Downloads: Download of the day: Recuva

Download of the day: Recuva

Recuva is a free app that can recover deleted files from a hard drive, SD card, USB stick or other storage media. It can be a real lifesaver, and is an essential part of any emergency toolkit.

When you delete a file, it isn't erased immediately. Instead, the space it occupies is marked as available to be overwritten, which means it can be restored using recovery software. Whether your files have been deleted accidentally, wiped by a virus, or lost due to damage to the drive, all is not lost.

There's no guarantee you'll be able to recover everything, but Recuva's powerful scans and flexibility give you the best possible chance.

Why you need it

Recuva can restore any kind of files, including text documents, images and emails. There's a simple wizard to get you started, with more advanced options available if you can't find what you need. The more information you can provide (such as the file type, name, date deleted and place it was stored), the faster Recuva will be able to perform its scan, but you can also perform a deep scan for all deleted files.

Once it's scanned your system, Recuva uses a traffic light system to indicate how likely it is that each file it's found can be restored. Files with a green light have a good chance of recovery, but it's always worth trying amber or red files as well in case any damage can be repaired.

Installing new software after you've lost files could result in the data being overwritten, so install Recuva now and be prepared before disaster strikes.

Key features

• Deep system scans
• Recovery from damaged drives
• Secure file shredder

Works on

Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10

Price

• Free - Standard
• £19.95, US$24.95, AU$24.95 - Pro