Top 10 Linux Partition Recovery Tools

Restore your deleted or lost data with the 10 best Linux partition recovery software.

top tools to recover data from linux partitions

Though Linux operating systems are secure enough to carry sensitive data, they are not fully immune to data losses. There could be multiple reasons behind losing your important stuff, like a virus attack, hardware failure, accidental deletion, etc.

It is an inevitable fact that losing data has become a serious problem everywhere around the world. But a number of Linux partition recovery tools have made it super easy to recover lost data. Whenever your data gets deleted or lost from Linux partitions, don’t worry but use a reliable Linux partition recovery software. The contents we will discuss in this article include:

Top 10 Linux Partition Recovery Tools

Are you on the hunt for trusted and efficient Linux partition recovery tools to restore your data from Linux partitions? Don’t have enough knowledge of this domain? Just Relax! Below we have presented a list of the top 10 software to get your lost or deleted data back in a matter of minutes. Let’s look at how these tools can help you get out of trouble.

1. Wondershare Recoverit

It is a leading Linux data recovery program that performs quick and deep scans to search for deleted data in the Linux partitions. The major reason why you should use Recoverit is that it comes with a 95% data recovery rate. In addition, it supports thousands of file formats and hundreds of recovery scenarios.

Free Download

For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11

Free Download

For macOS X 10.10 or later

linux data recovery with recoverit

Price:
Free trial (up to 100MB)
$69.99/year (Essential)
$79.99/year (Standard)
and $99.99/year (Premium)

Pros

Appealing user interface

Compatible with 1000+ file formats

Secure data recovery

Available for Windows and Mac

Trusted by millions of users

Cons

Free version can only recover data of up to 100 MB

Video Tutorial on How to Recover Files on Linux?

Free Download

For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11

Free Download

For macOS X 10.10 or later

Step-By-Step Guide

Within 5 simple steps, you can recover Linux partitions with Recoverit.

Step 1: Launch Recoverit on your system once you download and install this tool.

Step 2: Navigate to the option “NAS and Linux.” You can find this option in the left pane.

Step 3: Now, hit the “Linux Recovery” option to proceed.

recover linux partitions with recoverit

Step 4: It is time to tap on the “Connect” button to connect your Linux computer. It will help you establish a remote connection.

establish remote connection to recover linux partitions

Step 5: Once the connection is established, Recoverit will start scanning automatically to search for lost or deleted Linux partitions. You can see the scanning progress from the bottom of the software screen.

auto scanning with recoverit

As soon as you find the data you wish to get back, you can stop scanning and preview the files to confirm. To preview, all you need is to hit the “Preview” button.

preview and recover deleted or lost linux partitions

Now, you can save the recovered partitions on your Linux computer. It is always better to choose a different path from where you lost the data earlier. This is how Recoverit helps you get your lost or deleted Linux partitions back.

2. R-Linux

It is a free utility designed to recover Linux partitions. R-Linux offers sound support for the Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 file systems. It doesn’t matter if you have lost the data due to a system crash, power failure, or virus attack, R-Linux will be your trusted partner to get the data back.

linux data recovery with r-linux

Price: Free to use

Pros

Features Linux data recovery even after the files were deleted, damaged, or reformatted

Ability to display hardware health

Highly compatible with the Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 file systems

Cons

Does not support object copy, RAID reconstruction, or network data recovery

Step-By-Step Guide

A 2-step, simple process to restore lost Linux partitions is presented below.

Step 1: Install R-Linux, open it on your system, and provide the sudo password.

use r-linux to recover lost or deleted partitions

Step 2: Now, choose the source partition and scan it using GUI. You can select various scanning methods.

scan source partition to recover linux data files

After the scanning is completed, R-Linux will show you multiple lost files. You can choose the one you wish to get back.

3. DDRescue - GUI

GNU developed this command-line utility. Whenever read errors happen, DDRescue can help you recover deleted partitions. It also enables you to recover Linux data from the disk having bad sectors.

recover data from linux partitions with ddrescue

Price: Free to use

Pros

Features efficient data recovery

Despite bad sectors and disk errors, DDRescue can recover your important data

It allows you to stop any ongoing process and resume it at any time you want

Cons

You must be familiar with the common Linux file command options

Step-By-Step Guide

Follow the 3 steps listed below to get over the line.

