PhotoRec with a graphical interface on Mac and Windows

What PhotoRec is

PhotoRec comes bundled with TestDisk from CGSecurity, released under the GPL. It ignores the file system and looks for the signatures of known file types, so it can find photos, documents and videos on a card that was formatted or a partition that is gone. Files come back with numbered names such as f1234567.jpg in recup_dir.1 style folders; names and folders are not preserved. There is no recovery cap. Documentation is on the PhotoRec wiki.

The usual objection is the interface. On Mac and Linux you run it from Terminal, choose a disk with the arrow keys, pick the partition type, select file families, then wait. Many people do this successfully by following the wiki, but it is easy to choose the wrong disk or the wrong destination.

Is there a PhotoRec GUI?

QPhotoRec is a simplified graphical version that ships in the Windows and Linux packages of TestDisk. As far as we could see in October 2026, the macOS download is the terminal version. Third-party wrappers come and go, and some are unmaintained, so check the date and source before running anything that asks for administrator rights.

PhotoRec versus Retrova Deep scan

Retrova rejects false positives while carving, preview thumbnails show before you copy, and partly recoverable files are saved with an .INCOMPLETE mark rather than passed off as good. For a full three-way comparison, see TestDisk vs PhotoRec vs Retrova.

Using Deep scan on a formatted card

1. Stop using the card. New photos overwrite the old ones. Take it out of the camera.
2. Plug it in with a card reader and open Retrova. Choose the card, and pick Deep scan.
3. Choose file types such as JPEG, HEIC, RAW formats or MP4, to cut the clutter.
4. Preview, then select. Check thumbnails, pick what you want, and choose a destination on a different drive.
5. Run Verify to compare each copy with the source bytes.

There is a deeper walk-through in recover deleted photos from an SD card.

What Retrova cannot do

Be aware of these limits before choosing Retrova over PhotoRec:

• Undelete with names outside NTFS, FAT and exFAT. Retrova lists deleted files with their names and folders on NTFS, FAT12/16/32 and exFAT only. On APFS, ext and other file systems it falls back to deep scan, so names and folders are lost and fragmented files may come back damaged. On NTFS, compressed or encrypted deleted files, and ones whose details span several records, are not listed.
• Encrypted drives without the key. Retrova opens BitLocker (password or 48-digit recovery key), LUKS 1/2 (passphrase) and FileVault or encrypted APFS volumes (password) only when you have the key. It cannot open BitLocker startup-key (.bek) or TPM-only drives, or the startup disk of a T2 or Apple silicon Mac away from that Mac. Decryption runs at about 100 MB/s.
• RAID and NAS volumes, APFS snapshots, bootable media and phones. Not supported.
• Code signing. Builds are not signed or notarised yet, hence the first-launch warning.
• Fragmented file carving. Deep scan finds contiguous files of 72 types, which is fewer than the 400 to 1,000 types some paid tools claim. Names are lost, and files stored in pieces may come back damaged or not at all.

The first-launch warning

Retrova’s builds are not signed or notarised with a paid Apple or Microsoft certificate yet, so the first time you open it you will see a warning. On a Mac, open System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down, click Open Anyway and confirm (on macOS 14 or earlier, right-click the app and choose Open). On Windows, when SmartScreen says “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway. You only do this once. The source code is public if you would rather build it yourself or read what it does.

How we checked

We read the PhotoRec and TestDisk documentation and downloads page for platform support, and compared against Retrova 1.1.1’s behaviour. We did not benchmark recovery rates. Competitor details were checked in October 2026 and are dated in the text. Vendor prices and free limits change often and many run permanent sales, so treat every figure here as approximate and confirm on the vendor’s own page before you buy.

Questions

Related guides

• TestDisk vs PhotoRec vs RetrovaWhat each tool does and when to use it.
• Recover deleted photos from an SD card or USB stickStop using the card, then run a deep scan. What comes back and what does not.
• Open-source data recovery software for Mac and WindowsFree tools you can inspect, compared.
• Recover a formatted camera card (RAW photos)What comes back from a formatted card and how.
• A free Disk Drill alternative with no recovery capFree tools compared, with their real limits.