You know the feeling. That sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize your precious memories are gone. It can happen to anyone. A corrupted hard drive. A stolen laptop. Deleted files. But don't panic yet! The best data recovery software is here to save the day. In this article, we'll explore the top data recovery programs that can rescue your photos, documents, and more when disaster strikes.
We'll compare features, performance, pricing, and ease of use so you can find the right software to get your data back. Stick with us to learn how to prepare for data loss and which tools give you the best shot at recovering your digital life. Let's start digging into the data recovery options so you're ready to be the hero when files go missing.
What to Look for in the Best Data Recovery Software
Easy to Use Interface
The best data recovery software should have an intuitive interface that's easy to navigate. Look for options with simple menus, search functions to locate specific files, and wizards to walk you through the recovery process. The less technical the better, especially if you're not particularly tech-savvy.
Robust Scanning Capabilities
You'll want a program that can perform deep scans of your storage media to locate files in unallocated space. The more advanced the scan, the longer it will take but the more files it should be able to recover. Some top software can recover data even after a hard drive has been formatted or partitioned.
Ability to Recover All File Types
The most effective data recovery tools can restore all common file types, including documents, photos, videos, music, emails, and more. Some can even recover encrypted or compressed files. The best will also allow you to preview files before attempting recovery so you can check if they're intact.
Advanced Recovery Options
Look for extra features like the ability to create disk images, recover data from damaged storage media, restore deleted partitions or entire hard drives. Some programs offer emergency recovery options to restore data even when Windows won't boot. These advanced options, though not always needed, can be lifesavers when disaster strikes.
Affordable Pricing
Data recovery software ranges from free to several hundred dollars depending on the features. For most casual users, there are very capable options between $50 to $100 that will suit your needs. Unless you frequently have to recover sensitive business data, the most expensive tools are probably overkill for home use.
With the right software and a little patience, you have a good chance of rescuing your files and getting your digital life back in order. Compare a few top-rated data recovery programs and choose one with the options you need at a price you can afford. Your lost data will be recovered in no time!
Our Top 5 Picks for the Best Data Recovery Software of 2025
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
This popular tool has been around for years and continues to lead the pack. It offers a free trial so you can scan your drive and preview which files are recoverable before paying. It handles all types of data loss on both Windows and Mac. The Pro version adds features like boot disk creation, RAID recovery, and 24/7 support.
Stellar Photo Recovery
As the name suggests, this software focuses on recovering lost photos, videos, and audio files. It works with memory cards, USB drives, and internal/external hard drives. Stellar Photo Recovery is very easy to use, with a simple interface and wizard to guide you through the recovery process. It can recover data even after a factory reset.
Recoverit
An affordable, easy-to-use option for both Windows and Mac. Recoverit can retrieve all types of files from various storage media. It offers a free trial so you can see how much data is recoverable before paying. Recoverit is a great choice if you're on a budget but still want a capable data recovery solution.
Disk Drill
This popular Mac data recovery app is also available for Windows. Disk Drill can recover over 200 file types from internal and external drives, USBs, SD cards, iOS/Android devices, and more. It offers useful features like disk health monitoring, bootable recovery drive creation, byte-to-byte backups, and file shredding.
PhotoRec
A free, open-source tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux. PhotoRec can recover lost files like pictures, documents, archives, and videos from hard drives, memory cards, USB drives, and more. It's not the most user-friendly software but is highly effective at data recovery. PhotoRec would be good for tech-savvy individuals on a budget.
#1 Stellar Data Recovery - Best Overall
Of all the data recovery tools we tested, Stellar Data Recovery stood out as the most comprehensive and effective. This full-featured software provides an intuitive interface and powerful tools to recover files from almost any data loss scenario.
Recovers Any File Type
Stellar Data Recovery can restore over 300 different file types, including documents, photos, videos, emails, and more. Whether you accidentally deleted important business files or lost years of cherished family photos, this program has you covered. It works on both Mac and Windows and supports all major storage media like hard drives, USBs, SD cards, and RAID drives.
Advanced Scan Options
Stellar gives you total control over the recovery process. You can perform a quick scan to restore recently deleted files or enable “deep scan” mode for a more intensive search. The deep scan thoroughly analyses your drive sector-by-sector to maximize the amount of data recovered. You can also scan for specific file types if you know exactly what you’re looking for. These options allow you to balance scan time and recovery effectiveness.
Preview and Select Files
One of the best features of Stellar Data Recovery is its ability to preview files before recovering them. You can see image thumbnails, read text documents, watch video clips, and more—all without actually restoring the files yet. This lets you handpick only the specific files you want to recover so you’re not stuck restoring and sorting through a huge batch of random deleted data.
Competitive Pricing
Stellar Data Recovery offers a free trial so you can test it out on your system before purchasing. Paid licenses start at $49.99 for a Personal Edition, which should suit the needs of most individual users and small businesses. Bulk and enterprise licenses are also available for larger organizations. Overall, Stellar Data Recovery combines power, versatility and affordability, making it our top choice for rescuing and restoring your lost or deleted digital files.