Step 1: This step deals with creating images from a failing disk. The command for this activity is as follows:

# ddrescue -d -r3 /dev/sda test.img test.logfile

  • d = It tells DDResuce to ignore Kernel’s cache and use direct disk access
  • -r3 = It is for retrying bad sectors thrice
  • /dev/sda = It is the drive we want to rescue
  • test.img = It is the image file’s name
  • test.logfile = It is the logfile’s name
use ddrescue to create images from failing disk

Make sure you notice the new files appearing in the File Manager.

Step 2: It is time to restore the image to a new disk. The command for this step is given below.

# ddrescue -f test.img /dev/sda restore.logfile

Since we want to output to a block device, the use of “-f” is compulsory. Ensure to choose a different logfile name.

Step 3: Now, clone to a new disk directly using the below command.

# ddrescue -d -f -r3 /dev/sda /dev/sdb /media/PNY_usb/rescue.logfile

4. TestDisk

The best thing about this data recovery command-line-based software is that it is an open-source program, which means you can take help from online resources on how to use this program. Try this software to recover Linux partitions regardless of the reasons behind the data loss.

testdisk linux data recovery

Price: Free to use

Pros

Ability to create backups for EFI GPT partitions

Compatible with both Windows and Mac

Supports Linux data recovery for a number of file formats

Cons

You must familiarize yourself with common Linux command files

Step-By-Step Guide

A 6-step convenient process to restore Linux partitions is presented below.

Step 1: Tap on “[Create]” once you open TestDisk. Now, select the disk where you lost the partitions.

Step 2: It is time to select the partition table type. Once done, choose “[Analyze].”

Step 3: You will see a new window. Here, continue by selecting “[Quick Search].”

Step 4: Wait for a while until the analysis gets completed. Then, tap on “[Continue].” It will show you both lost and existing partitions.

linux data recovery with testdisk

Step 5: Pressing “p” will help you check the files in the lost or deleted Linux partition.

Step 6: If TestDisk has listed the corrected data, hit “Enter.” Now, save the partition by selecting “[Write].” Once done, the program will recover the lost or deleted Linux partition.

5. SystemRescueCD

This tool allows you to recover both partitions and deleted data files. SystemRescueCD offers support for each major file system, including but not limited to HFS, FAT32, and NTFS. A potential reason why many people trust this tool is its highly responsive customer support.

use systemrescuecd for linux data recovery

Price: Free

Pros

Requires no installation

Offers support for XFS, VFAT, NTFS, BTRFS, Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 file systems

Free to use

Blind people or people with limited vision can also use this software

Cons

User interface is not appealing

Step-By-Step Guide

To recover lost partitions, follow these 6 steps.

Step 1: Download and install SystemRescueCD on your system.

recover deleted partitions with systemrescuecd

Step 2: Now, burn SystemRescueCD as an ISO image or install it to USB Stick. Follow the instructions to install it on a USB.

install systemrescuecd to usb

Step 3: Now, run the program on your infected system.

run systemrescuecd on your computer

Step 4: Search for the disk in the terminal window.

window terminal of systemrescuecd

If you want to see the list of the hard drives, type “fdisk - I.”

analyze the hard drives list

Step 5: Now, mount the drive you want to scan. The command for this type is presented in the image below.

use window terminal to mount the hard drive

Step 6: Now, use the command displayed below to scan the hard drive.

If you want to scan only, type: clamscan -r /mnt/windows

If you want to scan and remove infected files, type: clamscan -r –remove/mnt/windows

use systemrescuecd to scan the hard drives

The scan summary will be displayed as follows.

scan summary of systemrescuecd

Once the scanning is completed, reboot your Windows.

