Stellar Data Recovery for Windows Review – A Hard Sell

3.31

Out of 5 Total Score

No. 8 Among all Windows solutions

Price range $49.99...$599 • Stellar Data Recovery Inc. • Windows

Last update on

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows is among the most frequently recommended data recovery software applications for Windows. But as this review reveals, recommendations should always be taken with a grain of salt because they can be seriously misleading. 

Karma 58% - Karma

58%

Karma
Bang for the buck 59% - Bang for the buck

59%

Bang for the buck
Recovery performance 41% - Recovery performance

41%

Recovery performance
Usability 56% - Usability

56%

Usability
Extras 47% - Extras

47%

Extras

Top Pros

  • Support. Customer support is responsive and willing to solve issues over TeamViewer.

  • Repair of photos and videos. The software can repair photos and videos that otherwise wouldn't be possible to open even after being recovered.

  • S.M.A.R.T. Stellar Data Recovery can read S.M.A.R.T. data of internal storage devices.

  • Preview in safe mode. There is an option that allows you to view file previews in safe mode to prevent crashes when opening corrupted data.

  • Backup creation. When creating a byte-to-byte copy of the disk, it's possible to specify the range of data to be backed up.

  • Custom file signatures. New file signatures can be manually added using sample files.

  • Scan settings. It's possible to configure which file signatures the software should look for.

  • Scanning for bad sectors. The program has an option that allows you to scan the surface of the disk for bad sectors.

  • Disk cloning. You can use the software to create exact copies of storage devices.

  • Scanning speed. The speed of reading data from the media is very fast, but the analysis of the received data is slow.

  • Scan screen. The screen used to display scanning progress is well-designed and informative.

Top Cons

  • Updates in the free version. The free version of Stellar Data Recovery doesn't check for updates.

  • Lost license information. The entered license information becomes lost with every update and must be entered again.

  • Slow previews. The preview feature is slow, with individual previews of recoverable files taking a long time to generate.

  • Preview limits. The preview feature only works for files up to 100 MB and for limited types.

  • Scanning speed. Stellar Data Recovery is able to scan a storage device relatively quickly, but it then takes a long time to process the scan results.

  • Recovery speed. It takes the software a long time to recover selected files.

  • No real-time recovery. During a scan, the user can't view and restore found files.

  • Disks without a file system. It's not possible to scan storage devices that don't have a file system. Such storage devices have to be formatted first, which increases data loss chances.

  • Crashes during scanning. The software failed to scan our test drives to recover the original folder structure and file names, soft failing (crashing) every time.

  • Sessiong management. Previous sessions are not conveniently displayed and take some time to find.

  • Signatures. The software isn't able to recognize many signatures (118).

  • Additional features. The few additional features supported by the software are not easy to find.

  • Ability to scan the entire disk. The program doesn't allow you to scan the entire disk if it has partitions on it. You only need to scan each partition individually.

  • Search for lost partitions. The software doesn't look for lost partitions by default. Instead, you have to begin a partition scan manually.

  • Recovery performance. Considering how much Stellar Data Recovery costs, the overall recovery performance is poor.

  • Changelog. The official website doesn't provide a complete changelog that includes all previous updates.

  • Auto scan resume. If something interrupts the scan process, the application doesn't notify the user in any way.

  • Bad sectors. If the disk has a bad sector, the application doesn't report this, but, instead, continues scanning, which is an unsafe thing to do.

  • Hex view. It's not possible to view the hexadecimal form of recoverable files.

  • Language support. The app is only translated into 6 languages.

  • Fullscreen mode. It's not possible to enter fullscreen mode.

  • Lack of feedback. Stellar Data Recovery doesn't provide any feedback at the end of the recovery process.

  • File browser. The built-in file browser, which is used to display recoverable files, is slow and unresponsive.

  • File view modes. It's not possible to choose between different file view modes.

