Is there a separate Windows 11 version?
No — the same installer package covers Windows 7 through Windows 11, in both 32-bit and 64-bit environments. Windows 11's stricter driver signing and permission model doesn't require any special build; the installer simply requests administrator rights during setup, the same as it does on Windows 10.
Before you install: pick the right drive
Install to a drive that is not the one holding your missing file — ideally your main system drive if you're recovering from a USB stick or SD card, or a secondary drive if your system drive itself is the one you need to scan. Installing on top of the very files you're trying to recover can overwrite them before the scan even starts.
System requirements
- Windows 7 SP1 through Windows 11 (32-bit or 64-bit)
- macOS 11 or later (separate download, see the macOS button below)
- Around 40 MB of free disk space for the installed application
- Administrator rights for the deep scan feature
Why the file doesn't just "disappear" when you delete it
Windows tracks every file in a hidden index called the Master File Table (MFT). Deleting a file — even from the recycle bin — mostly just removes its entry from that index and marks the space it occupied as free; the actual data usually stays on the drive untouched until something new gets written there. Quick scan reads what's left of the MFT; deep scan ignores the index entirely and reads the raw contents of the drive looking for file headers, which is why it succeeds even after the MFT entry itself is gone.
Downloading & running RecuvaDownload
1. Install or extract it
Use the Windows or macOS button on this page. For the installer, run it with administrator rights; for the portable ZIP, extract it to a drive you're not scanning.
2. Scan, preview, restore
Pick the drive or device, run quick scan first, switch to deep scan if needed, then restore selected files to a different drive than the one you scanned.
FAQs
No. The scan-and-restore tool is free with no recovery cap, watermark, or trial period.
No — the installer is signed and shouldn't trigger antivirus warnings. If your antivirus flags it, check you downloaded it from this page rather than a third-party mirror.
The installer targets x86/x64 systems. ARM-based Windows 11 devices running x64 emulation can usually run it, but native ARM isn't a supported target.