Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about TestDisk, partition recovery, and safe usage. For more help, visit the Support & Community page or the main TestDisk page.

What is TestDisk?

What is TestDisk?
TestDisk is free, open-source data recovery software from CGSecurity. It is designed to recover lost partitions and make non-booting disks bootable again. It repairs partition tables, rebuilds FAT and NTFS boot sectors, and can undelete files on supported file systems. It is primarily a command-line tool used by technicians, administrators, and advanced users.

Is TestDisk free?
Yes. TestDisk is 100% free. There are no fees, trials, or restricted features. It is released under the GNU GPL license.

Is TestDisk open-source?
Yes. The source code is available for review, audit, and modification. This supports transparency and safety: there are no hidden behaviors, and the recovery logic is visible to the community.

Safety & Trust

Is TestDisk safe to use?
TestDisk is open-source (GPL), so the code can be reviewed and audited. We recommend downloading only from the official CGSecurity site or trusted repositories to avoid tampered builds. Use TestDisk with care: it can write partition tables and boot sectors. Always create a log file, and do not write to the affected disk until you are confident in the proposed changes. Stop writing to the disk you are recovering before you start.

Should I download TestDisk only from official or trusted sources?
Yes. Download from the official CGSecurity project or trusted package repositories. Verify package integrity when possible (checksums, signatures) to ensure you are not using a modified or malicious build.

What Can TestDisk Recover?

What can TestDisk recover?
TestDisk can recover lost or deleted partitions, repair corrupted partition tables, rebuild FAT and NTFS boot sectors, and fix FAT tables. It can also undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2 file systems and copy files from deleted or damaged partitions when the file system is still readable. It does not do signature-based file carving (for that, use PhotoRec).

Can TestDisk recover partitions?
Yes. Recovering deleted or lost partitions is a primary purpose of TestDisk. It analyzes the disk, detects partition table type, searches for lost structures, and can write a corrected partition table so your data becomes accessible again.

Can TestDisk fix a non-booting disk?
Yes. TestDisk can repair partition tables and rebuild boot sectors (FAT, NTFS) so that a non-booting disk may boot again, or so that data on the disk becomes accessible from the operating system. Success depends on the extent of damage and whether data has been overwritten.

Usage & Compatibility

Does TestDisk have a GUI?
TestDisk uses a command-line interface. Navigation is via keyboard in a terminal; there is no graphical point-and-click interface. The workflow—create log, select disk, partition type, analyze, search—is manageable for many users when following documentation.

Who is TestDisk best for?
TestDisk is best for technicians, system administrators, and advanced users who need partition recovery and disk repair. Careful beginners can use it with guides and documentation. It is not a consumer-style app with a polished GUI.

When should I choose PhotoRec instead?
Choose PhotoRec when you need to recover individual files (photos, videos, documents, archives) by signature scanning, especially when the file system is badly damaged or the drive was reformatted. TestDisk focuses on partition and file-system repair; PhotoRec focuses on file-by-file recovery. For a simpler experience, QPhotoRec provides a beginner-friendly GUI for PhotoRec.

Best Practices

What are safe usage best practices?
Stop writing to the affected disk before you start. Run TestDisk from another drive or boot from removable media when recovering the system disk. Create a log file for troubleshooting. Only write the partition table when you are confident the proposed structure is correct. Download from official or trusted sources and verify package integrity when possible. We do not make guaranteed recovery promises; success depends on disk condition, what overwrote data, and how you use the tool.