Top Competitors

popular

Score 4.54 37%

Best choice for Windows users


Compare In comparison

Score 3.24 2%

Still worth a try


Compare In comparison

Score 3.04 8%

Good for basic data recovery jobs


Compare In comparison

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows – Overview

 #

The data recovery software we’re reviewing today is a widely recognized name in its niche. That’s in part because it has been around for nearly three decades now, but its age alone doesn’t tell the full story. Here’s a concise overview of Stellar Data Recovery for Windows to help you understand today’s test subject and the company behind it. 

Pricing

Distributed as Freemium Some features are provided free of charge, but money is required to unlock the rest
Trial version available
Trial version limitations

With trial version you can:

  • Recover up to 1 GB lost or deleted data on Windows, absolutely free
Paid plans
  • Standard
  • Professional
  • Premium
  • Technician
  • Toolkit
Price range $49.99...$599.00
License model Subscription + Lifetime
No credit card to try
Money back guarantee

We always appreciate when data recovery software makes it possible recover some data for free because it gives users a welcome opportunity to painlessly evaluate its capabilities on their own. Stellar Data Recovery for Windows shines in this regards, with the free version recovering up to 1 GB of data. Unfortunately, going beyond this limit can be expensive because the software relies on subscription plans, with lifetime upgrades being a rather expensive extra option.

Pricing details

11 Year License $49.99
2LifeTime License $99.00
3Details
  • Recovers Deleted Photos, Videos, and other Critical Files
  • Recovery from Formatted Systems
  • Recovers from Any Storage Media
  • Recovers Data from NTFS, exFAT, FAT(FAT16/FAT32)
  • BitLocker Data Recovery
11 Year License $89.99
2LifeTime License $149.00
3Details

Everything in Stellar Standard Data Recovery plus:

  • Recovers Files from Lost Partition
  • Supports Unbootable System Recovery
  • Optical Media Recovery (CD,DVD, HDDVD, Blu-Ray Disc)
  • Creates Disk Image
  • Monitors Hard Drive Health (SMART) & HDD Cloning
11 Year License $99.99
2LifeTime License $199.00
3Details

Everything in Stellar Professional Data Recovery plus:

  • Repairs Corrupt or Distorted Videos
  • Repairs Corrupt or Distorted Photos
  • Repair Multiple Videos or Photos simultaneously
  • Extracts Thumbnails of Images
11 Year Subscription $199.00
23 Year Subscription $399.00
3Details

Everything in Stellar Premium Data Recovery plus:

  • RAID 0, 5 & 6 Data Recovery
  • Supports Creation of Virtual RAID
11 Year Subscription $299.00
23 Year Subscription $599.00
3Details

Everything in Stellar Technician Data Recovery plus:

  • Virtual Drive Recovery
  • Recovers Data from Linux and Mac Drives (HFS, HFS+, ext2, ext3, ext4)

Discounts and coupons

-15%
Stellar Data Recovery 15% Discount

Coupon code - ColormangoStellar15.

Get the Deal
Have you found a better discount coupon and would like to share it with our readers? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, and we’ll update this section promptly.

Developer — Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd.

Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. was founded in 1993. The company is based in India, and it specializes in the development of software applications across multiple niches, including data recovery and file repair. 

3% 63.2% than avg

Online market share

Reflects the share of online traffic within the niche occupied by data recovery software, based on data taken from ahrefs.com (from Google US search engine).

19000 327.2% than avg

Brand name popularity

Based on the number of brand-related search queries on Google US according to ahrefs.com.

Since its inception, Stellar has successfully expanded its presence to the United States and Europe. The company has served millions of customers from most countries around the world, and it has established a strong online presence through its ongoing marketing effort. 

Developer website stellarinfo.com
Support email support@stellarinfo.com
Founded

1993 • 30 years on market

HQ location

D16, Sector-33, Infocity Phase II, Gurugram-122001, India

Phone

+1-732-584-2700

Social media

Stellar is active on social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Despite being based in India, it provides customer support to international customers through multiple channels, and it also maintains a comprehensive knowledge base where most commonly encountered issues are explained in great detail. 

