Best 5 Portable File Recovery Software of 2024

Data recovery software is designed to help you get your valuable files back regardless of the file type or the data loss scenario. However, many people need portable file recovery since they constantly move and manage data on different devices.

But it’s not that easy to find reliable portable software for file recovery. That’s why we’ve researched and picked out some of the top solutions to consider. You can pick one of them based on our unbiased review.

How We Picked the Best Portable Data Recovery Software

Here are the criteria we used for picking the best portable data recovery software:

🎯Data Recovery Effectiveness

All the data recovery tools we try and recommend should be able to recover a wide range of file formats lost in different scenarios. They should also support various storage devices, including memory cards, USB drives, hard drives, SSD drives, NAS storage, etc. Ultimately, the tool should successfully recover any lost file without issues.

🚀Speed of Recovery

Recovery speed is an important factor because data recovery is a resource-intensive task. If your computer is completely overwhelmed with a single task, it should at least be able to complete it quickly. That’s especially important when recovering whole drives with a lot of data.

🤳Ease of Data Recovery

Data recovery tools were very complex in the past, and today, we have fairly simple software anyone can use. However, not all of them are simple, and it’s important to find software with a clear and intuitive user interface with logical commands and steps that lead to successful data recovery.

🧰Compatibility

Compatibility is an important consideration when selecting a data recovery tool. First, many professionals use devices, including SSD drives, NAS storage, portable cameras, memory cards, etc. They also use devices with different operating systems that need recovery.

📍Extra Features

We always look at all the available features the tool offers. That includes previewing files before recovering them, file repair, cross-platform support, etc. The current portable file recovery software market has a lot to offer, and companies are competing by adding useful features to their products.

Best Free Portable Data Recovery Software

Best for:	You would like:
Users that want the best option overall with both simple recovery options and advanced recovery features	Wondershare Recoverit
Users who want an extremely portable solution that can be set up in a few seconds.	DMDE Free Edition
Users who want a free tool that checks the recovery probability of discovered files.	Wise Data Recovery
Users that want to repair partitions and corrupt drives as well as have basic recovery capabilities.	TestDisk
Users looking for a simple solution that’s easy to set up and install.	Recuva

Wondershare Recoverit

Wondershare, a known brand behind many reliable utility tools, developed Recoverit, a comprehensive and highly sophisticated data recovery tool has been perfected over time. It seamlessly combines ease of use with advanced recovery capabilities.

It can recover data from all types of internal and external storage drives and recover data from crashed computers or corrupted drives. With advanced recovery algorithms and unlimited file format support, you can use it to recover data from Windows, macOS, or Linux operating systems.

Features

File recovery
Photo/video recovery
Corrupted video repair
Formatted drive recovery
Partition recovery
NAS recovery
Advanced deep scanning
Excel file recovery
Smooth operation
Different storage recovery options
Advanced scans
Real-time scanning progress
File search
Multiple file filters

Pros and Cons

Pros

Highly versatile file recovery
High success rate of 98%
Quick recovery speed
Sophisticated algorithm
Modern and sleek user interface

Cons

Recovery can be slow with complex record frameworks
The free version is limited to 100 MB of data recovery
Many recovery options (beginners might get overwhelmed)

Pricing Plans

Free trial (up to 100 MBs)
Essential: $69.99 per year
Standard $79.99 per year
Premium: $99.99 per year

User Ratings

TrustRadius: 8/10 – 5 reviews
G2: 4.3/5 – 56 reviews
Trustpilot: 3.7/5 – 2,505 reviews

How to Use

Even though Wondershare Recoverit has many recovery options, you can use the same process for recovering your files no matter what their format or what caused file loss. If you want a simple recovery that works, this app has you covered.

Free Download For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11

Free Download For macOS X 10.10 or later

Download and install the app, then launch it and follow these steps:

When the main window opens, click on Hard Drives and Location and select the drive you want to recover on the right.
The quick scan will start automatically, and you can see detected files in real time and pause the scan anytime. Select the file you want to recover and click Preview.
Preview the file you’re interested in and click Recover.
Give the name to your file, select where you want to save it, and click Save.

DMDE Free Edition

DM Disk Editor and Data Recovery Software offers a free version called DMDE Free Edition. This software helps you recover files from the hard drive lost because of a virus attack, hard drive issues, or accidental deletion. With DMDE Free Edition, you can recover currently visible files and make multiple recoveries.

The tool doesn’t need an execution file, meaning it’s extremely portable, and you only have to copy it to a different device and start using it. While most tools must be installed on another operating system to run, this one only needs to be copied.