Stellar Data Recovery Pro: It's capable beyond simple file recovery
Data recovery software is one of those categories most people ignore until panic sets in. A formatted drive, a disappearing partition, years of photos suddenly inaccessible — and suddenly every recovery app online starts promising miracles.
Stellar Data Recovery is one of the most prominent names making those promises.
To see if it actually delivers, we put its professional version a test.
The testing environment
Before getting into the performance results, take a look at the system we tested the software on. Because outcomes tend to vary based on the rig you are using.
| Software Version | Stellar Data Recovery Professional v12.6.0.0 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 (64-bit) |
| Primary Test Drive | 585 GB HDD (E: drive, NTFS, 396 GB free) |
| Secondary Test Drive | 64 GB USB (FAT32, fully formatted) |
| License Tested | Professional tier |
| Processor | Intel i3 10100 (x64-compatible) |
| RAM | 16 GB |
What exactly is Stellar Data Recovery?
Stellar Data Recovery is a Windows and macOS recovery utility designed for logical data loss scenarios.
In simpler terms, it helps recover files when:
- files were deleted accidentally
- drives were formatted
- partitions disappeared
- systems failed to boot properly
- storage corruption made files inaccessible
Importantly, this is not forensic-grade recovery software for physically dead drives. If a drive has mechanical failure or severe physical damage, software recovery tools alone usually cannot help.
But for logical recovery situations, Stellar aims to provide a relatively approachable recovery experience without requiring advanced technical expertise.
The interface
Recovery tools often lean heavily toward technical users.
Some look outdated.
Some feel intimidating.
Others bury important functions behind complicated workflows.
Stellar Data Recovery Professional felt more approachable than expected.
The interface is relatively clean, and the workflow is straightforward:
- select recovery type and file type
- choose the drive
- scan
- preview recoverable files
- recover them elsewhere
That simplicity matters because most people use recovery software while stressed.
One feature that caught our eye the most was the “Add Raw File Format” option at the end of the left sidebar. If the software doesn’t recognize a specific file type, you can use this feature to add its signature. This is very useful when you are working with less common file formats.
Quick scan vs deep scan
The quick scan behaved largely as expected.
During testing, the deleted image file (motion.png) from a recently modified drive appeared fairly quickly, and recovery itself was straightforward. The scan simply completed within 3-4 seconds, and we found our file in the list.
And in our experience, for recently deleted documents and media, the process was fast enough that we could see casual users relying entirely on the quick scan mode.
The deep scan was where things became more interesting.
And much slower.
On our partially filled 585GB drive with roughly 396GB free space, the deep scan took around two hours to complete during our testing.
Another thing we noticed in our deep scan run was the unusually high CPU usage. For us, it went up to 65% at one point.
Keep in mind that our test rig utilizes a budget, 4-core Intel i3 processor. If you are running a modern Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor, you will likely see significantly faster scan times and lower overall CPU utilization percentages.
Overall, deep scans feel less like “searching for deleted files” and more like excavating the storage history of a drive.
But if you were to ask whether it’s worth it or not. It depends. If you are looking for some long-lost files that are very precious to you, then this waiting time and the high CPU usage won’t be a problem.
Formatted drive recovery
Initially, we expected Stellar to perform reasonably well with recently deleted files.
The formatted drive recovery test was the moment that genuinely surprised us.
We tested the software using a freshly formatted NTFS USB drive that originally contained two PDF files before formatting.
After formatting the drive completely, we ran a recovery scan through Stellar’s “Recover From” workflow.
To our surprise, the scan successfully identified both previously deleted PDF files. After recovering them to a separate drive location, both files opened normally without corruption.
What made this test more interesting was that this was no longer a simple deletion scenario. The files had already been wiped during formatting, yet Stellar still managed to reconstruct them successfully.
That was the point where the software started feeling considerably more capable than a basic undelete utility.
Partition Recovery
After testing formatted drive recovery, we became curious about Stellar’s partition recovery capabilities.
