ApowerRecover: Simple File Recovery for Windows, With Some Catches
ApowerRecover is a Windows data recovery program, at $63.96 a year at checkout, that scans hard drives, USB disks, memory cards and cameras for deleted photos, videos, documents and emails. It suits someone who just lost files on a working drive and wants plain, guided steps rather than a technical tool.
If you've just deleted something important, stop using that drive now, and install the program on a different one, because new data can overwrite what you want back.
Quick facts
- Developer: Apowersoft (Wangxu Technology Co., Limited)
- Version: 1.0.7.0 (installer copyright 2019)
- Platform: Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 on Apowersoft's page. FileHorse also lists Windows 11
- Recovers: photos, videos, audio, documents, archives (ZIP, RAR, 7Z) and emails (PST, DBX)
- Price: $63.96 for a Personal yearly license at checkout, renewing at the same price ($79.95 a year on Apowersoft's store)
- Guarantee: 30-day money-back guarantee, for the reasons in Apowersoft's refund policy
- What we checked: the trial installer is 12.44 MB with file version 1.0.7.0, and the Personal yearly license was $63.96 on the order page, with the next renewal also shown at $63.96, on November 6, 2026. We didn't run a recovery on a damaged or formatted drive, and we found no independent recovery test, so we can't tell you its success rate.
Before you buy
The activation code works once. Apowersoft's page warns: "The activation code can only be used once, even when the PC system is reinstalled." If you reinstall Windows, you may need support to get going again, and support is this vendor's weak spot.
It's a yearly subscription that renews on its own, and most people need recovery once. Cancel after the job is done unless you want it to keep running. Apowersoft's rating on Trustpilot was 1.9 out of 5 from 241 reviews on November 6, 2026, mostly over support, activation and refunds.
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Overview
ApowerRecover works in four steps: choose the file types, choose where to look, wait for the scan, then preview and restore. There's no technical language to get through, and the first screen shows plain tick boxes for each kind of file.
The first screen: tick all data, or only photos, videos, audio, documents, archives or emails.
Features
ApowerRecover searches by location or by whole drive
ApowerRecover offers the Desktop, the Recycle Bin or a folder you pick, plus every connected disk. A memory card, USB drive or camera appears under Connected Disks once it's plugged in.
Choosing where to scan: common locations at the top and connected disks below.
ApowerRecover can look for a lost partition
ApowerRecover's Cannot Find Drive option helps when a partition has gone missing. Pick the physical drive, and it lists the partitions it finds, with their file system and sectors. If yours isn't listed, Deep Search looks harder.
The lost partition search, listing FAT and NTFS partitions.
ApowerRecover adds a Deep Scan when the first pass misses a file
ApowerRecover shows a Deep Scan button below its results. It takes longer, but it digs further for files the normal scan didn't find. You can pause, continue or stop a scan at any time.
ApowerRecover lets you preview before you restore
ApowerRecover sorts what it finds by Path or by Type, with the name, size and dates of each file. Click a file to see a preview, where one is available, then click Recover and pick a folder on a different drive.
Scan results by path, with a Deep Scan button at the bottom left.
Benefits
- Few decisions. The steps are the same whether you lost one Word file or a whole card of photos.
- Less sifting. Choosing only the file types you need keeps the results short.
- A way in when a partition vanishes. Many basic undelete tools stop at the Recycle Bin.
Real-World Uses
- An emptied Recycle Bin: select Recycle Bin as the location, filter by Documents, and preview the report you threw out.
- A camera card after an accidental format: connect the card through a reader, choose it under Connected Disks, and tick Photos and Videos.
- A missing drive letter: use Cannot Find Drive to search for the partition.
- A lost Outlook archive: tick Emails to look for PST files.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
It fits a non-technical Windows user with a healthy drive and one recovery job, who would rather be guided than read a manual. Skip it if the drive clicks, won't spin up or holds irreplaceable business data, because software can make that worse: go to a recovery lab. Skip it on a Mac, since the Windows download is all we could find. For a simple undelete, try the free Recuva first. For harder cases, a tool that has been tested independently is a safer choice, since ApowerRecover hasn't been.
Usage Guide
- Install ApowerRecover on a different drive from the one holding your lost files.
- Launch it and tick the file types you need, then click Next.
- Pick a location or a connected disk, then click Next. For a missing partition, choose Cannot Find Drive.
- Wait for the scan. You can click Stop at any time.
- Browse the results by Path or Type and click a file to preview it.
