DMDE
Tested 2026-11-02 on the same 4 GB NTFS test volume, after the same permanent delete: DMDE rebuilt all 7 top-level folders, including a four-level path of 279 characters, kept the original filename of 200 out of 200 files (100%), and returned byte-identical content for 199 of 200 (99.5%). It reads the NTFS MFT and folder index, so Arabic names with diacritics, Persian and Turkish names, and folders named with spaces and Arabic-Indic digits came back character for character. The one file it could not return, صورة_01.jpg, was written from an index-entry copy that turned out to be the index block itself - the file on disk starts with INDX instead of JPEG data. Use it when the name and the folder tree matter, but the free edition only recovers the files in the active panel, one folder at a time, and check marks left on the folder tree silently redirect the recovery set.
Test results
| Vendor | DMDE Software |
|---|---|
| Best for | Accidental deletion · Emptied recycle bin · Quick format · Lost partition · Damaged partition table · RAW drive or "needs formatting" prompt · RAID · Multiple disks |
| Platforms | Windows · macOS · Linux · DOS · Portable, no install |
| Free tier recovers | 4000 files / per-request cap |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase |
| Street price | One-time purchase · $20 · 1-year personal license, Express tier |
| Works offline | Fully offline, including activation |
| Arabic names | Yes - all 200 recovered files kept their original names |
| Arabic Windows | Works - diacritics and Arabic-Indic digits intact |
| Tested on | 2026-11-02 / DMDE 4.4.4.842 (Free Edition) / Windows 11 22H2 (10.0.22621) - en-US sample set |
Arabic filenames
DMDE reads the MFT and the folder index, so a name comes back the way it was written: names like IMG_2024_صورة.jpg, ايمان.png, صورة العائلة 2024.jpg and مُحَمَّد survived with diacritics intact, and so did folders named with Arabic-Indic digits such as ٢٠٢٤ - no question marks, no boxes, no replacement characters. 50 of the 200 files lived in Arabic-named folders (صور العائلة 27 and تصاوير 23) and all 50 names came back whole. This is the essential difference from carving tools, which rename everything to f0001234.jpg.
On Arabic Windows
Works - diacritics and Arabic-Indic digits intact
When we would not use it
Cases where you do not need names and only want content by signature (a carver is faster)|One-shot whole-tree recovery (the free edition works folder by folder, 4000 files per run)
Scope of this entry: 199 of 200 files came back byte-identical (99.5%) and 200 of 200 kept their names (100%). The single failure was صور العائلة\صورة_01.jpg - DMDE wrote the copy it found in the INDX folder index, and that copy starts with INDX instead of FFD8. The two tools turn out to be complementary: PhotoRec did recover that one file, while the only file PhotoRec missed, ٢٠٢٤\طه حسين.txt, DMDE recovered - each tool missed one file, but not the same one, so together they cover 200 of 200. Three free-edition traps worth knowing (all hit during this run): (1) it only recovers the files in the active panel, without subfolders, so nine leaf folders meant nine separate runs; (2) pointing the destination at a folder that already exists fails with Could not create; (3) check marks left on the folder tree silently take over from the check marks in a search panel and redirect the recovery set elsewhere - which looks like the same Bad files skipped numbers repeating and cost three extra rounds here.
FAQ
This page tells you what the tool is. The order in which to use tools, and when to stop immediately, is a different question - and that is what the recovery guide covers. Recovery guide: the right order.
Last updated: 2026-11-04
Recovered Photo Rescue
When the names and the files both matter
$19.00One-time price · A single payment. No subscription.- Built for photo recovery where filenames must survive.