What to do right now
- TestDisk itself is text-based; QPhotoRec is a graphical screen for PhotoRec only, not for TestDisk's partition repair.
- To get files back from a lost partition without writing to the disk, open the whole physical disk in FileFix Ultimate and scan the partition candidate it finds.
- Copy the files to another disk first. Only then decide whether to restore the partition table with TestDisk or create a new partition.
From lost partition to safe files, without the text interface
Decide what you need back
Most people need their files, not the old partition entry. Getting the files onto another disk first keeps every option open, while writing a partition table first is hard to undo if the guess is wrong.
Open the whole disk
Run FileFix Ultimate as administrator, choose Deleted file recovery and select the physical disk rather than a drive letter. This takes the place of choosing the disk and pressing Analyse in TestDisk.
Check the partition candidates
The app reads the MBR or GPT, the backup GPT at the end of the disk and boot sectors such as the NTFS backup copy, and lists candidates with start, size and file system. This is roughly what TestDisk's Quick Search and Deeper Search show, in a list you can click.
Browse, preview and copy
Scan the candidate that matches the size you remember. Files and folders appear with their names, can be previewed, and are tested after saving. Save them to a different physical disk.
Restore the partition only if you want to
With your files safe, you can use TestDisk's Write option to put the partition entry back, or simply create a new partition and copy the files in. FileFix Ultimate never writes partition tables or boot sectors.
What TestDisk does well
TestDisk, from CGSecurity, is free and open source under the GPL. Based on public information in October 2026, it can find lost partitions, rewrite the partition table, rebuild an NTFS boot sector from its backup or from the MFT, repair the MFT using its mirror copy and rebuild FAT boot sectors. For an experienced user, these repairs can make a disk boot again in minutes, which no read-only tool can do.
The trade-off is that those repairs are writes to the original disk. Choosing the wrong candidate or confirming Write on a guess can make the situation worse, and the text interface gives little visual help. That is why many guides recommend copying important files off first, even when TestDisk is the tool you plan to finish with.
What a graphical, read-only approach adds
FileFix Ultimate keeps the source disk read-only at every step. Partition candidates are mounted virtually in memory, a damaged boot sector is reconstructed in memory from its backup, and recovered files must be saved to a different disk. You see thumbnails and previews, file names and folders from NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT records, and an honest label for each file: verified, partially recovered or extracted but unverified.
If PhotoRec is set up as an additional engine, FileFix Ultimate can run it as a separate process alongside its own signature search, which covers 68 file types, and merge the results. That is useful when the file system is too damaged for any partition tool and only content-based recovery remains.
Common mistakes with lost partitions
Windows Disk Management shows lost space as unallocated and offers to create a new volume, and an uninitialised disk prompts you to initialise it. Accepting either writes new structures exactly where the old ones were. Cancel those prompts, and avoid running CHKDSK on a drive that shows as RAW until your files are copied.
TestDisk and PhotoRec are names used by their authors at CGSecurity and are not affiliated with FileFix Ultimate.
When neither tool will help
- If a new partition was created and formatted over the old one, files that were overwritten are gone.
- A disk that clicks or is not detected needs imaging or a lab, not partition tools.
- FileFix Ultimate does not read ReFS, APFS, Btrfs or ZFS partitions.
- FileFix Ultimate will not make the old partition visible to Windows again; that requires a tool that writes to the disk.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Graphical lost partition search on MBR and GPT disks, with no keyboard menus to learn.
- Strictly read-only: no partition table, boot sector or file system is ever written.
- Names and folders recovered from partition candidates, with preview and validation.
- Optional PhotoRec engine run alongside its own signature search, with merged results.
- Free for personal use, offline and in 12 languages.
FileFix Ultimate is free for personal use, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Business use needs a one-year licence per PC. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official GUI for TestDisk?
No. TestDisk runs in a text window. QPhotoRec, included in the same download, is a graphical screen for PhotoRec's file recovery, not for TestDisk's partition repair.
Is TestDisk safe to use?
It reads the disk safely, but repairs such as Write change the disk directly. Copy important files to another disk before confirming any write.
Can I use TestDisk after FileFix Ultimate?
Yes. Because FileFix Ultimate changes nothing on the disk, TestDisk will see the same state afterwards and can restore the partition entry if you choose.
Why does the recovered partition not appear in File Explorer?
FileFix Ultimate reads the partition virtually and copies files from it, but deliberately does not write it back to the partition table. Your copied files are on the destination disk.