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-scan.jpg\" alt=\"qphotorec scan process\" width=\"1210\" height=\"886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-scan.jpg 1210w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-scan-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-scan-500x366.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/qphotorec-scan-768x562.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1210px) 100vw, 1210px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>As you can see &#8211; absolutely barebones. You can basically select your drive, set a destination, click Search, and\u2026 wait. That\u2019s it. You can\u2019t preview files. You can\u2019t filter by type, date, or size. The UI offers little improvement over the CLI; it mostly replaces keystrokes with buttons.<\/p>\r\n<p>Now, speaking of the CLI version &#8211; if you\u2019re on a Mac, this is what you\u2019ll be working with. Let\u2019s take a look at how it works in the terminal:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Type <code>sudo photorec<\/code> in Terminal, enter your password, and hit enter.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54919 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sudo-photorec.jpg\" alt=\"run photorec in terminal macOS\" width=\"1451\" height=\"1032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sudo-photorec.jpg 1451w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sudo-photorec-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sudo-photorec-500x356.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sudo-photorec-768x546.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1451px) 100vw, 1451px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Use arrow keys to select the disk you want to scan.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Hit <b>Enter<\/b> to choose the filesystem type (usually detected automatically).<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54921 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec.jpg\" alt=\"choose file system type in photorec\" width=\"1938\" height=\"1378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec.jpg 1938w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec-500x356.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/choose-file-system-in-photorec-1536x1092.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1938px) 100vw, 1938px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select <b>[File Opt]<\/b> if you want to limit file types.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Choose a destination folder (don\u2019t save to the same drive you\u2019re recovering from!).<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Then hit <b>[Search]<\/b> and let it run.<img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54912 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process.jpg\" alt=\"photorec scan in mac terminal\" width=\"1938\" height=\"1378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process.jpg 1938w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process-500x356.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-mac-scan-process-1536x1092.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1938px) 100vw, 1938px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>That\u2019s it. That\u2019s all the control and features you\u2019ll get &#8211; just terminal prompts. Just like in QPhotoRec, you can go into File Opt to limit which file types it looks for (helpful if you\u2019re only after photos, videos, or documents), but that\u2019s pretty much it.<\/p>\r\n<p>Anyway, let\u2019s get back to our test. Next up, we\u2019ll break down exactly what we were able to recover with PhotoRec, how long it took, and what kind of condition the files came back in.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"is_photorec_good_our_recovery_results\"><\/span>Is PhotoRec Good? Our Recovery Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>From a recovery perspective, PhotoRec was just OK. Since it runs a single deep scan and identifies files by their signatures, we didn\u2019t see any difference between our deleted, formatted, and corrupted drive scenarios.<\/p>\r\n<p>We got identical results from all three. PhotoRec recovered 995 files &#8211; DOC\/DOCX, PPT, TXT and PDFs &#8211; which opened without issue. But sorting through them? Brutal. With no file names or folder structure, you\u2019re staring down a wall of generically named files in one giant folder. Making sense of it all was a nightmare.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-gray border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54913 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-recovered-files.jpg\" alt=\"photorec recovery results\" width=\"1371\" height=\"802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-recovered-files.jpg 1371w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-recovered-files-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-recovered-files-500x292.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photorec-recovered-files-768x449.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1371px) 100vw, 1371px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec also handled media files pretty well. JPG, PNG, GIF, and MP4s were mostly intact. But with RAW photo formats into the mix &#8211; the kind that really challenge recovery tools &#8211; it started to falter. NEF files came back clean. But CRW and SRF? No luck. They were completely unrecoverable.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-secondary\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4ac; <i>\u201cPhotoRec is powerful, but definitely not polished. Once a scan ends, your only option is to exit\u2014there\u2019s no home screen to return to. Also, by default, not all file types might be selected, so if you didn\u2019t find what you were looking for, check the File Options first.\u201d <\/i>\u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexei-vaschenko-592a33185\/\">Alex Vaschenko<\/a>, QA Specialist at CleverFiles<\/div>\r\n<p>Worth noting: we didn\u2019t include any formats that PhotoRec doesn\u2019t officially support. But since it already covers the vast majority of file types people use day to day, we think that\u2019s fair enough.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>Recovery Results Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 4.0<\/div>\r\n<p>Does PhotoRec work? Based on our tests, yes. Overall, solid recovery, and we\u2019re giving it a 4 out of 5.