RecoverHelper review
A free, safety-focused recovery tool with RAW support and flexible scan modes.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
RecoverHelper is a free recovery tool for deleted or lost photos, videos, and other files. It is aimed at people recovering media from internal or external HDDs and SSDs, SD and microSD cards, USB flash drives, and digital cameras. The desktop software runs on Windows and macOS, while Android and iPhone apps unlock additional recovery formats. Photo support includes JPG, PNG, HEIC, and camera RAW formats such as CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF, and PEF.
Its strongest area is recovery depth without sacrificing source-drive protection. Quick Scan uses NTFS Master File Table recovery, Deep Scan combines file-system scanning with signature carving, and Carving Only supports FAT32, exFAT, APFS, HFS+, and raw volumes. Bad-sector tolerant scanning broadens its usefulness for damaged storage. Read-only source access, preview before recovery, and blocked output on the source drive add practical safeguards when handling valuable photos. SHA-256 manifests, HTML scan reports, and a live hex visualizer provide additional technical visibility.
The Free plan costs 0 and includes JPG and PNG recovery, Quick, Deep, and Carving Only modes, and preview before recovery. RAW, HEIC, video, audio, document, and archive recovery become available after pairing the desktop app with the free mobile app. That pairing requirement is the main qualification for users who want broader file-format support immediately on desktop. Choose RecoverHelper for free, cross-platform photo recovery with multiple scan methods and careful source handling. Consider another option if mobile-app pairing is unsuitable or if a desktop-only workflow is essential.
RecoverHelper pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Supports RAW photos, including CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF and PEF
- Read-only scanning, preview, and separate-drive recovery protect the source
- Works with HDDs, SSDs, SD cards, USB drives, and cameras
- Where it doesn't
- Formats beyond JPG and PNG require free mobile-app pairing
- Desktop software is limited to Windows and macOS
- Recovery output cannot be written to the source drive
RecoverHelper fact sheet, pricing and score →
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