Wondershare Recoverit Review

Wondershare Recoverit Review: Pros, Cons & Our Verdict

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Written by Roxana Raducanu Roxana Raducanu Author • 3 articles Roxana Raducanu is a seasoned technical writer with 10+ years of experience writing for startups and Fortune 500s alike. She is a copywriter with a special affinity for technical content; and a love for words, and SEO; a tech enthusiast, following the latest trends related to digital marketing, hardware, software, Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and new technologies. You can find her work on many websites including CAREERS.SH, KillerCoder.io, and others. LinkedIn Edited by Roman Demian Roman Demian Junior Content Editor and QA Specialist • 42 articles Roman Demian is a Junior Content Editor and QA Specialist at Handy Recovery Advisor. Since joining in mid-2024, he has been essential in keeping our content up-to-date. Roman identifies outdated or inaccurate information in older articles, updates them to current standards, and enriches our content with valuable and engaging information. LinkedIn Approved by Andrey Vasilyev Andrey Vasilyev Editor Andrey Vasilyev is an Editorial Advisor for Handy Recovery. Andrey is a software engineer expert with extensive expertise in data recovery, computer forensics, and data litigation. Andrey brings over 12 years of experience in software development, database administration, and hardware repair to the team. LinkedIn

Wondershare Recoverit stands out with bold claims: a 99.5% recovery success rate and support for over 1,000 file formats, including photos, videos, and documents. It promises to recover lost data from 2,000+ devices—SD cards, external drives, hard disks, crashed computers, and so on.

These claims sound impressive, but we’ve learned not to take them at face value. Our team tested Wondershare Recoverit in real-world scenarios to see if it lives up to the hype. We’ll break down everything you need to know, from its features and usability to safety, performance, and pricing. If you want to know if this recovery software is what you need, our Wondershare Recoverit review will help you figure it out.

What Is Wondershare Recoverit?

Recoverit is a data recovery tool created by Wondershare. First released in 2003, it has steadily gained popularity over the past 20 years. The company updates it regularly, with the most recent version, 13.0.0, launching on July 24, 2024.

With support for both Windows and macOS, Wondershare Recoverit aims to be a one-stop solution for personal and professional data recovery needs.

You can use Recoverit data recovery from different locations from USBs to SD cards, desktops to specific folders, and formatted partitions. You can also retrieve data from iOS and Android devices.

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What Are the Main Features of Wondershare Recoverit?

Obviously, the main function of Wondershare Recoverit is data recovery, and, jumping ahead, the software does a decent job with it. As we already mentioned, Wondershare Recoverit claims to support over 1,000 file types and more than 2,000 storage devices. Let’s now look at all the features this tool offers:

  • Recoverit supports a variety of file systems, including NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT.
  • It offers two scan modes. The quick scan targets recently deleted files, while the deep scan looks for data on formatted or damaged partitions.
  • Recoverit can repair corrupted videos and photos in the Premium plan.
  • The software allows you to create bootable drives to recover data from systems that won’t start. This feature is available in higher-tier plans and can be helpful in system crash scenarios.
  • Users can scan specific folders, partitions, or locations like the Recycle Bin or Desktop.
  • You can preview certain file types before recovery.
  • Recoverit supports Bitlocker-encrypted drives but requires unlocking them within the OS first.
  • Modern and user-friendly interface, with options to filter and sort results by type, date, or size.

Is Wondershare Recoverit Safe?

This is an important question. Most people asking about safety want to know if it’s safe to download or if it carries malware or adware. But there’s so much more to safety than just that. Let’s break it down.

  • Is it safe to download? We ran Wondershare Recoverit’s installer through VirusTotal.com to check for potential issues, and the results were mixed. While many antivirus engines marked it as safe, a few flagged concerns like “Win/grayware,” “Potentially Unwanted,” and “Deceptor.WndrshrRcvr.EKW.” These types of warnings are not uncommon for recovery tools, as they often interact deeply with storage systems and mimic system-level processes. After installing the software, we ran a full system scan and didn’t find any malicious activity or unexpected issues on our system. However, these VirusTotal results might raise concerns for users who are particularly cautious about their software.Many antivirus engines marked it as safe
  • How does it handle your data? Recoverit works in read-only mode for most recovery tasks, which means it doesn’t alter or overwrite the original data on your storage device. However, we have some reservations because the software doesn’t consistently use non-intrusive read-only algorithms. This could pose a risk of further data corruption with damaged or failing drives.
  • What about privacy? The software operates locally, so your files stay on your computer unless you choose to upload them. Wondershare’s privacy policy is transparent about how user data is handled, and it doesn’t collect or share files without your consent.
  • Encrypted drives and security. Recoverit can scan Bitlocker-encrypted drives, but it requires you to unlock them in your OS first, so only authorized users can access sensitive or encrypted data.

