Best Photo Recovery Software in 2025

What is Photo Recovery Software?

Photo recovery software, as the name suggests, is a tool programmed to retrieve accidentally lost, damaged, or deleted images from smartphones, hard drives, memory cards, or external drives. It works on a simple principle: photo files that get deleted or lost unwittingly do not get erased from the device entirely and leave behind a residue. To locate this residue, particularly of files that are recoverable still, thus, the software runs a deep scan on the storage device in question; some of these also make use of file signatures such as JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, etc., to aid the search. And once the remnants are tracked down, it works on reconstructing the file and finally restoring it.

The extent to which a file can be repaired, however, depends on the amount of data that remains unscathed. So, while recovery isn’t always guaranteed, photo recovery software still manages to give you a fair chance at retrieval and that is worthy of notice.

Why Use Photo Recovery Software?

Photo recovery software can prove to be a tool of utmost significance in varying instances. Some of them are listed below for your convenience.

• Unintentional Removal: When you end up deleting important photographs by mistake, photo recovery software can help you attain them back, given that they aren’t overwritten.
• When Files Go Corrupt: Our media files are prone to damage from unprecedented system crashes or software errors; in instances like these, photo recovery software can help repair the files for restoration.
• When the Storage Device Fails: When the device or drive on which the photographs are stored gets impaired owing to any technical snags or hardware issues, photo recovery tools can be used to retrieve them.
• Formatting Errors: Photo recovery tools can also help in case a device gets formatted by mistake and leads to erasure of data.
• File System Crashes: Sometimes file systems like FAT32, ReFS, GFS, etc., experience unusual errors, causing data loss; recovery software can be used to reverse this damage.

What are the Different Types of Photo Recovery Software?

Photo recovery tools can be classified on the basis of their restoring approach, usage, and inherent features. Read on to get a look at them categorized thusly one by one.

• File Type-Based: These tools are designed to recover images of certain specific file types or formats such as RAW, TIFF, PNG, etc. Some of the most popular examples of these are Recuva, EaseUS, etc.
• Recovery Medium-Based: When lost photographs from one or more storage mediums such as SD cards; memory cards; external devices like HDDs, USB drives, etc. or cloud storage services like iCloud, Google Photos, etc., are in question, various recovery medium-based software can be deployed to accomplish the task. Some of the category’s widely known examples are DiskDigger, PhotoRec, MiniTool Power, FoneLab, iMobile PhoneRescue, etc.
• Platform-Based: This comprises of tools that are equipped to recover deleted images from one or more operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS. For example, Disk Drill for Windows/Mac, Stellar Photo Recovery for Mac, Dr.Fone for Android, Tenorshare UltData for iOS, etc.
• Recovery Method-Based: These tools differ on the basis of their recovery technique. For some, like Recovery Wizard, are programmed to run quick scans that check for recently deleted files; others like PhotoRec indulge in deep scanning to restore files that have been partially overwritten; and there’s yet another category that uses file signatures to locate or recover files. R-Studio, Wondershare Recoverit, etc., are some examples of the lattermost.
• Web-Based: Software in this category helps retrieve deleted images from a web browser directly. One does not have to download the tool to access its services. DataRecovery.com, Ontrack EasyRecovery, etc., are its prime examples.

What are the Key Features of Photo Recovery Software?

Tools meant to recover photographs come equipped with the following set of features to ease the recovery process.

• All File Types Supported: Photo recovery software has the innate potential to recover a wide range of image file types such as WebP, RAW, JPEG, PNG, etc.
• Extensive File System Support: Several FS, including FAT, ext, NTFS, HFS etc., are supported by photo recovery tools.
• Preview: Recovery tools let users preview files they wish to recover before actually recovering them. This ensures that no time is lost in retrieving unwanted files.
• Advanced Scanning Techniques: Photo recovery tools feature both quick scan and deep scan, so files both recently lost and those deleted permanently can be recovered without much effort.
• Formatted Devices Supported: Devices that get formatted by mistake can also be scanned for retrieval.
• Ease of Use: These tools come with an easy-to-use interface, so novices in the field get to navigate them and take advantage of their features effortlessly.
• Compatibility with Devices: Recovery software can retrieve image data from a slew of internal and external storage devices such as cameras, SD cards, USBs, smartphones, etc.
• All Platforms Supported: From Windows to iOS, all operating systems can be scanned for retrieval using the photo recovery software.

What are the Benefits of Photo Recovery Software?

There are many advantages of using photo recovery software to retrieve lost/damaged files. Find a few of them listed below.