- Tick what you want, click Recover, click Browse, and save it to another drive.
- If a file is missing, click Deep Scan and repeat.
Where it falls short
- An aging program. The trial installer dates from 2019, Apowersoft's page stops at Windows 10, and its guide was last updated in 2020. Modern file systems and drives aren't discussed.
- No proven recovery rate. We found no independent test of how much it recovers. FileHorse points out that success "depends on the data overwrite status," which holds for any recovery tool.
- The one-time activation code. It's awkward for a tool you may only need again after a system failure.
- Deep Scan takes time. FileHorse lists this as a con, and a large drive can take a long time.
- Yearly pricing for an occasional job. Paying $63.96 a year only makes sense if you cancel afterward. If you'd keep it, the $139.95 lifetime license wins in about two years.
What Users Say
There's very little independent opinion on ApowerRecover, so this section is short. We left out comparison pages run by competing recovery vendors.
FileHorse (editor's summary)
FileHorse calls it "a reliable and efficient solution for data recovery." Its pros are "User-friendly interface," "Supports a wide range of file types and devices," "Preview feature ensures accurate recovery" and "Flexible pricing plans." Its cons: "No native Mac support," "Recovery success depends on the data overwrite status" and "Deep scan can be time-consuming." It's a directory overview, not a lab test.
Trustpilot (Apowersoft as a company)
On November 6, 2026 Apowersoft scored 1.9 out of 5 from 241 reviews, with 57% five-star and 35% one-star. We found none about ApowerRecover itself. The repeated complaints cover unanswered support emails, activation codes that stop working, unexpected charges and refund requests.
Apowersoft's own how-to guide shows 4.3 out of 5 from 35 ratings, collected on its own site.
The themes: the interface earns praise, the recovery results are unproven, and the complaints that exist are about the company, which matters here because of the one-time activation code.
Comparisons
ApowerRecover vs Recuva
Recuva has a free version and handles simple deleted-file jobs on Windows, so it's worth trying first. ApowerRecover's advantages are its plainer steps and its lost-partition search.
Editions and Pricing
| Plan | Price | Term |
|---|
| Personal yearly (this listing) | $63.96 at checkout | Renews every year |
| Personal yearly on Apowersoft's store | $79.95 | Renews every year |
| Personal monthly on Apowersoft's store | $49.95 | Renews every month |
| Personal lifetime on Apowersoft's store | $139.95 | One payment |
| Business lifetime on Apowersoft's store | $299.95 | One payment |
ApowerRecover is also part of Apowersoft Unlimited, which was $33.62 a year at checkout on November 6, 2026, a little over half the price of this license. If you want it for a year, that bundle is the better buy.
FAQs
Can ApowerRecover recover files after formatting a drive?
ApowerRecover says it can recover data lost to formatting, but results depend on how much has been written to the drive since. Stop using the drive and run a scan before paying.
Does ApowerRecover work on Mac?
ApowerRecover's page lists Windows only, and the installer we checked is for Windows. FileHorse also notes there's no native Mac support.
Can I move my ApowerRecover license to a new PC?
ApowerRecover's activation code can only be used once, even after you reinstall Windows. Contact Apowersoft support before you change computers, and allow time for a reply.
Can ApowerRecover recover files from an SSD?
ApowerRecover doesn't promise SSD results. On most modern SSDs, TRIM clears deleted data quickly, so any recovery tool has a lower chance there than on a hard drive or memory card.
Can I get a refund on ApowerRecover if it doesn't find my files?
Apowersoft offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on ApowerRecover, but only for reasons in its refund policy, such as a technical problem support can't fix. A file that can't be recovered isn't clearly one of them, so ask before you buy.
Does ApowerRecover recover from a phone?
ApowerRecover works on computer drives, memory cards and connected storage. For iPhones and iPads, Apowersoft sells a separate product, ApowerRescue.
System Requirements
- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 (FileHorse also lists Windows 11)
- 1 GHz processor or faster
- 512 MB RAM or more, 1 GB recommended
- At least 100 MB of free disk space on a drive other than the one you're recovering
Conclusion
A cautious yes, for simple jobs only. ApowerRecover's plain steps and preview are its one real strength. The main reasons to hesitate are its age, the absence of any independent recovery test, the single-use activation code and a yearly renewal for what's usually a one-time emergency. Try a free tool first. If you do buy, Apowersoft Unlimited covers it for less, and remember to cancel the renewal.
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