The developer of TestDisk doesn’t release updates for its software often. TestDisk doesn’t contain a signature scanner component, so it can’t recover files whose file system references have been deleted or damaged. It’s impossible to recover data after formatting using TestDisk because the software focuses on file system repair. The application is a one-man project, and the only place you can get technical support is the official forum, but there’s no guarantee that your questions will receive replies.Ĭan’t restore data after formatting. As such, an unsuccessful recovery can lead to even more damage. TestDisk in some cases writes data directly to the disk that’s being repaired or recovered. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, it can be easy to get confused.ĭestructive recovery.

To scan a storage device using TestDisk, you need to go through a series of steps in order to select the storage device and configure important scan parameters.

The command-line user interface is intimidating and takes some time to get used to. The application is very slow, and you can expect to wait more than 24 hours for a scan to finish and your files to be recovered.Ĭomplicated command-line user interface. Issues with the operating system not booting properly are often caused by file system damage affecting the master boot record, and you have a good chance to fix it with TestDisk. TestDisk is included in such popular bootable recovery and repair tools as Hiren's BootCD.Ĭan fix an operating system that won't boot. Included in bootable recovery and repair tools. You can run TestDisk on all major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. TestDisk focuses on the repair of logically damaged storage devices to help users recover lost partitions, and you would be hard-pressed to find another tool (especially free one) that can recover lost partitions and make disk bootable again better. In many cases, TestDisk can recover lost file systems by repairing the underlying issue. The program can scan disks that don’t have a file system and can’t be mounted. TestDisk runs well even on very old computers because it doesn’t require much processing power and RAM. You don’t have to install the software to use it. The application is open source, so you can review and even modify its source code.

You do not need to buy a license to restore files.

Testdisk recover lost partition