Best JPEG Recovery Software for Windows | Get Your Photos Back

Discover reliable solutions for photo loss with our picks for the best JPEG recovery software. We evaluate key features, effectiveness, and value of leading deleted jpeg file recovery software to help you choose the right tool for retrieving your valuable images.

By @Delores
Last Updated September 23, 2025

Deleted Photo Recovery Software Free Download for Windows 11/10

 

Urgent! Is there any free photo recovery software for PC to recommend? (Windows 11 / Mac is OK)

Hello, folks, I am a little upset...

I accidentally emptied a folder full of photos taken during travel. The computer system is Windows 11, and my wife's side is Mac. I also tried several recovery tools on the Internet. Either they scanned for a long time without results, or they recovered a bunch of files that could not be opened.

I want to ask: Is there any free photo recovery software for PC recommended?

It is best to support image preview and simple operation. It is better to be able to recover JPG, PNG, and RAW formats. It is acceptable to charge a fee as long as it is reliable.

Has anyone used a newer recovery tool recently? Please help recommend it

- Question from techcommunity.microsoft.com

If you're in the same position as the person above and need to recover JPEG files, whether it's due to corruption or deletion, etc. You're in the proper location. Please refer to the following articles for rapid photo recovery methods.

What is JPEG Recovery Software and How Does It Work

In simple terms, JPEG recovery software is a specialized application designed to scan your storage devices—be it a hard drive, SD card, or USB stick—for traces of lost image files and reconstruct them.

In fact, when you delete a file or even format a drive, and the data isn’t immediately wiped clean. Instead, the space those files occupied is just marked as “available for new data”. The actual photos are still there until they are overwritten by something new. Recovery tools are clever; they bypass the normal file system and perform a deep, raw scan of the drive to find these lingering data fragments. They then reassemble them into a complete, viewable JPEG file.

Common Causes of JPEG File Loss and Corruption

Files don’t just vanish into the ether without a reason. These main reasons include:

  • Accidental Deletion and Formatting Mistakes

Perhaps you thought you’d copied all your photos to your computer and formatted the card, only to realize you’d missed a folder. You can recover these deleted JPEG files easily as long as you act quickly.

They can become corrupted due to improper ejection from a computer, a faulty card reader, physical damage, or even a sudden power loss while the camera is writing data. Similarly, a malicious virus or malware attack can scramble file allocation tables, hide files, or deliberately delete them. In these cases, a powerful photo recovery software is needed.

Choosing the Best JPEG Recovery Software

There are so many JPEG recovery software programs, so you can keep an eye out for these critical features to find the best deleted JPEG file recovery software.

  • A deep scan capability is non-negotiable; this is the intensive process that finds files long after they’ve been deleted.
  • A clear preview function is a lifesaver—it lets you peek at recoverable images before you pay a penny for a premium tool, ensuring the files aren’t corrupt.
  • You’ll also want broad file format support (obviously JPEG, but also RAW, PNG, etc.).
  • Compatibility with different storage devices (hard drives, SSDs, memory cards).
  • A user-friendly interface that can recover files easily, even for a novice.

Best JPEG Recovery Software - MyRecover

Fortunately, MyRecover meets all the above requirements. Thus, we will focus on the best JPEG recovery software called MyRecover, known for its straightforward design and powerful capabilities.

Remember the golden rule: install the software on a different drive than the one you’re trying to recover from to avoid overwriting your lost files.

How to Use Deleted JPEG File Recovery Software -MyRecover to Recover Photos?

1. Download MyRecover and install it on a healthy drive on your computer instead of the location where the photos are stored.

2. Open MyRecover, click Deleted Files Recovery, and select the drive where your JPEGs were lost and click "Scan".

3. MyRecover will first perform a quick scan and list all recoverable files. Hit OK when finished.

4. You can find these files by file type, and you can also use file name, file size, and file path to find the photos. Select the photos, and hit Recover.

5. Choose a directory to save these recovered JPEG photos.

Tips:✎...
Click on any JPEG file to see a preview in the right-hand pane. This is crucial for verifying that the file is intact.
Browse to and select a folder on a different drive to save your recovered files. Never save them back to the same location from which they were lost.

If you’re going to recover photos from an external SSD, SD cards, and so on, the process is virtually identical. The key is that your computer recognizes the device. For an SD card, you’ll need a reliable card reader. Once the drive appears in “This PC” in Windows, it will appear in MyRecover’s drive list, ready to be scanned.

Moreover, MyRecover offers a free version to recover JPEG files, so you can enjoy the JPEG recovery software for free. And you should know that it provides a 500MB for file recovery, just like other photo recovery software. For more data recovery, upgrade to MyRecover Professional or Technician to enjoy unlimited data recovery and other premium features.

MyRecover  
  • Recover Deleted Files Easily with Simple Clicks   
  • 1000+ File Formats Supported   
  • Support HDD, SSD, External Hard Drive, USB Drive, SD Card, etc.   
  • Quickly Find Files Using File Types, Name, Size, etc.
  • Preview Files Before Recovering
  • Recover Unlimited Data

Preventing Future JPEG File Loss

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. After you’ve recovered your lost photos, adopt these habits.

  • Get religious about backups. Use the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of your data, on 2 different media, with 1 copy offsite (like cloud storage).
  • Always, and we mean always, eject your memory cards and external drives safely using the “Eject” function in Windows before unplugging them.
  • Invest in high-quality memory cards from reputable brands。
  • Consider using a dedicated photo management application that can help automate your import and backup workflow.

FAQ About JPEG Recovery Software

Can I recover JPEG files that were deleted a long time ago?

A: It's possible but less likely. Success depends on how much the drive has been used since. On a constantly used drive (like your C: drive), data is overwritten quickly. On a rarely used external drive, files can remain for years. It's always worth scanning with a recovery tool.

What is the difference between a quick scan and a deep scan?

A: Quick Scan: Fast; checks the file system's "table of contents" for recently deleted files.

Deep Scan: Slow; performs a sector-by-sector search for file patterns. Necessary for formatted drives or files deleted long ago.

Why can I see my deleted files in the recovery software but not in Windows?

A: Windows uses a "table of contents" to see files. When you delete a file, it's removed from this table. Recovery software reads the raw data on the disk itself, so if it can see the file, the data is likely still there.

Can I recover photos from a formatted SD card?

A: Yes. Formatting erases the file system table, not the actual photo data. Stop using the card immediately and use recovery software with a deep scan function. Success is high if the card hasn't been reused.

What should I do if the recovered JPEG file is corrupted and won’t open?

A: This means the file was partially overwritten. Try opening it in a different application. You can also use a specialized file repair tool. For extremely valuable photos, a professional data recovery service is an expensive last resort.

Write in The End

Until now, you should have mastered how to find and use the best JPEG recovery software. If you just deleted the JPEG photos by accident, you can use MyRecover to recover them quickly and safely. Besides, you can also recover files from a formatted SD card, SSD, an emptied recycle bin, etc.