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Using the Recuva Wizard

Recuva has a wizard that can guide you through the basic steps of recovering files. If you're looking for more detailed control over the process, or you're an expert user, you can use the Advanced mode. Otherwise, we recommend you try the Wizard mode first to get a feel for how Recuva works.

To run Recuva in Wizard mode:

  1. Start Recuva. If the Wizard doesn't appear, click the Options button. Select the Show Wizard at startup button, and then click Run Wizard.
  2. On the Welcome to the Recuva Wizard page, click Next.
  3. On the File Type page, select the type of files you want to recover, then click Next. If you're not sure what type of files you're looking for, select Other. (More information)
  4. On the File Location page, select the location where you want to search, and then click Next. (More information)
  5. On the Thank You page, you can optionally choose to run a deep scan (more information). This advanced scan can take several hours, but has a better chance of finding your files.
  6. Click Start. Recuva displays the progress of the scan, and then shows its search results in the main window. See more about the main window here.
  7. Click Recover. Select a destination for the recovered files (ideally, on another drive). Click OK.

If Recuva did not locate the files you were seeking, close Recuva and run Steps 1 to 4 again. On the Thank You page, select Enable Deep Scan and then click Start. This advanced scan will take much longer (possibly, hours).