Data Recovery with Stellar Data Recovery for Windows

Tested on: Windows 11 (version 21H2)

The best data recovery software applications make it straightforward to recover lost files from any supported storage device. Is Stellar Data Recovery for Windows among them? Let’s find out.

How We Test

When we test data recovery software Windows, we're guided by our comprehensive testing methodology, whose purpose is to ensure objective, repeatable results. All data recovery tests consist of the following steps. 

#StepDescription
1InstallationFirst, we install the tested software, focusing on how intuitive the installation process is.
2Source selectionWe then use the software to scan a curated collection of deleted files in the form of a virtual drive.
3Scanning processDuring scanning, we measure how fast the software is finding and processing files and how well it keeps the user informed.
4Managing found dataNext, we go through the scan results to see how easy the software makes it to locate, preview, and select specific files.
5Recovery and post-processingFinally, we recover the selected files and verify their integrity.

We repeat the above-described series of steps as many times as necessary to test all available recovery methods. Then, we analyze the gathered results and summarize them in the next section of this review.

Step 1

Installation

We experienced no issues during the installation of Stellar Data Recovery for Windows on our test machine. 

A free version of the software can be downloaded from the official website, and the installation process itself consists of a few simple steps, each of which is explained well. 

It's great that even the free version doesn't come bundled with promotional software or adware, a practice that has sadly become common in the software industry. 

Step 2

Source selection

Before you can begin scanning, Stellar Data Recovery for Windows requires you to go through two steps.

First, you need to select what you want to recover. All checkboxes all ticked by default, but you can manually narrow down scanning to just documents, emails, or multimedia files, for example. 

Next in order is the selection of the storage device you want to scan. In addition to connected drives, you can select a specific folder or recover from a disk image. Don't miss the Deep Scan button in the bottom-left corner if you want to recover as many files as possible.

Step 3

Scanning process

When you begin scanning by clicking the Scan button, Stellar Data Recovery for Windows displays a comprehensive scan progress screen to tell you which file is being scanned, how much time is left, and which scanning phase is currently in progress. 

Once finished, the software will automatically take you to its scan results browser window, where you can go through all recoverable files and preview some of them. 

Step 4

Managing found files

The scan results browser is basic, but it gets the job done. The pane on the left is divided into three separate tabs. The first tab lets you sort the scan results by file tap, the second tab is dedicated to a tree view, and the third tab displays only deleted and RAW files. 

The pane on the right provides basic information about individual files, such as their file sizes, creation dates, and modification dates. 

When you select a supported file format (such as an image), a preview of the file becomes visible above the right pane. You can manually turn off the preview feature for a small but noticeable performance boost.

Step 5

Recovery and post-processing

Selecting files for recovery can be done simply by clicking the checkbox next to each file you want to add to your recovery queue. Stellar Data Recovery for Windows will tell you how many files you have in your queue and what their total size is.

To recover all selected files in one go, you need to click the Recover button. The free version can recover up to 1 GB for free. To recover more, you must purchase a license and enter your activation key. Regardless of whether you use the free or paid version of the software, the only step separating you from your lost data is the selection of a recovery destination. 

Before you exit the application, you can choose to save the scan session for later. This allows you to skip the scan process and start with the selection of recoverable files. 

Tutorials

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows – Tutorials and Other Videos

The tutorials and educational videos below can help you better understand how Stellar Data Recovery for Windows works in practice. 

What Happens to Deleted Data? Can They Be Recovered?

Where do deleted files go? Are files actually removed from your computer when you delete them? Or are they still there and deletion just hides them from us? Find out through this video, exactly what happens!