Overall, in terms of safety, Wondershare Recoverit is not great, but not terrible. It passed most malware checks and handles most recovery scenarios well. However, the lack of consistently non-intrusive algorithms means it’s best used for healthy or moderately affected drives.

Roman Demian Junior Content Editor and QA Specialist, Handy Recovery Advisor

How Easy Is Wondershare Recoverit to Use?

Ease of use can make or break a data recovery tool, especially for people who aren’t tech-savvy. Wondershare Recoverit offers a clean interface and a straightforward recovery process. Here’s how a typical recovery session looks, broken down into a few steps:

Step 1: Download and Install Wondershare Recoverit

To get started with Wondershare Recoverit, go to its official site. (Always download recovery tools from trusted sources to avoid tampered files.) Click the download button for your OS to get the installer.

Click the download button

Once the download is complete, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. The setup is quick and straightforward, in our case it took just a minute. Make sure you’re connected to the internet, as the installer may download additional files during the process.

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When you download/install recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit, make sure you don’t save or install it on the same drive or partition where you’re trying to recover data. It can overwrite the data you’re attempting to restore, which will make recovery impossible. Always choose a different drive or partition.

After the installation is finished, the program will launch automatically, and you’ll be ready to move on to the recovery process.

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The installed program takes up around 550 MB of disk space.

Step 2: Select the Recovery Source

Once Wondershare Recoverit is installed and launched, the first screen you’ll see displays all the available drives and partitions connected to your system. This is where you select the location of the lost or deleted files you want to recover.

Select the location

  • The interface provides options like your system drives, external storage devices, and specific locations such as the Desktop or Recycle Bin. If you know exactly where the files were before they were lost, select that folder or partition for a more targeted scan.
  • If a partition has been lost or formatted, Recoverit lists it among the available recovery sources. However, the tool doesn’t always clearly indicate which disk a lost partition belongs to, which can make it harder to choose the correct one.
  • If you want to scan an entire disk instead of a specific partition or folder, you’ll need to navigate to the “Disk” option in the list. Note that Recoverit doesn’t allow scanning of entire disks by default—you’ll need to select specific volumes or locations within the drive.

Step 3: Run the Scan

As soon as you click on a specific location, drive, or partition, Wondershare Recoverit starts the scan immediately. You’ll see the progress bar at the bottom left of the screen, which shows:

  • The type of scan (Quick or Deep).
  • The percentage completed.
  • The estimated remaining time.
  • The number of files found so far.

You’ll see the progress bar at the bottom

Files are grouped into categories like Document, Photo, Video, Archive, and so on, which appear on the left sidebar. For supported file types, you can preview images and documents directly from the results. If a file isn’t previewable, you’ll need to recover it first to check if it’s usable.

Files are grouped into categories

The search bar at the top lets you find specific files by name, while filters allow you to sort results by type, size, or date modified. While Recoverit provides useful filters, it doesn’t show recovery chances for the files it finds, which some competitors offer.

The search bar at the top lets you find specific files

Step 4: Recover Your Files

Once the scan is complete and you’ve identified the files you want to recover, the final step is to save them to a secure location. It’s pretty straightforward—just click the Recover button at the bottom of the screen after you selected the files you want to save. You’ll then be prompted to choose a location for the recovered data.

Click the Recover button at the bottom

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Always save files to a different drive or external device to avoid overwriting data.

The free version of Wondershare Recoverit lets you recover up to 100MB of data without upgrading. While this gives you a chance to test the software, the limit feels tight compared to some competitors. Once you hit the 100MB cap, the Recover button triggers a pop-up that prompts you to upgrade to a Premium plan. But you still can scan and preview files with the free version. User Experience

As you can see, there’s nothing too complicated about Wondershare Recoverit. The interface is clean and modern, and the steps are easy to follow. It feels like the software is designed to guide users through the process without overwhelming them, which is great for those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy. That said, there are a few things we didn’t love about the overall experience.

