Frequently asked questions

Often yes if the data wasn’t overwritten. Use Deep Scan if needed and save files to a different drive.

The clusters may be reused, wiped, or trimmed (SSD). Hardware failure also limits what software can do.

Use a source you trust. This site is an independent guide; verify any file before you run an installer.

Depends on size and speed of the disk. Large USB drives can take many hours; that can be normal.

Avoid it when you can. New files (including recovered ones) written to the same volume can overwrite clusters that still hold data you haven’t pulled yet. Best practice: recover to another physical disk or USB stick, then copy where you need later. More context on How it works.

Recuva is built for Windows. On a Mac you’d typically use Windows (dual-boot, another machine, or a VM with disk passthrough) to scan NTFS/exFAT volumes the same way. Plain Linux installs aren’t the target platform.

Deep Scan rebuilds files from content patterns when the normal directory structure is thin or gone, so names and folders are often generic or odd. Use size, partial paths, and dates; recover samples and open them to confirm. More on when to use Deep Scan on the blog.

Only in narrow cases, for example an SD card in the phone that mounts as a normal removable drive, or old USB-storage mode. Many phones use MTP or full-device encryption, where desktop undelete tools see little or nothing useful. Cloud backup and manufacturer tools are usually the realistic path.

If Windows has the volume unlocked, Recuva can scan like any other drive. If you don’t have the password or recovery key, the data is not meaningfully readable; recovery software can’t decrypt it for you. See also Blog for SSD and storage context.