We've got you.
Most issues fix themselves in two minutes. Start with the troubleshooting steps, then check the common issues below. Still stuck? Email us — we read every message.
5-step troubleshooting
- 1
Always run as Administrator
Right-click RecoverX → Run as administrator. Without admin, raw disk access is denied.
- 2
Don't recover to the source drive
Recover from D: → write to E: or your USB stick. Writing to the same drive risks overwriting your deleted files.
- 3
Use the right scan mode
Quick = filesystem metadata. Recycle Bin = soft-deleted files. Shadow Copies = pre-deletion snapshots. Deep = signature carving. Pick by recovery scenario.
- 4
Preview before recovery
Click the eye icon on a row. If the preview looks corrupt, recovery will produce a corrupt file. Don't waste time on Risky or Lost items.
- 5
Email us with the scan log
Stuck? Send us the scan mode, drive type, condition column counts, and what kind of files you tried to recover. We reply within 24 hours.
Common issues
Recovered files won't open / are corrupted on my laptop's internal drive
This is almost always BitLocker encryption. Modern Windows laptops auto-encrypt the C: drive, and raw cluster reads return ciphertext that we can't decrypt. RecoverX detects this and refuses to scan BitLocker volumes — use the Recycle Bin or Shadow Copies modes instead, which work through the unlocked filesystem.
Recovered files are all zeros or corrupted on my SSD
Your SSD's TRIM command zeroed the data when you deleted the file. There is no software-only recovery once TRIM has fired — the data is physically erased. RecoverX correctly marks these files as 'Risky' or 'Lost' so you don't waste time trying. Try Volume Shadow Copies if a snapshot exists from before the deletion.
Scan finds 0 files
Three usual causes: (1) you forgot to run as Administrator — raw disk access requires it; (2) the drive is BitLocker-encrypted; (3) the filesystem is exFAT or another unsupported format. Quick Scan supports NTFS and FAT32; Deep Scan ignores filesystem and works by signature carving.
App won't start / instantly closes
Right-click the .exe and choose Run as administrator. If you still see issues, check Windows Event Viewer → Application logs for entries from RecoverX. Most launch failures are due to missing Visual C++ Redistributable (rare on modern Windows).
Recovery is extremely slow
Use the optional folder filter on Select Drive to limit the scan to a subdirectory — full-drive MFT scans of large NTFS volumes can have millions of records. Also use Quick Scan first; only fall back to Deep Scan when Quick comes up empty.
Can't see my removable drive in the list
Click Refresh in the top-right of the Select Drive screen. If the drive still doesn't appear, Windows may not have mounted it — check Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) and ensure the drive has a letter assigned. RecoverX shows only drives with a Windows-assigned letter.
License activation fails
Confirm the key matches the format RX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Each license has a fixed seat count (Pro = 1, Business = 3); if all seats are used, deactivate one before activating on a new PC. Network errors mean the activation server is unreachable — check your firewall and try again.
Hit the 1 GB Free tier cap, want to reset
The cap is intentional and doesn't reset on reinstall. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited recovery, or if you only need to recover a single critical file, contact support — we'll help on a case-by-case basis.
When to use which scan mode
- A.Did you delete normally (not Shift+Delete)? → Try Recycle Bin first. Files there are 100% recoverable.
- B.Was it on a USB drive, SD card, or HDD? → Use Quick Scan. Reads NTFS/FAT metadata directly.
- C.Was it on an internal SSD? → Try Shadow Copies first. SSDs TRIM deleted data within seconds, but VSS snapshots may have your file from before deletion.
- D.Filesystem corrupted, drive shows RAW? → Use Deep Scan. Reads byte-by-byte, doesn't need a working filesystem.
- E.None of the above? → Email us with the scan mode you tried, file type, and the condition column counts.
Still need help?
Reach our support team directly. Replies usually within 24 hours, often faster. Pro and Business licenses include priority support.