First off, while the layout looks polished, the way storage is presented isn’t ideal. You can’t scan an entire hard drive at once. Instead, you have to select specific partitions like C: or D:. This might not seem like a big deal for smaller tasks, but if you’re unsure where your data was lost or need to recover files across multiple partitions, it adds unnecessary steps.

Another thing that stood out was the limited preview feature in the free version (it shows only partial preview with a big Unlock Now button). It’s odd—since you can’t recover files beyond the trial limits without upgrading anyway, why not let users preview them fully? Giving people the ability to check if a file is truly recoverable could make the upgrade decision feel more worthwhile. As it stands, the preview restrictions feel a bit counterproductive.

Preview feature

There’s also the lack of scan session saving. If your scan gets interrupted, you’re forced to start from scratch, which can be a major inconvenience with large drives. And while the pop-up reminders to upgrade are expected in a freemium model, they do feel a bit too frequent, especially if you’re just trying to test the software before committing to it.

Overall, the user experience is okay—it’s simple enough to use, and the interface is pleasant, but a few quirks hold it back.

Roman Demian Junior Content Editor and QA Specialist, Handy Recovery Advisor

Our Data Recovery Results

We tested Wondershare Recoverit on a Dell XPS 16 (Windows 11) system to see how it handles different file recovery scenarios. Here’s how it performed across various storage devices, file systems, and file types.

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We tested with these storage devices:

  • 8GB USB Drive (old drive, FAT32).
  • 500GB External HDD (NTFS).
  • 1TB External HDD (EXT4).
  • 1TB HDD (exFAT, used for accidental deletion tests).
  • 32GB SD Card (FAT32, missing file system).
  • 16GB SD Card (exFAT, missing file system).

To thoroughly test Wondershare Recoverit, we populated our storage devices with a wide range of files, including both common and uncommon types. This allowed us to evaluate the software’s recovery performance across a variety of scenarios.

We included commonly used formats like:

  • JPG, PNG, BMP.
  • MP4, AVI, MOV.
  • DOC, DOCX, PDF.
  • MP3, WAV.

We also had less common file types to test Recoverit’s versatility:

  • TIFF, RAW formats like CR2 (Canon), ARW (Sony), and 3FR (Hasselblad).
  • ODT (OpenDocument), DJVU.
  • HEIC (High Efficiency Image), JP2 (JPEG 2000), EXR (HDR).

We deleted files from a variety of storage devices, such as USB drives, SD cards, and hard drives. And also used drives that had missing or corrupted file systems to simulate real-world issues.

After all the tests we found that Recoverit excelled with standard file types like JPG, MP4, and DOCX, however, its performance varied with uncommon formats. It recovered RAW photo formats like CR2 and ARW well, but struggled with HEIC and JP2 files, files were often left partially corrupted or incomplete.

Overall, Wondershare Recoverit showed good performance for most common file types and typical data loss scenarios.

As for its performance with different file systems, it was best with NTFS:

File System

Performance (Star Rating)

Notes

FAT32

⭐⭐⭐

Performed reliably.

exFAT

⭐⭐⭐

Good for recently deleted files but struggled with fragmented data.

NTFS

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best performance with high recovery success rates.

EXT4

⭐⭐

Some files were found but not fully recovered.

Is Wondershare Recoverit Good Value for Money?

On the data recovery software market, prices can range from $30 to up to $500, depending on the included features and the number of computers you wish to use. Wondershare Recoverit data recovery has several pricing plans. Here is an outline of each:

  • 1-Month License. $59.99 (discounted from $79.99). Unlimited data recovery for 2 PC with more than 1000 file formats (though the “1,000 file formats” claim is mostly marketing). Recovery from all devices we mentioned previously. Quick Scan, Deep Scan and file preview. Photo & Video Restore. Free remote technical support.
  • 1 Year License. $62.99 (discounted from $109.99). Files Recovery & Repair for 2 PCs. Everything included in the 1-Month License. Long-term access to all recovery features for crashes, corrupted videos repair, and restoring files from advanced setups like RAID systems.
  • Perpetual License. $129.99 (discounted from $159.99) Recover and repair data for 2 PCS. One-time payment for lifetime access. Includes all features from the 1-Month and 1-Year licenses. Ideal for users who require regular data recovery or support across multiple devices.
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You can contact Wondershare if you are looking for a plan for 3 or more computers. There are plenty of payment options such as PayPal, credit and debit cards. You can download a free version of Wondershare Recoverit, but you will notice that the features are somewhat limited. Still, it’s a great way to get started and see if you need one of the paid plans. Wondershare offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Extra Features

Wondershare Recoverit comes with a few extra features that add value beyond standard data recovery. While it doesn’t pack as many extras as some competitors, the features it offers are practical for common recovery issues.

