AOMEI FastRecovery is a data recovery program for Windows desktops, laptops and Windows Server. It searches storage devices for files that were deleted, lost to formatting, removed from an emptied Recycle Bin, damaged by malware or left behind by a system crash. It then copies the recovered files to a location you choose. A free version recovers up to 500 MB of data; the paid Professional and Technician editions remove that limit.
Recovery scenarios on the home screen
AOMEI FastRecovery starts by asking what kind of loss you are dealing with. Each scenario sets the default scan that follows:
- Hard Drive Recovery targets partitions on internal or external disks and begins with a quick scan.
- USB/SD Card Recovery is meant for flash drives and memory cards and begins with a deep scan.
- Partition Lost Recovery pulls files out of a partition that has disappeared and also begins with a deep scan.
- PC Crashed Recovery builds a bootable disk for a computer that no longer starts Windows.
Besides hard drives, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, the program reads storage from cameras and other devices that hold files on removable media. It can also scan partitions without a drive letter, dynamic volumes and BitLocker-encrypted partitions. An encrypted disk still needs its password; FastRecovery does not bypass encryption. If a drive does not appear, a refresh button rescans the attached hardware.
Quick scan and deep scan
After you select a partition and start scanning, FastRecovery runs a quick scan first. This pass finds accidentally deleted files in a short time but can miss some of them.
When files are missing from the quick scan results, the Deep Scan button starts a sector-by-sector read of the whole partition. It takes considerably longer and finds more lost data.
| File system | Quick scan | Deep scan |
|---|---|---|
| NTFS | Yes | Yes |
| FAT16 / FAT32 | Yes | Yes |
| exFAT, ReFS and others | No | Yes |
FastRecovery does not recover data from unallocated disk space, and it cannot read files from a physically damaged disk that Windows no longer detects. There is no practical limit on drive capacity.
Finding files in the results
You can view scan results by file type or by their original path. FastRecovery lets you sort the list, search by file or folder name, and filter by file size, modification date and file type.
The program recognises a wide range of formats: plain text and Office documents, PDFs, photos including common camera RAW formats, video and audio files, MSG and EML emails, web pages and archives such as ZIP, RAR, 7Z and ISO. It still lists files it cannot classify, with or without an extension.
Preview before restoring
You can open any found file in a preview before you recover it. You then tick the files you want, press Recover and pick a destination folder. Recovered files keep their original format and open in File Explorer once the copy finishes.
Restoring a deleted partition
AOMEI FastRecovery has two ways of handling a partition that has vanished after accidental deletion, partition table damage, malware or a power failure. Partition Lost Recovery copies files out of it and leaves the disk as it is. Partition Recovery goes further and puts the partition itself back on the disk, data included. A partition showing as RAW may also be restorable, depending on the disk’s condition.
For Partition Recovery you select the whole disk, identified by number, capacity and model, and choose a search method. Fast Search runs first; Full Search reads the disk sector by sector when the fast pass finds nothing. You can pause or stop the search. FastRecovery shows each candidate partition with its file system, capacity, start and end sectors and whether it was primary or logical. You can then match it against the partition you lost before pressing Proceed. This feature is available only in editions that include it.
Recovering from a PC that will not boot
When Windows fails to start, you run FastRecovery’s PC Crashed Recovery from a second, working computer. It creates a bootable WinPE environment as a USB drive, an ISO file for burning or use in a virtual machine, or a CD/DVD. An Add Drivers option includes extra drivers so WinPE recognises storage controllers and other hardware. Building a USB drive formats it and erases its contents.
You then start the crashed computer from that media through its BIOS or UEFI boot settings. The same scan, preview and recovery steps run from inside WinPE.
Free, Professional and Technician
The editions differ mainly in how much data you can recover and how many computers a licence covers:
| Free | Professional | Technician | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery amount | Up to 500 MB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Computers per licence | – | 1 | Unlimited PCs and servers |