<\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec only runs one type of scan, but that scan covers a ton of ground. It recognizes a wide range of file signatures &#8211; including some newer ones &#8211; so it did well with most of the formats we threw at it.<\/p>\r\n<p>But would we recommend it if you lost thousands of files? Not really. Especially not if you care about folder names or filenames. Because you\u2019re not getting any. Files come back as things like f1482112.pdf, recup_0003.jpg, and so on. No structure, no context. You\u2019ll be digging through a huge dump of data trying to match things by eye.<\/p>\r\n<p>We wouldn\u2019t recommend it for big jobs. Not unless you\u2019ve got a free afternoon and a lot of patience.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"photorec_alternatives\"><\/span>PhotoRec Alternatives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>This review isn&#8217;t complete without a comparison. Let\u2019s talk PhotoRec alternatives; it\u2019s far from the only player on the field. You might prefer a simpler option.<\/p>\r\n<p>So let\u2019s take a look at how PhotoRec compares to some of the more popular options out there &#8211; like <a href=\"\/howto\/recuva-review.html\">Recuva<\/a>, <a href=\"\/data-recovery-software.html\">Disk Drill<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/howto\/easeus-data-recovery-review.html\">EaseUS Data Recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"table_wrapper table_heading\"><p><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Tool<\/td>\r\n<td>PhotoRec<\/td>\r\n<td>Recuva<\/td>\r\n<td>Disk Drill<\/td>\r\n<td>EaseUS<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4b8; Free recovery available<\/td>\r\n<td>Completely free<\/td>\r\n<td>Completely free<\/td>\r\n<td>Up to 100MB of free recovery (Windows)<\/td>\r\n<td>Up to 2 GB of data recovery<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f50d; Scan mode<\/td>\r\n<td>Signature scan only<\/td>\r\n<td>Quick and deep scan<\/td>\r\n<td>Quick and deep scan<\/td>\r\n<td>Quick and deep scan<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x2699;&#xfe0f; OS support<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows, macOS, Linux, more<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows only<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows, macOS<\/td>\r\n<td>Windows, macOS<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5a5;&#xfe0f; UI<\/td>\r\n<td>Only in QPhotoRec for Win<\/td>\r\n<td>Basic, sufficient<\/td>\r\n<td>Modern, intuitive<\/td>\r\n<td>Modern, intuitive<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f5c4;&#xfe0f; NAS\/RAID support<\/td>\r\n<td>No<\/td>\r\n<td>No<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f4bf; Disk image creation\/scanning<\/td>\r\n<td>No<\/td>\r\n<td>No<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes<\/td>\r\n<td>Yes<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>&#x1f9f0; Extra features<\/td>\r\n<td>None<\/td>\r\n<td>Basic preview<\/td>\r\n<td>Byte-to-byte backups, Advanced Camera Recovery module, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, cleaning tool, data protection features<\/td>\r\n<td>Disk imaging, file repair, ChronoSnap backup<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p><\/div>\r\n<p>While truly 100% free tools like PhotoRec are rare, several alternatives offer usable free tiers so you can judge results first. Every PhotoRec alternative in our table, such as Recuva, Disk Drill, and EaseUS, lets you recover files without paying upfront, each with its own ceiling. Disk Drill offers 100 MB on Windows (with unlimited preview to validate results), EaseUS allows 2 GB with the right steps, and Recuva doesn\u2019t cap recovery but is far more basic.<\/p>\r\n<p>When it comes to user experience, all three blow PhotoRec out of the water. Even Recuva, which is closer in simplicity to QPhotoRec, still includes preview functionality and even estimates your recovery chances. Beyond that, though, Recuva doesn\u2019t offer much extra &#8211; unless you count secure deletion.<\/p>\r\n<p>Disk Drill and EaseUS, on the other hand, feel like polished apps. Disk Drill especially packs in the extras: <a href=\"\/help\/dmg-iso-backup.html\">full disk imaging<\/a>, <a href=\"\/help\/monitor-smart-status-disk-health\/\">S.M.A.R.T. monitoring<\/a>, data protection tools, RAID support, a real-time file previewer that works while you scan, and a dedicated Advanced Camera Recovery module that can reconstruct fragmented video footage from many cameras and storage devices.<\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec simply isn\u2019t built to compete with that kind of feature set. It\u2019s an open-source, barebones, signature-scan-only tool, and that comes with clear limits.<\/p>\r\n<p>So if ease of use, modern UI, file preview, and stronger recovery capabilities matter to you, there are more user-friendly PhotoRec alternatives worth checking out.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>Value Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 4.0<\/div>\r\n<p>In terms of value, we\u2019re giving PhotoRec a solid 4. Yes &#8211; it\u2019s completely free, open-source, and cross-platform. You get everything it can do out of the box.<\/p>\r\n<p>But, what it can do is a bit limited. No file previews. No filters. No file names or folder structure. No disk imaging. It\u2019s not the most comfortable tool to use &#8211; and the learning curve, especially on macOS without QPhotoRec, is steep.<\/p>\r\n<p>So while you\u2019re getting great bang for absolutely $0, it\u2019s not a one-size-fits-all recovery solution. The price is right. But if you\u2019re after even basic comforts &#8211; like a halfway decent UI &#8211; there are better options out there. And yeah, some of them are also free (or at least let you test-drive enough to know if they\u2019re worth it).<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"photorec_user_reviews\"><\/span>PhotoRec User Reviews<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Now it\u2019s time to talk about what others have to say. To get a better picture of where PhotoRec stands, we combed through community forums, Reddit threads, and user reviews on platforms like G2 and Trustpilot.<\/p>\r\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\r\n<p>&#x1f4ac; Over on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.g2.com\/products\/testdisk\/reviews\">G2<\/a>, a user highlighted how handy it is that TestDisk and PhotoRec come bundled together:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cTestDisk is a simple but powerful application to analyze and recover disk partitions. What I like most is that it has an integrated tool called PhotoRec that is used to recover lost files&#8230; especially optical drives.