Once that’s done, you can choose to conduct a conventional scan or a thorough, time-consuming deep scan – and after that, you’re given a clear list of files with their location, size and condition. It also works with CDs, DVDs and even mp3 players. On the next screen you’re able to select their potential location – the app can search hard drives and SSDs, specific folders, common places like the Recycle Bin and even USB sticks and SD cards. You can tell the dialog to search specifically for pictures alongside other kinds of files, like music, documents, videos or emails. Load the app and you don’t get a traditional interface – there’s a wizard instead. Install the app and you’ll quickly see how easy this tool is to use.

Good core functionality that’s easy to use, but not many advanced features.

If you look elsewhere, you’ll often find photo recovery tools with enterprise tiers for large deployments, but that’s not an option here. And, as an added bonus, that package can be installed simultaneously across three systems, which is ideal if you want to recover photos from multiple machines.īeyond that, though, there are no more powerful options for potential Recuva users. You’ll also get Speccy, which is a top tool for identifying exactly what hardware is inside your PC. If you spend $40 / £40 you’ll get CCleaner Professional Plus, which does a tremendous job of cleaning your systems – and that package also includes Recuva. The best value comes from embracing Piriform’s other products. You also get automatic updates and priority support, although Recuva only offers email support, no phone or live chat support is available. If you opt for that product tier, you get Recuva’s file recovery prowess alongside virtual hard drives and drive image scanning support. Recuva’s Professional upgrade only costs $20 / £20, so it’s one of the more affordable paid choices when it comes to photo recovery.

Recuva has a free version that isn’t subjected to any trial periods or file size limits, so that’s a great starting point if you want to tackle some relatively straightforward image recovery.