photorec

Run PhotoRec on a device

$ sudo photorec /dev/sdb

$ sudo photorec [path/to/image.dd]

photorec [/log] [/debug] [/d directory] device|image

photorec recovers deleted files from hard disks, memory cards, and other storage media by scanning for file signatures (file carving). It ignores the filesystem and works even on severely damaged or reformatted media.
The tool recognizes over 480 file formats including images, videos, documents, and archives. It operates in a text-based interactive mode, guiding users through partition selection and recovery options.

/log

Create a photorec.log file

Add debug information to log

Destination directory for recovered files

Write recovered files to a different drive than the one being recovered from. Original filenames are not preserved. Large drives can take significant time to scan. Running on a mounted filesystem may cause further data loss.

photorec was created by Christophe Grenier as a companion to TestDisk. Originally focused on photo recovery (hence the name), it has expanded to recover many file types. It's part of the TestDisk package and is widely used for data recovery.

testdisk(8), foremost(1), scalpel(1)