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f4ac; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trustpilot.com\/review\/www.cgsecurity.org\">Trustpilot<\/a> has a more emotional take:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cI recovered my pics! Thanks to this web I could download PhotoRec and recover my pics from an SD storage that broke after unplugging it without expulsing it first.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f4ac; Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/datarecovery\/comments\/1abve41\/thoughts_on_photorec\/\">Reddit<\/a> paints a more nuanced picture:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cI used it once back when I didn&#8217;t know better, and it works. It&#8217;s just that it\u2019s a pretty limited tool&#8230; only useful when there&#8217;s no filesystem metadata and the files aren\u2019t fragmented. Even then, there are better free or almost-free alternatives.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<p>&#x1f4ac; Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/datarecovery\/comments\/qfn9mn\/thanku_photorec_amazing_free_file_recovery_tool\/\">commenter chimed<\/a> in with praise:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote><i>\u201cPhotoRec worked brilliantly to get my NEF photos off an SD on an M1 Mac. The trick? You have to open it in Terminal for the drive to appear.\u201d<\/i><\/blockquote>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>User Feedback Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 4.0<\/div>\r\n<p>The general feedback lines up with our own experience. Users tend to praise PhotoRec because it\u2019s free and effective in many data loss situations when the file system is damaged or missing.<\/p>\r\n<p>The complaints are just as consistent: no filenames, no folder structure, no GUI (in the classic version), and a workflow that can feel rough if you\u2019re not used to recovery tools.<\/p>\r\n<p>We\u2019ve also seen a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/software\/comments\/9ua0od\/friend_factory_reset_phone_is_photorec_safe_to_use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">few people<\/a> ask whether it is safe. Is PhotoRec safe? Yes, absolutely. It\u2019s open-source, read-only by default, and has been around long enough to earn trust in the data recovery world.<\/p>\r\n<p>In short, the general feedback warrants a 4. A solid 4.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"final_verdict\"><\/span>Final Verdict<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>OK, it\u2019s time to bring this PhotoRec review to a close.<\/p>\r\n<p>First, let\u2019s quickly recap the scores:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>&#x2b50; Features? <b>3 out of 5<\/b> &#8211; not a lot of extras, barebones.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x2b50; Recovery performance? <b>4<\/b> &#8211; gets the job done, especially with common formats.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x2b50; Value? <b>Easy 4<\/b> &#8211; completely free and open-source.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x2b50; User feedback? <b>Another 4<\/b> &#8211; the praise is earned, and the complaints are fair.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b>Average score<\/b>: (3 + 4 + 4 + 4) \u00f7 4 = 3.75<\/p>\r\n<p>We don\u2019t do half-stars here, so we round down.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f31f; <b>Overall Score:<\/b> &#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50;&#x2b50; | 3.8<\/div>\r\n<p>Pretty great results &#8211; especially for an open-source tool.<\/p>\r\n<p>PhotoRec isn\u2019t trying to be everything for everyone. It\u2019s not here to wow you with animations or \u201cauto-magic\u201d scans. It\u2019s here to get files back through raw signature recovery. If you\u2019re okay giving up filenames, folder structure, previews, and a nice interface in exchange for a truly free recovery tool, PhotoRec might be all you need.<\/p>\r\n<p>Just don\u2019t expect miracles (and maybe clear your weekend if you\u2019re trying to dig through a thousand recovered files with generic names).<\/p>\r\n<p>If that doesn\u2019t sound all that appealing, Disk Drill is a better choice as a complete recovery tool. Yes, it sits in a heavier weight class than PhotoRec, but that difference comes with real advantages: a clean UI, file previews, recovery from file system records and signatures, byte-to-byte backups, Advanced Camera Recovery, and more. In other words, it gives you a much more practical recovery workflow, especially when you\u2019re dealing with a large drive, mixed file types, or files you need to identify before recovery.<\/p>\r\n<p>But PhotoRec? It may still be worth keeping in your recovery toolkit. It\u2019s free and capable in the right scenario. You may not want it as your main recovery tool, but when you need a no-cost utility that can carve files, it can absolutely come in handy.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our PhotoRec review looks at four areas that matter most in recovery software: features, recovery performance, user feedback, and overall value. We scored each category from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), then averaged the results for a final verdict. &#x1f50e;&#8230;","protected":false},"author":7868,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2642],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-54899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-software-reviews"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>PhotoRec Review: Still Capable of Recovering a Lot In 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this PhotoRec review, we put to the test the recovery performance and usability of this open-source tool to reveal all of its features.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/photorec-review.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PhotoRec Review: Still Capable of Recovering a Lot In 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this PhotoRec review, we put to the test the recovery performance and usability of this open-source tool to reveal all of its features.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/photorec-review.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Data recovery tips. 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