6. Gparted Live

It is a wonderful Linux partition recovery software designed to enable and disable partitions efficiently along with recovering deleted or lost Linux partitions. In addition, it is also used for effective data recovery purposes.

recover linux data with gparted live

Price: Free to use

Pros

Recover data from both external and internal hard drives

Highly compatible with every sector size (e.g., 512, 1024, 2048, or bigger)

Offers supports for RAID devices, flash memory, and hard disks

Cons

You can’t use this software if your system is 64-bit

Step-By-Step Guide

All you have to do is to follow the 9 steps listed below.

Step 1: Take a USB flash drive and extract GParted zip file content into it.

Step 2: Now, run the below command on your USB and follow the instructions appearing on the screen. Doing this will enable you to burn GParted to the USB drive.

utils\win32\makeboot.bat

Step 3: It is time to boost your system from the GParted Live USB. For this, insert the USB drive and then start the computer. Now enter BIOS setup by hitting the BIOS key.

Step 4: Now, select “GParted Live (Default settings),” as shown below.

adjust basic settings on gparted live

Step 5: Here, simply select the “Don’t touch keymap” option and select the desired language.

select keymap settings & language

Step 6: Once the GParted window is opened, hit “CTRL + Alt + T.” It will help you open the terminal window. Now, type the “testdisk” and “sudo-s” commands on this terminal window.

Step 7: Select the drive with the lost or deleted partition. Once done, select the “Analyze” and “Quick Search” options.

Step 8: Now, GParted Live will start searching for the lost or deleted partitions you want to get back.

Step 9: Select the outcome to restore the partition table. As soon as it gets recovered, the main interface will display all the details, as shown below.

find deleted partitions by scanning the hard disk

7. PhotoRec

It is another worthy addition to the family of Linux partition recovery tools. In the beginning, PhotoRec was introduced to restore images only. But these days, with major updates, it has become a complete package for data and partition recovery.

use photorec to recover data from linux partitions

Price: Free to use

Pros

Ability to recover Linux data even if your disk is severely damaged

Compatible with a wide range of file formats

Performs efficient data recovery

Cons

User interface is not attractive

Step-By-Step Guide

A 7-step, simple process is as follows.

Step 1: First of all, install this program on Linux using the below command.

sudo apt -y install testdisk

As soon as the setup gets completed, run this software with the command presented below.

sudo photorec

Step 2: Now, go to the desired directory where you want to run the recovery.

select the right directory to run the recovery

Step 3: It is time to choose the partition you want to recover.

choose the partition you wish to restore

Step 4: Now, choose the file type listed under the file options, as shown below.

choose the right file type you want to get back

Step 5: This step is about choosing the partition type.

choose the right partition type

Step 6: It is time to choose whether you want to scan the entire drive or free sectors only.

select entire drive or free sectors to scan

Step 7: This step allows you to recover the restored files. The recovery time may vary depending on the amount of data you want to get back.

photorec linux data recovery

8. Mondo Rescue

This is another command-line-based Linux data recovery program. This software has been serving the data recovery industry for more than a decade and has successfully made the community of a number of happy users. Verifying the data integrity sets this program apart.

recover your data from linux partitions

Price: Free to use

Pros

It can create backups and recover lost data efficiently

Supports both non-RAID and RAID devices

Top features include; partition formatting, resizing, and partitioning

Cons

Does not have an engaging user interface

Step-By-Step Guide

This tool asks you to follow the 6 steps given below.

Step 1: Open the program and select the type of backup media.

Step 2: Now, insert the CD and press “OK.”

insert a cd or tape

Step 3: It is time to flag the directories and files you want to recover. You can use the “Less” or “More” buttons to close and open subdirectories.

restore flagged files and directories

Step 4: Now, select the desired location to recover files.

select appropriate location to recover files

Step 5: The program will help you retrieve the information about the configuration from the media.

retrieve configuration information

Step 6: Wait until the data is recovered. Regular files will be restored first. Then, you will be able to get your 32 MB or bigger files.

recover linux data using mondo rescue

9. Redo Backup and Recovery

You can plug this regular utility into any device you want to recover partitions or data you have lost. Redo Backup and Recovery is a platform-independent Linux data recovery software that is compatible with almost all operating systems.

use redo backup and recovery to recover linux data

Price: Free to use

Pros

User-friendly interface

It enables you to access other apps when recovering data

Comes with pre-installed apps, like a text editor and browser

Supports all operating systems including Linux

Cons

The data may take longer to get downloaded on your system

Step-By-Step Guide

It is a pretty simple process consisting of 7 steps.