#2 EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard - Most User-Friendly
When your precious data goes missing, you want a recovery solution that’s intuitive and easy to use. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is one of the most user-friendly data recovery programs out there. The simple three-step process will have you recovering your files in no time.
Step 1: Select a Location
When you launch the software, you’ll see a list of all your drives and storage media. Simply select the location where you lost your files, like your C drive or external hard drive. The program will scan the device and build a directory tree to show you all recoverable files.
Step 2: Scan and Preview
Click “Scan” to start the search. The quick scan usually finds recently deleted files in a few minutes. For a more intensive deep scan to locate older files, select “Enable Deep Scan”. As the scan proceeds, you can preview image files like JPEGs to check if they’re intact before recovering them.
Step 3: Recover and Save
Select the files you want to recover by checking the boxes next to them. Then click “Recover” to get your files back. You can recover the files to your original location or save them to a different storage device. The program lets you filter scan results by file type, size, date created/modified to quickly locate what you need.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard stands out for its simple interface and powerful recovery capabilities. While the free version lets you recover up to 2GB of data, the paid editions provide unlimited data recovery from almost any data loss scenario. Tech support is available to help you with any issues. Overall, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard gives you an easy, do-it-yourself way to rescue your important data. The three bears of data recovery—not too complicated, not too basic, but just right for most users.
#3 Disk Drill - Great for Mac Users
If you’re a Mac user looking for data recovery software, Disk Drill should be at the top of your list. This popular tool is designed specifically for macOS and works to recover lost files from your internal hard drive, external storage devices, and even iOS/Android mobile devices.
Simple Interface
Disk Drill has an incredibly intuitive interface that makes data recovery as easy as a few clicks. Once installed, the app will scan your entire computer and show you a list of all recoverable file types like documents, photos, videos, and more. You can preview files before recovering them and select only the ones you want to restore.
Powerful Scanning
At the heart of Disk Drill is its scanning engine which uses advanced algorithms to scour every sector of your storage device in search of recoverable data. It can recover files from HFS/HFS+, FAT, NTFS and EXT formatted drives and works to restore files even if you’ve emptied the Trash, suffered disk corruption or experienced a system crash.
Added Features
On top of data recovery, Disk Drill also offers useful extra tools like duplicates finder to help free up storage space; disk health monitoring to check your hard drives for potential issues; and file recovery vault to ensure your critical files are backed up and protected. For an affordable one-time fee, Disk Drill offers lifetime upgrades so you’ll always have the latest version with all new features and updates.
Free Trial Available
If you want to try before you buy, Disk Drill offers a free trial version that allows you to scan for lost files and preview their recoverability. While the free trial won’t actually recover your data, it gives you the chance to see exactly what files are retrievable before purchasing a license. For most casual Mac users, the free trial should be more than enough to handle basic data recovery needs. However, power users will benefit greatly from upgrading to the full pro version.
Overall, Disk Drill is a highly capable data recovery tool for Mac that combines an easy to use interface with powerful scanning features. For Mac owners, it should absolutely be the first app you turn to if you need to rescue lost or deleted files.
#4 Recuva - Best Free Data Recovery
If you’re on a budget but still need a capable data recovery tool, Recuva is your best option. This free software can recover files from your hard drive, external storage media like USB drives, and even damaged or newly formatted drives.
Simple to Use
Recuva has an intuitive wizard-based interface that walks you through the data recovery process step-by-step. You just have to choose the file type you want to recover, like documents or images, select a location to scan, and click “Start.” Recuva will scan the drive and show you a list of recoverable files. You can then preview files to check if they’re intact before choosing which ones to recover.
Powerful Recovery
Despite being free, Recuva offers advanced recovery features found in paid software. It can recover files from damaged or newly formatted drives and recover deleted data even after you’ve emptied the Recycle Bin. Recuva also has built-in secure deletion, so you can permanently erase files with sensitive data.
Flexible Scanning
Recuva gives you a lot of flexibility in how you want to scan for files. You can do a quick scan to locate recently deleted files, or an in-depth scan to search your entire drive sector by sector for the maximum amount of recoverable data. You can also limit the scan to certain file types or search in specific locations. These customizable scan options allow you to balance recovery power and speed.
While Recuva lacks some of the advanced tools of paid data recovery software, it’s perfect for basic file recovery needs. And since it’s free, it’s worth trying before you shell out money for a commercial solution. Recuva proves you don’t have to sacrifice quality for affordability when it comes to data recovery. With its simple interface, powerful recovery features, and flexible scanning options, Recuva can rescue your lost files without draining your wallet.