• Recovery: From recovering lost/deleted images to repairing and then restoring those damaged or formatted; from retrieving lost files from a range of operating systems or storage devices to supporting restoration of sundry image file types, photo recovery software are equipped to do it all and how!
• Easy to Use: One does not need a lot of technical skills to be able to use a photo recovery tool. These come with a beginner-friendly interface, making recovery easy.
• Efficiency: Data recovery tools are all exorbitantly priced; photo recovery tools, on the other hand, are quick to fulfill the task and do not cost much.
• Scanning Options: Photo recovery software comes with a quick scan option for files that got deleted recently, along with a deep scan option that performs in-depth screening for hidden or long-lost files. This helps users retrieve data under any and every circumstance.
• Data Security: Photo recovery tools add an additional layer of security to your pictures by making them retrievable and repairable. One thus does not have to worry about permanent loss of data.
• Say No to Overwriting: Whilst recovering lost/deleted photo files, a recovery tool ensures it does not overwrite existing media files, making the whole process safe for other files.

Who can Use Photo Recovery Software?

Photo Recovery Software can be a significant tool for sundry individuals and professionals. Here’s how.

• Content Creators: People who create visual content for a living can benefit greatly from a recovery tool in case their photo files get deleted accidentally.
• Photographers: Those pursuing photography as a profession often use SD cards or other external memory devices to store photographs. Since these devices are prone to damage, both technical and physical, a photo recovery tool should be kept handy at all times.
• Forensics: People indulged in the scientific analysis of crime scenes can make use of photo recovery software to restore any hidden or deleted items from a smartphone or camera procured from the scene of crime or otherwise as part of their investigation.
• Data Recovery Professionals: Those working in the data recovery domain use advanced photo recovery software to help their customers retrieve lost/damaged files.
• Tech Support: System failure is not something uncommon and so, professionals in the field can rely on photo recovery tools in case any unwanted data loss takes place owing to it.
• Media Houses: Media people keep a large number of pictures in store to serve the varying needs of their work, making data loss a sad reality for them. However, with different photo recovery programs at their disposal, things no longer look so grim.
• E-commerce: Businesses indulged in selling things online require product photos for online listing, making them as vulnerable to data loss as the rest. A recovery tool for them is thus nothing less than a boon.

Best Photo Recovery Software

Here’s a list of some of the best photo recovery tools available in the market, along with their key features and pricing plans.

Tool	Key Features	Pricing
Disk Drill	Supports Windows & Mac, Disk health monitoring, Quick & deep scan, User-friendly interface, Recovers documents and videos	Free to ₹43,210
Recuva	Easy to use, Supports Android & iOS, Recovers from hard drives, memory cards & external drives	Free to ₹1,990
R-Photo	Supports recovery from hard drives, SSDs, RAID; Multiple file systems (FAT12, NTFS, ReFS); Advanced disk repair tools	Free for non-commercial use
Wondershare Recoverit	Recovers images from internal & external devices, Preview before recovery, High recovery rate	₹4,799/month (2 PCs)
DMDE	Recovers from hard drives, RAID & SSDs, Advanced search tools, Professional disk editing tools	Free to $95
DiskGenius	Recovers from hard drives, USB drives, & memory cards; Partition recovery	Free to $99.90
Data Rescue	Deep scan, Supports various file formats, Pre-recovery preview	Free demo to $29
MiniTool Power Data Recovery	Recovers from damaged, formatted, or corrupted drives; Supports internal & external storage; Preview feature	Free to $499 (Business Technician License)
Stellar Data Recovery	Advanced photo, video, and file recovery, Supports all major file systems, Supports RAID recovery	Free to ₹7,999/year

Factors to Consider While Looking for Photo Recovery Software

When planning to buy a photo recovery tool, consider the following factors.

• Broad File Type Support: An ideal photo recovery software is one that is capable of restoring multiple image file types such as RAW, JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.
• Broad File System Support: Different file systems like FAT, APFS, HFS, etc., should be supported by a photo recovery tool.
• Compatible with Two or More Devices: Photo recovery software that is compatible with different storage devices like cameras, SD cards, USBs, smartphones, etc., at the same time should be prioritized most definitely.
• Preview Potential: A recovery tool should allow its users to preview files they want to recover before actually recovering them. This helps streamline the entire process so that any unwanted file does not make its way into the system again.
• Different Scanning Options: A tool that features both quick scan and deep scan should be given weightage for obvious reasons.
• Fast Scanning: Any photo recovery software that does the work efficiently and in the least possible time should be preferred.
• No Overwriting Involved: The software should not overwrite any existing media files on the storage device while recovering lost/damaged files.
• Recover Formatted Files: Formatted devices should fall in the purview of a reliable photo recovery program.
• User-Friendly: Any and every photo recovery tool should have an easy-to-use interface, so beginners, along with those working on the technical side of things, get to navigate it without putting in much effort.
• Cross-Platform Support: A good photo recovery tool would support more than one operating systems/platforms, no questions asked.