Answers you can scan in seconds

Recuva restores accidentally deleted files from internal drives, external disks, USB sticks, and SD cards on Windows. Quick scan checks the file system; deep scan searches the disk for signatures when metadata is gone or unreliable.

Deep scan reads raw clusters to match file patterns. Bigger disks, slow interfaces, and fragmentation all add time. Let it complete and always recover to a different drive than the one you are scanning.

Usually no - once new data occupies the same sectors, previous content is effectively gone. Power down unnecessary writes immediately; if possible, image the disk from another machine.

Recuva.pro is an independent educational site. It is not the developer of Recuva. Prefer installers from sources you trust, verify digital signatures when possible, and avoid repackaged downloads with extra bundles.

You should not. Writing recovered files onto the volume under scan can overwrite clusters that still hold recoverable data. Use a different physical disk with enough free space, then verify opens before deleting anything from the source.

More: staging disks on the blog.

Quick scan reads the file system metadata for deleted entries - it is fast when the table is healthy. Deep scan walks raw sectors looking for known file signatures - slower, for corruption, quick format, or when quick scan returns nothing useful.

More: quick vs deep on the blog.

Recuva is built for Windows. If files lived on a Mac-formatted disk, attach it to a Windows machine or a VM with reliable disk passthrough before recovery, and do not format the disk just to make it mount.

Normal Recuva use works on local volumes and does not upload your data as part of scanning. You choose where exports are saved; avoid staging into cloud-synced folders if policy requires the export to stay local until reviewed.

No. BitLocker volumes need valid keys or recovery material before the filesystem is readable. Ransomware is a cryptography problem - Recuva does not decrypt locked payloads.

Use a channel you already trust or an IT-approved mirror, verify digital signatures or hashes when your policy requires, and avoid repackagers that bundle adware.

See also: Download now section on the home page.

Do not format if you still need the data. Use a stable card reader and a desktop USB port, then scan. Formatting can destroy metadata you need for recovery.

More: SD card recovery on the blog.

No. Clicking, power-off, or SMART failure needs hardware help or a clean-room lab. Stop repeated power cycles and avoid tools that stress a dying disk. Software assumes the media can be read reliably.