#5 Ontrack EasyRecovery - Most Powerful Capabilities
Ontrack EasyRecovery is one of the most robust data recovery tools on the market, offering the widest range of file recovery options. With EasyRecovery, you have the best chance of recovering files from any data loss scenario.
Recovers From Any Device
Whether you need to recover data from a hard drive, SSD, USB drive, SD card, or RAID system, EasyRecovery can handle it. It supports recovery from Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems and a wide range of file systems like FAT, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4. No matter what type of storage you're using, EasyRecovery provides specialized tools to rescue your data.
Advanced Scan Options
EasyRecovery offers five different scan modes so you can choose the level of scan intensity needed for your situation. The Quick Scan mode is fast and recovers recently deleted files. The SuperScan is more comprehensive, while the Sector Scan dives into the disk sectors to find files that have been overwritten. The Raw Recovery scan works at the lowest level to recover data even when file systems or partition tables are damaged. The Image Scan lets you recover data from disk images, useful for forensic work.
Powerful File Preview
One of EasyRecovery's most useful features is its file preview capability. After a scan completes, you can preview many types of files like documents, photos, videos, and audio files. The built-in media player lets you preview video and audio without needing to recover the files first. File previews allow you to ensure you've found the files you need before spending time recovering them.
Advanced Features Galore
EasyRecovery is packed with advanced features to handle any data recovery job. Options like disk cloning, email recovery, RAID recovery, and virtual machine recovery provide more specialized tools. An integrated hex viewer gives low-level access for advanced users. Bootable media can be created to recover data even when PCs won’t boot. EasyRecovery may have a higher cost, but its powerful capabilities and advanced features make it worth the investment.
How to Use Data Recovery Software to Rescue Your Files
So you accidentally deleted an important file or lost data due to a system crash. Don't panic! Data recovery software can help rescue your files. Here's how to use it:
First, download and install a data recovery program on your computer. Some highly-rated, free options are Recuva, Pandora Recovery, and Stellar Photo Recovery. Once installed, run the software. It will scan your computer's hard drive and show you a list of deleted files it found.
Look through the list of recoverable files and folders to locate your lost data. You may need to do a deep scan for the software to detect files that were deleted long ago. Select the files you want to recover and click “Restore” or “Recover.” The software will restore the files to your chosen location.
For the best chances of recovery, stop using your computer as soon as you realize files are missing. Any new data written to the drive could overwrite your deleted files. Also, don’t install the recovery software on the same drive from which you're trying to rescue files. Install and run it from a separate drive.
If the data loss was due to a hardware issue like a failing hard drive, you may need to create a disk image to recover the data. Data recovery software can scan the disk image without further damaging the drive. You'll then recover files from the disk image. Some programs provide this feature, or you can use a separate disk imaging tool.
With the right approach and software, you have a good shot at recovering your lost files. But act quickly—the more you use your computer after losing data, the more difficult recovery becomes. If DIY software isn't working, consider consulting a data recovery pro. They have the tools and experience to rescue even the most stubborn lost files.
FAQs About the Best Data Recovery Software
You likely have some questions about data recovery software and how to choose the best option for your needs. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions to help you decide.
What types of files can data recovery software restore? Most leading programs can recover documents, photos, videos, music, emails, and more from hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, and other storage media. The specific file types will depend on the software, but typically include things like:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files
JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and RAW image formats
AVI, MP4, MOV and MKV video files
MP3, WAV, WMA and FLAC audio files
PST, DBX, EML and MSG email files
How much does data recovery software cost? Pricing varies but you can expect to pay between $30 to $100 for a personal license, and $500 or more for professional business licenses. Some products offer free trials so you can see if your files can be recovered before purchasing. Look for a money-back guarantee in case the software can’t rescue your data.
Is data recovery software safe to use? Reputable programs from trusted brands are generally safe to use and won’t damage or overwrite your data. However, for the best results, do not install the software on the same drive you want to recover data from. Install and run the program from a separate drive. Once your files have been recovered, you may need to reformat the original drive before using it again.
How easy is the data recovery process? The recovery procedure is usually very straightforward. You simply install the software, select the drive you want to recover data from, and the types of files you're looking to restore. The program will scan your drive and display a list of recoverable files. You select the ones you want to save and choose a location to save them to. However, for severely damaged drives, the process can be more complex, often requiring manual recovery steps. In these cases, it's best to contact a data recovery expert.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions about data recovery software. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Conclusion
So in 2025, data recovery is easier than ever with more advanced software and cheaper pricing. But you still need to make smart choices to find the program that really works for your needs. Don't wait until you've lost those precious photos and files to research - do it now and save yourself the panic later. Whether it's Disk Drill, EaseUS, Stellar or another top-rated option, read reviews and take advantage of free trials. And remember the golden rule: prevention over recovery. Back up regularly so you hopefully won't need data recovery at all. But if disaster strikes, you'll be ready to quickly restore from backup or use the best recovery software out there. Data security in 2025 is in your hands!