How To Fix A Not Responding Hard Drive in Windows 10/11

A hard drive may stop responding on Windows 10/11 due to problems related to the system or storage hardware and software. In some cases, trying a different port or PC may work. But if it doesn’t, do not try to repair the drive by using any third-party drive or partition manager software such as Disk Management in Windows. Instead, follow this comprehensive guide to repair your ‘not responding’ hard drive without any risk of data loss.

Stellar Data Recovery Windows – Full Review

Let’s dive head first into our detailed review of Stellar Data Recovery Windows to objectively reveal what the software does and doesn’t do right. 

Karma 58% by 12 rating criteria

58%

Karma

12 rating criteria

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows isn’t updated nearly as often as many other data recovery software applications, and the developers don’t publish a full changelog. Judging by Stellar’s marketing efforts, you might think that the software is much more popular than it actually is. 

#FeatureResult
1Update frequency
More than 6 months
2Updated recently
No
3Changelog available
Not available
4Latest Windows release supported
Yes, all good
5Genuine or clone?
Genuine
6Brand name popularity
Recognizable
7Online market share
Poor
8Maturity
Mature
9Extensive knowledge base
Available
10Helpdesk support
One-person project
11Live chat
Available
12Phone support
Yes
Bang for the buck 59% by 8 rating criteria

59%

Bang for the buck

8 rating criteria

The value provided by Stellar Data Recovery for Windows isn’t great. Why? Because there are many other data recovery software applications that deliver better results while costing less money. At least you can use the software to recover up to 1 GB of data for free before being forced to upgrade.

#FeatureResult
1Competitive pricing
Yes
2Price-quality ratio
Average
3Free trial
Yes (unlimited time but limited amount of data)
4Is it free?
Paid license is required to recover an unlimited number of files
5Pricing policy
Three subscription plans with lifetime options.
6Unlimited recovery in full version
Yes
7Free upgrades
Yes
8Commercial rights in the cheapest license
No
Usability 56% by 18 rating criteria

56%

Usability

18 rating criteria

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows has an appealing user interface, but the modern design is undermined by multiple usability issues that can be frustrating to deal with. The built-in file browser could use a few extra view options, and the built-in file previewer can be punishingly slow to work with. 

#FeatureResult
1Modern user-friendly interface
Yes
2Dark mode
No
3Easy-to-locate features
Yes
4Automatic implementation of multiple appropriate scanning methods without user interaction
No
5Auto-resuming scans of failing drives
No
6Auto-resuming backups of failing drives
No
7Convenient source selection on start
So-so
8Convenient file-by-file preview of recoverable items
Yes
9Convenient thumbnail preview of recoverable items
No
10Mount recoverable items as disk
No
11Built-in updater
Yes
12Multiple view modes in scan results
No
13Hex view for recoverable items
No
14Filter recoverable items by type
Yes
15Search recoverable items by file names
Yes
16Sort results
Yes
17Multilingual UI
Yes
18Simple deployment
Yes
Recovery performance 41% by 120 rating criteria

41%

Recovery performance

120 rating criteria

The real-world recovery performance of Stellar Data Recovery for Windows is below-average. Many commonly used file formats can’t be recovered at all (at least not without manually adding their file signatures), and some of the most useful scan types deliver virtually no results. 

#FeatureResultDescription
1Clever in-depth scan
Bad
Frequently results in crashes.
2Quick scan
Bad
Frequently results in crashes.
3Other types of scan
Fine
Some important scan types are lacking.
4Device support
Good
Internal and external storage devices are well supported.
5Real-life recovery challenge
Fine
The software delivered mixed results.
6Other notable recovery features
Fine
With a few exceptions, there are not many features to write about.

Clever scan

0%
#FeatureScore
1HFS+ partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
2APFS partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
3FAT32 partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
4exFAT partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
5NTFS partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
6EXT4 partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver

As you can see, Stellar Data Recovery for Windows fails at restoring the original folder structure and file names. That’s because the software crashed a lot during out testing, but that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to crash every single time. 

