{"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":"2025-05-05T14:17:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T14:17:13","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 2025?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In our PhotoRec review, we\u2019ll go through everything that matters: from real-world recovery performance to usability and overall value. We\u2019re breaking it down across several key categories, scoring each one from 1 to 5 (with 5 being best, of course). At the end, we\u2019ll average those out for a final verdict that shows exactly where PhotoRec stands.<\/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. It\u2019s part of the TestDisk suite, and while it doesn\u2019t look like much (zero polish, zero handholding), it\u2019s surprisingly effective at digging up deleted data &#8211; especially photos, videos, and documents.<\/p>\r\n<p>In our tests, PhotoRec did basically what it promised: file recovery that works even when the file system is corrupted or missing altogether.<\/p>\r\n<p>But here\u2019s the catch: it won\u2019t preserve original filenames or folder structures, and its UI (even in the \u201cgraphical\u201d QPhotoRec version) still feels like a terminal wrapped in a form. So while powerful, it\u2019s best suited for folks who care more about results than convenience.<\/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Interface (even QPhotoRec for Windows) feels clunky and outdated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_photorec_offers\"><\/span>What PhotoRec Offers<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>While TestDisk helps you restore partition tables and boot sectors, PhotoRec can recover lost files directly &#8211; 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, M1, M2, M3, or M4 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 stumbles. Just like its sibling, TestDisk, it skips the flashy interface and throws you straight into a command-line window. If you\u2019re not used to typing your way through menus with arrow keys and Enter, it\u2019s going to feel\u2026 a bit like the year 2000.<\/p>\r\n<p>That said, if you do know your way around a terminal &#8211; or don\u2019t mind following a step-by-step guide &#8211; it\u2019s not that hard. And for those who want something a little friendlier, there\u2019s QPhotoRec, a basic GUI wrapper built on top of PhotoRec. It doesn\u2019t change how the tool works under the hood &#8211; it just makes the controls feel a little less intimidating.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x2139;&#xfe0f; But here\u2019s the thing: <b>QPhotoRec is Windows-only<\/b>. If you\u2019re using PhotoRec for Mac, you\u2019re sticking with the terminal version. So yeah, PhotoRec vs QPhotoRec is more about what platform you\u2019re on than anything else. Same engine. Just one has buttons.<\/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>Currently, PhotoRec can recover over <b>480 file extensions across 300+ file families<\/b>. It covers everything from office docs and archives to videos, RAW camera files, 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>That said, nothing\u2019s stopping you from running it on a hard drive or SSD. So even if your data loss didn\u2019t come from a digital camera mishap, PhotoRec\u2019s still in the game.<\/p>\r\n<p>That said, keep expectations realistic. Like we mentioned, PhotoRec recovers files by scanning for signatures. This means no folder structure, no original filenames &#8211; 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 &#8211; because there are no extra features. PhotoRec recovery software doesn\u2019t do disk imaging, doesn\u2019t check SMART data, doesn\u2019t offer backup tools, and doesn\u2019t even pause scans. No scheduling, no 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. We split this part into three parts: how we set up the test (Testing Process), what the actual scanning and recovery workflow was\/is like (Installation &amp; Scanning), and how well it worked in the end (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 used HxD Hex Editor to mess with the partition table just enough to break things and make the drive unreadable (your classic \u201cdrive shows up as RAW\u201d situation).<\/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>That said, if you\u2019re on a Mac, things look a little different. As we explained, there\u2019s no QPhotoRec for Mac, so you\u2019ll need to use the original PhotoRec in Terminal. The easiest way to install it is 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. And don\u2019t worry &#8211; we\u2019ll also show how to run the original <b>PhotoRec<\/b> via Mac Terminal if you\u2019re on macOS.<\/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. This UI is barely an improvement over the CLI version &#8211; it just gives you buttons instead of keystrokes. That\u2019s all.<\/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=\"recovery_results\"><\/span>Recovery Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Recovery-wise, PhotoRec delivered OK &#8211; but without any miracles. 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. All three gave us the same outcome.<\/p>\r\n<p>Out of 1220 files we \u201clost,\u201d PhotoRec brought back 995. That\u2019s solid. DOC\/DOCX, PPT, TXT, PDFs &#8211; all recovered, all opened just fine. 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>So yeah, overall solid recovery. We\u2019re giving it a <b>4 out of 5<\/b>.<\/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>Let\u2019s talk PhotoRec alternatives &#8211; because while this tool is solid at what it does, it\u2019s far from the only player on the field. And this review wouldn\u2019t feel complete without seeing how it stacks up. Maybe you want something a little&#8230; easier. Or maybe you just want an actual preview screen or some of those useful extras that more modern recovery tools throw in.<\/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>No<\/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, SMART monitoring, cleaning tool, data protection features<\/td>\r\n<td>None<\/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, and a real-time file previewer that works while you scan. All of them use quick and deep scan modes that read both file system records and file signatures &#8211; unlike PhotoRec, which relies only on signatures.<\/p>\r\n<p>So yeah &#8211; if ease of use, modern UI, or file preview matters 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 consensus? Pretty spot-on. The praise PhotoRec gets &#8211; especially for being completely free and impressively effective in certain data loss cases &#8211; is well earned.<\/p>\r\n<p>The complaints are fair too. Most users point out the same flaws we\u2019ve covered: no filenames, no folder structure, clunky interface (or more like absence of it).<\/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\/\">few people<\/a> hesitant about whether it\u2019s safe to run. Is PhotoRec safe? Yes, absolutely. It\u2019s open-source, read-only by default, and has been around long enough to earn real trust in the data recovery world. It won\u2019t write to the affected drive, which is exactly what you want from a tool like this.<\/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 your files back. If you\u2019re okay giving up filenames, folder structure, and a shiny interface in exchange for a truly free recovery tool, this might be all you need.<\/p>\r\n<p>Just don\u2019t expect miracles &#8211; and maybe clear your weekend if you\u2019re trying to dig through a thousand recovered files.<\/p>\r\n<p>If that doesn\u2019t sound all that appealing, there are alternatives that keep up with modern expectations: tools that guide you through recovery, offer previews, extras, and a more intuitive experience.<\/p>\r\n<p>But PhotoRec? It\u2019s still worth having in your recovery toolkit &#8211; even if you\u2019re not super technical. You never know when it\u2019ll come in handy.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In our PhotoRec review, we\u2019ll go through everything that matters: from real-world recovery performance to usability and overall value. We\u2019re breaking it down across several key categories, scoring each one from 1 to 5 (with 5 being best, of course)&#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 2025<\/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 2025\" \/>\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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