What is included in Stellar Data Recovery 9?

Deleted File Recovery – Restores lost documents, emails, photos, and videos
Formatted Drive Recovery – Rescues data from formatted or corrupted volumes
Encrypted & RAW – Recovers BitLocker drives and RAW-mode partitions
Wide Media Support – HDDs, SSDs, USB sticks, SD cards
Core Capacity – Over 300 file types across NTFS, FAT, exFAT
Important – No RAID, server, or mobile phone recovery

What are the main benefits of Stellar Data Recovery 9?

Stellar Data Recovery 9 is a read-only DIY recovery tool for Windows that restores deleted, formatted, and inaccessible files from internal and external drives. It scans down to file-signature level, so it can rebuild data even when the partition table or file system is gone.

No Expertise Needed – Guided scan, preview, and recovery steps
Preview Before Saving – See recoverable files before spending time
Pause And Resume – Stop long scans and continue later
Read-Only Engine – Never overwrites the original source drive
Email Recovery – Restores Outlook PST, MSG, and EML files
Custom File Types – Add signatures for rare file formats

Data loss is expensive: How backups help you avoid outages
For more background on backup planning, read our guide:

What does Stellar Data Recovery 9 do?

Stellar Data Recovery 9 is a read-only Windows tool that recovers deleted, lost, and formatted files from hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, SD cards, and other storage media. It starts with a Quick Scan and can switch to a signature-based Deep Scan to rebuild data even when the file system or partition table is damaged. It restores over 300 file types, including Office documents, emails, photos, audio, and video, and keeps the original folder structure where possible. Because the scan is non-destructive, it never writes to the drive you are recovering from, which protects your chance of a clean recovery.

Which drives and file systems does it support?

It works with NTFS, FAT, FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT volumes on Windows desktops, laptops, and external storage. Supported media includes internal HDDs and SSDs, USB flash drives, SD and memory cards, and 4K drives that use large 4096-byte sectors. You can add custom file signatures when a rare extension is not detected automatically, which extends recovery to unusual or proprietary formats. It does not read Mac (HFS+, APFS) or Linux (Ext4) drives in this edition — that requires the Windows-exclusive Toolkit edition.

Can it recover from a formatted or BitLocker-encrypted drive?

Yes. The software recovers data from quick-formatted and accidentally formatted volumes, and it can scan BitLocker-encrypted drives once you supply the recovery key or password. For severely corrupted or RAW partitions that no longer mount, it runs a signature-based deep scan to pull files out by type. One real limit: if a drive has been overwritten with new data, or an SSD has already run TRIM, the original files may be gone regardless of which tool you use, so stop writing to the drive as soon as you notice the loss.

What is the difference between the Standard, Professional, Premium, and Technician editions?

All editions share the same core recovery engine but unlock more advanced scenarios as you move up. Standard handles deleted and formatted-file recovery; Professional adds lost-partition recovery, recovery from crashed or unbootable PCs via bootable USB media, and disk imaging for failing drives. Premium includes everything in Professional plus repair tools for corrupt photos and videos. Technician adds recovery and rebuild for RAID 0, 5, and 6 arrays, which the consumer editions cannot do.

Can Stellar Data Recovery 9 recover files from a phone or a RAID array?

No. Stellar Data Recovery is built for computer storage and is not for mobile devices, so it cannot pull photos or messages directly off an iPhone or Android phone. RAID recovery for RAID 0, 5, and 6, including virtual RAID rebuild, sits only in the Technician edition, not in Standard, Professional, or Premium. Recovery from a NAS box or a virtual machine falls under the Windows-exclusive Toolkit edition. Check the storage type you need to recover from before buying, because the base editions focus on direct-attached Windows drives.

What should you check before choosing Stellar Data Recovery 9?

Confirm three things first: the storage type, the file system, and whether you need repair as well as recovery. The base edition recovers files but does not repair corrupt photos or videos — that needs Premium — and it does not touch RAID, NAS, or Mac and Linux drives. Stop using the affected drive immediately and install the software on a different drive, since writing new data over deleted files lowers the success rate. Run the free trial first; it scans and previews recoverable files, so you can confirm your data is findable before paying for an edition.

Frequently asked questions about Stellar Data Recovery 9

Does Stellar Data Recovery 9 work on Mac or Linux drives?

In its Windows editions it recovers from NTFS, FAT, and exFAT volumes only. Recovery from Mac (HFS, HFS+, APFS), Linux (Ext2/3/4), NAS, and virtual machine storage is reserved for the Windows-exclusive Toolkit edition.

Does the free trial let you save recovered files?

No. The trial scans your drive and lets you preview which files are recoverable, but saving them requires a paid edition. This lets you confirm your lost data is actually findable before you commit.

Can it recover deleted emails and Outlook data?

Yes. It recovers mailbox and email files including Outlook PST, MSG, EML, EDB, and MBOX formats from supported Windows drives. This is useful when a profile is deleted or a PST file goes missing after an Outlook crash or migration.