Step 1: Download the program, burn an ISO disc image with a CD burning tool, insert CD, and reboot your system.

Step 2: When your computer is starting, press the “F12” or “F8” key from the keyboard. It will help you boot from a CD-ROM disk.

Step 3: Now, tap on “Start Redo Backup.”

start redo backup and recovery

Step 4: It is time to create the backup of the full system. For this, tap on “Backup.”

create a backup of your computer

Step 5: Now, search the drop-down list to choose the source drive and hit “Next.”

choose the source disk

Step 6: Choose the desired parts of the disk to create a backup and press “Next.”

choose parts of the drive to create backup

Step 7: This step enables you to select the destination drive. It could be the shared network drive or a local disk connected to your system.

select the destination drive

Provide this backup with a unique name and you are done.

10. Knoppix

It is a Debian-based Linux partition recovery software introduced to run directly from a USB, CD, or DVD. Knoppix has the ability to run as the sole OS for your computer. This software comes with a variety of tools you need for data recovery purposes.

restore linux data with knoppix

Price: Free to use

Pros

Features seamless design

Easy to install

You can run it fully from a CD

Perform quick data recovery

Cons

It starts slowly when you install it on hard disk

Step-By-Step Guide

It consists of 13 quick steps, as listed below.

Step 1: Search Infrastructure > Servers section of Cloud Panel to choose the relevant server.

Step 2: Go to the Applications tab and choose the Knoppix DVD.

Step 3: Tap on “Load DVD” and wait until the status becomes green (100%).

Step 4: Tap on “Actions” and then hit “Restart.”

Step 5: Select “Software” and click on “Yes.”

Step 6: Navigate to Actions > Access KVM Console. It will open a new tab.

Step 7: Start the Terminal Emulator.

Step 8: Use the below command to get administrator rights.

knoppix@Microknoppix:~$ su

Step 9: Use the below command to set the password for a root user.

root@Microknoppix:/home/knoppix# passwd

Enter the password. Now, repeat it for security reasons.

Step 10: Run the below command to enable external access.

root@Microknoppix:/home/knoppix# /etc/init.d/ssh start

Step 11: It is time to create a directory using the below command.

root@Microknoppix:/home/knoppix# mkdir /mnt/old

Step 12: The below command is used to display the volume group.

root@Microknoppix:/home/knoppix# vgs

This command will display the information about the volume group.

Step 13: The below command allows you to mount the volume group.

root@Microknoppix:/home/knoppix# mount VGpath /mnt/old

How to Choose a Linux Partition Recovery Tool for You?

Since the market holds many Linux partition recovery tools, choosing one to proceed with is a tough nut to crack. This is where thousands of people worldwide often struggle. This section presents a few factors to consider before you choose a Linux partition recovery software.

  1. User Interface: A program’s UI must be attractive enough to keep you engaged.
  2. Ease of Use: All the functionalities should be easily accessible so that every user can easily use the tool even if they are not tech-savvy.
  3. Features: Every single feature must produce an effective outcome to ensure you can get the desired results.
  4. Recovery Time: A good Linux data recovery tool does not take much time to restore partitions or data files. However, time varies depending on the data size you want to recover.
  5. Recovery Rate: Efficient Linux partition recovery software comes with a data recovery rate of at least 90%.

Considering all the above-listed parameters, you will find nothing better than Wondershare Recoverit which comes with a 95% data recovery rate, more than 1000 file formats, and over 500 recovery scenarios.

Takeaway

If you have lost or accidentally deleted the data from Linux partitions, try using any of the 10 Linux partition recovery tools. Are you unsure which one to proceed with? Give Recoverit a try and you will surely be surprised to see the results.

Free Download

For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11

Free Download

For macOS X 10.10 or later

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