This workflow was handled through the “Can’t Find Drive”option inside the recovery panel. Once the scan completed, Stellar listed available partitions and allowed us to scan specific targets individually.
Again, the software recovered the partition data more successfully than we initially expected.
And honestly, this became a recurring theme during testing:
- the quick scan was good.
- the deep scan was impressive.
- but the partition recovery workflows were where Stellar started feeling genuinely powerful
Especially for non-technical users. - Because normally, partition recovery sounds intimidating.
Here, the process felt surprisingly manageable.
The workflow details
Oddly enough, some of the most useful features were not the flashy recovery modes.
Instead, it was smaller workflow details that made longer recovery sessions less frustrating.
For example:
- pause-and-resume support for deep scans
- stable performance during long operations
- SMART drive monitoring
- read-only scan behavior
- recovery previews before purchase
The pause-and-resume feature became more useful than we expected during multi-hour deep scans. Recovery sessions can become mentally exhausting, especially when you are anxiously waiting to see whether important files still exist.
Meanwhile, the read-only scanning approach is extremely important for safety. Stellar does not write data onto the scanned drive during recovery operations, which reduces the risk of accidentally overwriting recoverable sectors.
These are the kinds of practical details that matter far more in real-world recovery situations than marketing screenshots.
Where Stellar still struggles
Despite the strong recovery results overall, the software was far from perfect during testing.
The biggest weakness was speed.
Deep scans on larger drives were slow, and resource usage became noticeable during prolonged sessions. On older or lower-powered systems, this could become frustrating fairly quickly.
We also encountered:
- missing WEBP previews
- occasional corrupted image or video recoveries
- inconsistent results with certain media formats
That last point is important.
Recovery software can often locate deleted files that are technically recoverable but still partially corrupted when opened afterward. Stellar was not immune to this problem.
And while the software is powerful for consumer recovery scenarios, it is probably not the ideal choice for forensic-level IT professionals needing every recoverable fragment from damaged storage devices.
Pricing plan
Stellar currently separates its recovery plans into multiple tiers depending on recovery complexity and business needs.
| Edition | Price | Key Capability Boundaries |
| Free | $0 / year | Scans storage arrays to find recoverable files and recovers up to 1GB of files. |
| Standard | $59.99 / year | Restricted to basic deleted file recovery on fully operational drives. |
| Professional | $89.99 / year | Adds partition recovery, raw drive data salvage, and unbootable PC USB creation. |
| Premium | $99.99 / year | Everything in Professional is combined with dedicated photo and video repair suites. |
| Technician | $299.00 / year | Adds advanced RAID array reconstructions and volume cloning. |
| Toolkit | $399.00 / year | Data Recovery Tool for SMEs and Enterprises |
Who actually needs the pro edition?
One thing we appreciated is that Stellar’s licensing tiers are relatively easy to understand.
And honestly, not everyone needs the Professional edition.
If you simply deleted a few files accidentally from a healthy drive, the Free or Standard versions may already be enough.
The Professional version sits between the simpler consumer editions and the much more expensive enterprise-oriented Technician and Toolkit plans.
For most individual users dealing with accidental deletion, formatting, or partition issues, the Professional tier is likely the practical sweet spot.
Final verdict
We approached Stellar Data Recovery Professional with fairly cautious expectations.
After testing formatted drives, quick/deep scans, and partition recovery workflows, Stellar proved considerably more capable than we initially expected.
Not flawless.
Not especially fast.
And not suitable for physically dead drives.
The quick scan works just as it’s intended to: fast and accurate. For the deep scan, we were thoroughly impressed by the results, as it brought to light everything that had ever existed on the drive. The drawback is that it’s time-consuming and resource-consuming.
But for logical recovery situations, especially involving formatted drives or lost partitions, the software delivered genuinely impressive results during testing.
You can start for free and run a scan. Only get the license when it starts listing your lost files.
Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026, by TheSweetBits Team