## MiniTool Power Data Recovery Review: Can It Rescue Your Lost Files?
MiniTool Power Data Recovery, a well-known file restoration app from the company behind the popular Partition Wizard, promises to bring back lost files from a variety of storage devices. It makes sense for MiniTool to expand its expertise in drive management into related products like data recovery. I’ve evaluated some of the best data recovery software on the market and put Power Data Recovery through its paces to see if it could deliver on its promise. I tested its capabilities, explored pricing, and contacted customer support to ensure it offers good value and reliable assistance.
### Specs, Tiers, and Pricing
MiniTool offers a free version of Power Data Recovery, which might be enough if you’re not dealing with a massive loss of files. The free version allows you to restore up to 1GB of data, a generous amount. However, the best free data recovery software out there often provides even more free data recovery space. If you face a more serious data loss issue, like an unbootable PC, you’ll need the paid version. With MiniTool Power Data Recovery Personal or Ultimate, there are no limits on the amount of data you can recover.
MiniTool offers three options for home users: a monthly subscription, an annual plan, or a perpetual license with lifetime upgrades. The paid app comes with perks like live chat support, unlimited data recovery, a bootable version for Windows, and more. As with many file restoration apps, the best value comes from choosing a long-term plan.
Power Data Recovery Personal costs $69 per month, which is a bit on the expensive side. For $20 more, you can opt for the annual plan, bringing the monthly cost down to under $8. While that sounds like a good deal, the best value comes from Power Data Recovery Personal Ultimate. This one-time fee of $99 provides a lifetime subscription. While the monthly and annual plans only support one PC, Personal Ultimate can be installed on three computers without requiring license transfers. It’s important to note that a lifetime subscription to MiniTool Power Data Recovery costs the same as a one-year subscription to EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro or Stellar Data Recovery Premium.
### Design and User Interface
I started with the free version, and installation was a breeze. In under a minute, I had MiniTool Power Data Recovery up and running, ready to help me recover my missing files. I did encounter a few ads for MiniTool System Booster popping up at the bottom right of the screen. A checkbox allowed me to disable these messages from appearing again, and a similar prompt appeared as a notification within the data recovery app itself, surfacing periodically. While I noticed the ads, they weren’t frequent enough to become a major annoyance.
The layout is straightforward and easy to understand. Power Data Recovery begins with a list of your logical drives, which includes partitions. There’s also a tab to view physical drives. At the bottom, the app displays specific locations like your Desktop or Recycle Bin and provides a button to choose a specific folder for restoration. The left sidebar contains a section for other tools, including one to adjust scan settings.
The app defaults to scanning for the most common file types and works with most filesystems, such as FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and HFS+. I doubt I’d ever need to change these settings, but it’s nice to have the option to restore other file formats. However, ISO and UDF were greyed out. I selected the key icon in the top right corner and entered my license code to unlock Power Data Recovery Personal. Despite unlocking the full version, I still couldn’t select those options. I made a note to ask customer support about this limitation.
### Features and Data Recovery Performance
To test MiniTool Power Data Recovery’s capabilities, I started by loading an external hard drive (HDD) with a collection of files and nested folders. I then deleted all 165 files and two folders before initiating a scan. Power Data Recovery quickly identified all the deleted files. I was pleased to see that I could resize the window to view a large preview with all the filenames intact. The preview also showed the nested folders, although the first letter of the folder names was missing. I selected the files I wanted to restore, chose a folder on another drive as instructed by the app, and verified the results. MiniTool Power Data Recovery successfully saved everything, perfectly matching the preview.
Next, I conducted a more challenging test: recovering files after a quick format on the HDD. I started by performing a full format to completely erase the drive, then loaded it with my test files. After a quick format, the scan provided a less satisfying preview. I could restore 111 files with their original filenames and 159 “raw” files with numeric filenames grouped by file type. I saved both sets of files and was able to recover all my files, losing only 55 original filenames.
I then moved on to a much more challenging task—restoring files from a fast and efficient solid-state drive (SSD). I ran the same tests as above, and MiniTool Power Data Recovery identified the names of the files I deleted, but there were no previews. Saving the files didn’t work either. All files were damaged and unusable. I knew that restoring SSD files is notoriously difficult, so I had low expectations for the quick format test. As anticipated, the app couldn’t even recover filenames. This isn’t unusual, and in my testing, only one data recovery app, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro, has ever successfully restored lost SSD files.
I also tested a damaged USB thumb drive with some files that Windows couldn’t access. Power Data Recovery helped me recover several lost photos, proving its ability to work with various types of storage devices.
### Customer Support and Response Times
MiniTool claims to offer 24/7 support, prioritizing paid subscribers. When I used the support option within the Power Data Recovery app, it opened a browser tab for MiniTool’s website help center. I couldn’t find a chat option there, so I selected the contact option. The usual chat button at the bottom right opened a chat window requesting my name, email, and question. I asked about the unselectable ISO and UDF filesystems in the scan settings. The reply advised me to wait no more than two minutes before trying email support. The message clarified that the chat was “for Download, Purchase, and License.” This sounded like sales and billing, so I emailed MiniTool support, leaving the chat window open in case someone replied. After several minutes, I gave up on live chat and continued with more tests, expecting the email reply to take at least a few hours. To my surprise, support got back to me in less than a minute, explaining that my initial guess about live chat being restricted to sales and billing was correct. This was the fastest email response I’ve ever received, highlighting their commitment to providing efficient support.
I also learned that the ISO and UDF options become available once you connect a device with that specific filesystem.
### Privacy and Security
MiniTool has a clear privacy policy that states no data is shared with third-party companies beyond what’s necessary for payment processing and service provision. MiniTool itself might send promotional offers about its software, but I felt secure from spam or unnecessary data collection. Power Data Recovery doesn’t require a cloud connection and doesn’t upload files for processing. I couldn’t find any record of a MiniTool data breach, so I have no concerns about the company storing my name, email, and payment data. Overall, I feel confident that my data is private and secure.
### Final Verdict: Is MiniTool Power Data Recovery Right for You?
MiniTool Power Data Recovery’s free app is a great way to test its functionality and might be all you need. The 1GB restriction allows you to restore hundreds of photos, documents, and even some videos. This could be sufficient for a small external drive or a thumb drive. To recover files from a larger drive with gigabytes of storage, a paid plan is required. MiniTool’s prices are affordable, especially the lifetime plan that allows usage on three computers.
My recommendation is to try the free version first. If it works but you need more capacity, Power Data Recovery Personal Ultimate offers good value. However, you might achieve similar results with inexpensive or free data recovery software like Recuva.
MiniTool is a trusted brand, and the results were nearly perfect in one test and good in two others. Like most competing solutions, Power Data Recovery failed to recover any of my SSD files. For a challenging data recovery job, check out our guide to the [best data recovery software](https://www.techradar.com/best/best-data-recovery-software). MiniTool doesn’t offer software for macOS, so if you’re a Mac user, check out our list of the [best data recovery apps for Mac computers](https://www.techradar.com/best/best-data-recovery-software-for-mac).
Overall, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a solid data recovery tool that offers a free trial and flexible pricing options. However, its lack of success with SSD recovery is a significant limitation. If you’re looking for a reliable data recovery solution, MiniTool is worth considering, but remember to weigh its strengths and weaknesses before making a decision.
