Recover review
A free desktop recovery tool with broad filesystem, imaging and RAID support.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Recover is free desktop software for recovering deleted files and files lost after formatting from healthy storage devices. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and is suited to people who want recovery tools across common storage devices and a wide range of filesystems. It scans hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, memory cards, RAID sets and disk images. The vendor recommends saving recovered files to a separate drive, rather than the one being scanned.
Its scope extends beyond ordinary deleted-file scans. Recover can search for lost partitions, create disk images or open existing ones, and assemble RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD sets. File carving searches signatures across 334 formats, while reading Windows, macOS and Linux search indexes can help reconstruct paths and names. Before scanning, it checks drive health and displays an estimate of deleted-file recoverability. The supported filesystems include FAT variants, exFAT, NTFS, ext2 through ext4, XFS, Btrfs, HFS, HFS+, APFS, ReFS, UDF, UFS, F2FS, JFFS2, UBIFS, ZFS, VMFS and bcachefs.
The vendor describes the software as free without limits; RAID assembly and encrypted-volume access require free registration. This breadth makes Recover a fit for people who need a no-cost option spanning multiple operating systems, storage types and recovery approaches. It is not the right choice for a drive with physical faults: the vendor cautions against scanning such drives and recommends making an image first when appropriate. Also weigh the vendor's note that some deleted-file recovery capabilities for XFS, Btrfs and APFS are not yet confirmed on real cases. Choose it for broad free desktop recovery; consider another option if those filesystem capabilities or physical-drive recovery are central to the job.
Recover pros and cons
- Where it wins
- File carving searches signatures across 334 formats
- Supports disk images and RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD
- Checks drive health and estimates deleted-file recoverability
- Where it doesn't
- Desktop software only; recovered files must go to a separate drive
- RAID assembly and encrypted-volume access require free registration
- Some deleted-file recovery for XFS, Btrfs and APFS is unconfirmed on real cases
Recover fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update