Quick scan

0%
#FeatureScore
1HFS+ partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
2APFS partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
3FAT32 partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
4exFAT partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
5NTFS partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver
6EXT4 partitions
Application crashed
Nikolay L
Nikolay L • Approver

Sadly, you’re more likely to recover recently deleted files from the Recycle Bin than retrieve them using Stellar Data Recovery for Windows due to how often the software crashes during scanning. 

Other scan types

57%
#FeatureScore
1The number of formats supported by deep scan
2BitLocker support
3Windows shadow copies scanning
4Scan for lost partitions
5Recovered files' labeling
6Partial file recovery
7Disk images: scan and recovery

In some ways, such as the option to look for only certain file formats, Stellar Data Recovery for Windows makes a great impression. However, this impression doesn’t last too long because several other aspects of its scanning capabilities leave a lot to be desired. 

Device Support

77%
#FeatureScore
1Internal and external HDD
2Internal and external SSD
3USB thumb drives / Classic iPods (non-iOS) / FireWire devices
4Memory cards
5iOS devices
6Android devices
7Recovery from RAID1, 0, JBOD
8Unmountable partitions

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows doesn’t support any mobile devices, and it also doesn’t handle internal and external storage device without a file system. Such devices need to be formatted first to be recognized by the software, and that can lead to worse data recovery outcomes.

Real-life recovery challenges

46%
#FeatureScore
1Document formats recovery
2Raw photo recovery
3Video formats recovery
Raw photo recovery
46%
#FeatureScore
13fr (Hasselblad 3F raw image)
2arw (Sony alpha raw)
3bmp (bitmap image file)
4cr2 (Canon raw version 2)
5cr3 (Canon raw version 3)
6crw (Canon raw CIFF image file)
7dcr (Kodak digital camera raw)
8dng (digital negative lossless raw image)
9CinemaDNG (Blackmagic, Penelope, Pocket)
10erf (Epson raw file)
11exr (high dynamic-range file format)
12fff (Hasselblad raw image)
13gpr (GoPro raw format)
14heic (high efficiency image file format)
15iiq (intelligent image quality raw Leaf, Phase One)
16insp (panoramic image Insta360)
17jp2 (bitmap image format JPEG 2000)
18jpg (joint photographic experts group compressed image)
19kdc (Kodak digital camera raw image)
20mef (Mamiya raw image file)
21mos (Leaf and Mamiya raw image file)
22mpo (multi picture stereoscopic object file)
23mrw (Konica Minolta raw image format)
24nef (Nikon raw image file)
25nrw (Nikon raw image file)
26orf (Olympus raw format)
27pef (Pentax raw image file)
28raf (Fujifilm raw image file)
29raw (native digital camera file)
30rw2 (Panasonic LUMIX raw image file)
31rwl (Leica raw image format)
32sr2 (Sony raw 2 image file)
33srf (Sony raw file)
34srw (Samsung raw image file)
35tiff (tag image file format)
36x3f (Sigma camera raw picture file)
37x3i (Sigma super fine detail picture file)

The fact that Stellar Data Recovery for Windows can repair damaged images isn’t enough to compensate for its lackluster image recovery performance. Many raw file formats are not supported at all, and only a handful of supported file formats are supported well. 

Video formats recovery
46%
#FeatureScore
1360 (GoPRO 360 degree videos)
2ari (ARRI professional digital video camera)
3arx (ARRI professional digital video camera)
4avi (GoPRO CineForm intermediate codec)
5avi (MJPG, H.264, MSMPEG4 v2 codecs)
6braw (Blackmagic raw video file)
7insv (Insta360 panoramic AVC H.264 video file)
8insv (Insta360 panoramic HEVC HVC1 video file)
9mov (Apple ProRes 422 Proxy/LT/HQ)
10mov (Apple ProRes 4444 Raw/HQ)
11mov (advanced video coding H.264)
12mov (CineForm HD codec)
13mov (HEVC, HVC1 codecs)
14mp4 (advanced video coding H.264)
15mp4 (HEVC, HVC1, Apple ProRes codecs)
16mxf (advanced video coding H.264)
17mxf (DVCPRO HD codec)
18mxf (ARRI raw, Apple ProRes codecs)
19mxf (XDCAM HD422, HD35 MPEG2 codecs)
20r3d (Red digital camera company raw video file)
21wmv (pro raw 9 codec)

