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TestDisk & PhotoRec vs Windows File Recovery: catalog facts
TestDisk & PhotoRec	Windows File Recovery
Free Free and open source under the GNU General Public Licence.	Free Free from the Microsoft Store.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, Command line
Recovers deleted partitions and fixes partition tables, which restores everything at once Rebuilds FAT and NTFS boot sectors and repairs the MFT from its mirror	Free first-party tool from Microsoft Covers photos, documents, videos and many other file types
A text menu interface that is genuinely intimidating under pressure Easy to make things worse if you do not understand what you are confirming	Command line only, with no graphical interface Windows 10 2004 or later only
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.