iolo Search and Recover review
A Windows recovery tool with sector-level scanning and drive imaging, sold for $44.95.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
When files disappear from a damaged, formatted, or repartitioned device, iolo Search and Recover offers Windows users several ways to search for and restore them. Searches can target a location or span the system, with custom searches across folders, hard drives, and removable media. The software covers documents, photos, music, emails, videos, system files, and folders, and supports Windows versions from XP SP3 through Windows 11. Its focus is recovery on Windows home PCs rather than a cross-platform or free tool.
The scanning options address different search needs. SmartScan filters irrelevant files, while StrongScan searches at the sector level, a useful distinction for damaged or reformatted media. Supported sources include hard drives, CDs and DVDs, cameras, MP3 players, flash drives, memory cards, and other digital media. Multimedia previews let users inspect files before restoration. Disk and drive imaging, including virtual drives and backup copies, adds a way to work with drive images alongside file searches. These features make the product more suited to broad recovery tasks than to a narrowly focused undelete utility.
iolo lists one Search and Recover plan at $44.95 as a one-time purchase, with a Whole Home License for home PCs and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The initial purchase provides one year of use, and continued feature access may require renewal, so the listed one-time price should not be read as confirmed lifetime access. There is no free plan, and Windows-only support rules it out for users on other operating systems. It is a fit for Windows home users who need recovery options for damaged media; those seeking free software or non-Windows support should look elsewhere.
iolo Search and Recover pros and cons
- Where it wins
- StrongScan searches damaged media at the sector level.
- SmartScan filters irrelevant files from search results.
- Drive imaging supports virtual drives and backup copies.
- Where it doesn't
- Windows only; it does not support other operating systems.
- No free plan; the listed price is $44.95.
- The initial purchase provides one year of use; renewal may be needed.
iolo Search and Recover fact sheet, pricing and score →
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