It’s interesting that Stellar Data Recovery for Windows has fairly advanced video repair capabilities when its video recovery capabilities are at best average. Even some popular video file formats, such as .mov and .mp4 are a challenge for the software. 

Document formats recovery
47%
#FeatureScore
1accdb (Microsoft Access 2007+ database file)
2djvu (compressed image format)
3doc (Microsoft Word 97 – 2003 document file)
4docx (Microsoft Word 2007+ document file)
5fb2 (FictionBook 2.0 File)
6key (Apple Keynote)
7mdb (Microsoft Access 97 - 2003 database file)
8numbers (Apple Numbers)
9odp (OpenOffice presentation file format)
10ods (OpenDocument spreadsheet file format)
11odt (OpenDocument text document file format)
12pages (Apple Pages)
13pdf (portable document format)
14ppt (Microsoft Powerpoint 97 - 2003 presentation file)
15pptx (Microsoft Powerpoint 2007+ presentation file)
16rtf (rich text format)
17xls (Microsoft Excel 97 - 2003 spreadsheet file)
18xlsx (Microsoft Excel 2007+ spreadsheet file)

Because Stellar Data Recovery for Windows supports only a little over 100 file formats, some document files that we include in our test data were not found at all, including a .rtf document. The good news is that PDF files and Office documents can be recovered with ease. 

Other notable recovery features

34%
#FeatureScore
1Overall non-intrusive read-only algorithms
2Network recovery
3Effectively filters out corrupted scan results
4Byte-to-byte device backups
5Bootable recovery drive creation
6Convenient scan session management
7Bad sector management
8Recovery chance prediction
9RAID reconstructor
10Disk vitals monitoring and tracking during scan
11Data protection
12Links to in-lab recovery service for physically damaged devices
13Scan speed
14Scan free space only
15Start file recovery without interrupting the scan
16Preview recoverable items without interrupting the scan
17Forensic features

Using Stellar Data Recovery for Windows, you can create byte-to-byte device backups, bootable recovery drivers, and perform RAID reconstructions. The software is reasonably fast when scanning, but it does take its time when processing found files.

Extras 47% by 10 rating criteria

47%

Extras

10 rating criteria

The overall value of data recovery software is also influenced by the number and quality of included extra features. Stellar Data Recovery for Windows doesn’t make a huge impression in this regard, but it does come with a few noteworthy features you should know about.

#FeatureResultDescription
1Disk space mapping
No
Not supported.
2Disk clean up
No
Not supported.
3Corrupted video repair tool
Yes
The software can repair video files that have become corrupted.
4Corrupted photo repair tool
Yes
The software can repair photo files that have become corrupted.
5S.M.A.R.T.
Partial
It's possible to read S.M.A.R.T. data of internal storage devices.
6Duplicate finder
No
Not supported.
7Built-in disk space secure eraser
No
Not supported.
8Disk cloning
Yes
You can use the software to create exact copies of storage devices.
9Disk surface test
Yes
The detection of bad sectors is supported.
10Secure data shredding
No
Not supported.

The ability to repair corrupted videos and photos is arguably the most attractive extra feature included with Stellar Data Recovery for Windows. Unfortunately, this extra feature is held back by the application’s data recovery performance because you can only repair files that can be recognized in the first place, and Stellar Data Recovery for Windows recognized only around 100 file formats. 