  • Recoverit includes a tool to repair corrupted video files, which is a standout feature. It’s especially useful with partially damaged videos from cameras, SD cards, or hard drives. The software merges video fragments to reconstruct the file. However, this feature works best with common formats like MP4, MOV, and AVI. If you’re working with less common formats, the results might not be as consistent.
  • If your PC is unbootable, Recoverit lets you create a bootable USB or disk to access your data. This feature is critical for severe data loss scenarios, like system crashes or “blue screen of death” errors.
  • Recoverit expands its capabilities with support for NAS servers and Linux systems, including RAID corruption recovery. This feature is a solid addition for users who need to recover data from more complex setups.
  • The software can create and recover data from disk images. This is important for failing drives because it allows you to work on a copy of the disk instead of the original hardware.

Compared to similar basic recovery tools, Wondershare Recoverit offers a solid list of extras. Many competitors at this price point stick to more basic features, but Recoverit includes useful tools like photo and video repair, which are especially handy for common file types like JPG and MP4. While it doesn’t include extras like disk health monitoring or file system repair, the features it does offer stand out.

Roman Demian Junior Content Editor and QA Specialist, Handy Recovery Advisor

What Are People Saying About Wondershare Recoverit?

The Wondershare site has some good reviews from customers who have used the free and paid-for versions. There were many reviews tugging at heart-strings as we read of precious and priceless files being recovered. The general opinion from users was that Recoverit is easy to use, particularly for those who don’t have much experience with data recovery. Overall, people were able to recover “most” to “all” files.

Wondershare Recoverit scored 4.1 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Interestingly, the majority of the reviews are 5 stars, followed by 1-star reviews, although only 17% have rated it as 1 star. Wondershare has responded to the large majority of their negative reviews, but it seems like a bit of a coincidence that they can’t seem to locate the order number of these customers. It would be nice to see how Wondershare handles these negative reviews.

The lowest star rating with g2, a software review site, is a 3, so it is generally very popular with business users. These reviewers also commented on the outstanding recovery rate but also mentioned the limitations of the free trial.

Our Final Verdict

Wondershare Recoverit left us with mixed feelings. It’s a dependable recovery tool for common file types and handles typical data loss scenarios well. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. Recoverit struggles with less common file systems and delivers inconsistent results with rare file types. While its pricing is competitive, it feels less appealing when compared to other tools that offer a broader range of features.

Overall, Wondershare Recoverit is a reliable choice for basic recovery tasks, particularly if you need tools like video/photo repair. However, its limitations in versatility make it harder to recommend for all users.

Pros:

  • Delivers solid recovery rates for common file types.
  • Creates bootable USB drives for crashed PCs.
  • Recovers data from NAS and RAID systems.
  • Offers Quick and Deep Scan modes.
  • Features a clean, easy-to-use interface.
  • Provides tools for photo and video recovery.
  • Offers flexible pricing plans.

Cons:

  • The free version only lets you recover up to 100MB.
  • Limited preview capability in the free version.
  • Struggles with less common file systems and types.
  • Can’t save or resume interrupted scan sessions.
  • Progress bar estimations can be inaccurate.
  • Higher entry cost compared to similar tools.

FAQ

What does the Wondershare data recovery app do?

The Wondershare data recovery app that allows you can select different file types and locations that Recoverit will scan to find lost or deleted files. Once you have selected and/or previewed files, you can recover them to a new location.

Is Recoverit legit?

Yes, Recoverit is completely safe and legit. This is because it is only searching files that your devices have already saved. It doesn’t influence these files in any way. Plus, it comes with an anti-virus guarantee, making it 100% safe.

Is Wondershare data recovery free?

You can download the free version of Wondershare Recoverit, but it’s limited. The free version allows you to scan and preview recoverable files, but you can only recover up to 100MB of data. If you need to recover more, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

About article

This article was written by Roxana Raducanu, a Author at Handy Recovery Advisor. It was recently updated by Roman Demian. It was also verified for technical accuracy by Andrey Vasilyev, our editorial advisor.

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