What Users Say about Stellar Data Recovery for Windows

Stellar Data Recovery Premium recovers lost data files from all media, and it lets you know in advance which files are recoverable. However, this utility is too often unable to deliver on its recovery promises.

PCMag.com

The recovery software did not recover the calendar or contacts folders. There were about hundreds of email folders with the name MS-ALK-BGP created which were empty and had to be manually (per Stellar email) removed (not a lot of fun). After a week of emails back and forth they finally agreed to a download session. By that time I was able to restore the PST file myself. I asked them for a refund which was not accepted so I started a charge back with my credit card company. Stellar then offered to credit my card if I cancelled the chargeback (note that credit card companies do not allow cancellation of charge backs)

Joseph G.

I attempted to recover my sons photos accidentally deleted. CS gave no help at all.
The preview photos were all good but the recovered photos are tiny with no detail and are hugely out of focus

Wendy N.

My experience with StellarInfo has been terrible, and I believe most of the reviews here to be fake.

Ken S.

Bottom line

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows would be a compelling data recovery software application if it were completely free. However, the application doesn’t just cost money—it’s fairly expensive as well. 

Considering how much Stellar Data Recovery for Windows costs and how poorly it performed when we put it to the test, we have to conclude this review by saying that the paid version isn’t worth the price. 

As far as the free trial version goes, we think that it’s worth trying if your goal is to recover a limited quantity of data without paying. Just remember that other free data recovery software for Windows exists, and some applications can recover much more file formats than Stellar Data Recovery for Windows. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s answer some commonly asked questions about Stellar Data Recovery for Windows.

Stellar Recovery is a data recovery software application for Windows and Mac. You can use it to recover permanently deleted files from all kinds of internal and external storage devices.

As a data recovery software, Stellar Data Recovery is designed to scan a selected storage device and find all files that are still physically present despite no longer being accessible from Windows.

To recover data using Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery, you need to:

  1. Install the software and connect the storage device you want to recover.
  2. Launch the software and scan the storage device.
  3. Select the files you want recover and specify a suitable recovery directory.

Stellar Data Recovery is a reasonably fast data recovery software application, but its speed will be greatly influenced by the capacity and performance of your storage device.

To retrieve deleted photos on an SD Card using Stellar Data Recovery:

  1. Connect the SD card to your computer.
  2. Launch Stellar Data Recovery.
  3. Scan the SD card and recover your lost files.

To save a scan in Stellar Data Recovery, you need to click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) when viewing scan results and select the Save Scan option.

Yes, you can use Stellar Data Recovery to recover up to 1 GB of data for free, but you have to purchase a license to recover more.

To register Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery:

  1. Launch the data recovery application.
  2. Click the key icon.
  3. Enter your activation key and click Activate.

Yes, Stellar Data Recovery is developed by a reputable company, and the software has been around for a long time to prove its legitimacy. 

Considering its price, Stellar Data Recovery Professional isn’t nearly as good as some other data recovery applications, but it can deliver decent results under certain conditions. 

Worth a try ✅

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows Review – A Hard Sell
3.31

Out of 5 Total score

No. 8 Among all Windows solutions

Windows users have so many great options when it comes to data recovery software that the paid version of Stellar Data Recovery for Windows simply doesn’t deserve our recommendation because it leaves much to be desired in every way.

Visit developer website
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David Morelo
David Morelo
Author

David Morelo is a professional content writer with a specialization in data recovery. He spends his days helping users from around the world recover from data loss and address the numerous issues associated with it.

When not writing about data recovery techniques and solutions, he enjoys tinkering with new technology, working on personal projects, exploring the world on his bike, and, above all else, spending time with his family.

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Nikolay Lankevich
Nikolay Lankevich
Approver

Nikolay Lankevich has over 15 years of strong experience in various fields and platform includes Disaster Recovery, Windows XP/7. System analysis, design, application (Inter/Intranet) development, and testing. Provided technical supports on desktop and laptops on Win-XP and Macintosh for about 2000 employees.

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