If Disk Drill doesn’t tick all the boxes for you due to its limited recovery capabilities in the free version, it’s worth trying PhotoRec, another powerful and reliable open-source tool. Unlike Disk Drill, PhotoRec doesn’t have a fancy GUI, but it’s super effective in recovering lost files from various types of storage. PhotoRec works by ignoring the file system and looking for underlying data, which can be a real lifesaver if your device’s filesystem is damaged.
Also, one important thing to note: if your video was stored on an SD card or external drive, try immediately stopping any further writes to that drive. Removing the card or drive from the device can help ensure no new data overwrites the deleted files, which can render them unrecoverable.
Another tool to consider is TestDisk, which is often bundled with PhotoRec. TestDisk can fix partition tables and recover deleted partitions, which might be useful depending on how you lost the video. These tools are available at the same source that offers Disk Drill.
For Mac users, you might want to check if your video is in a Time Machine backup. Roll back to a version of your drive from before the deletion occurred if you have Time Machine configured.
One last suggestion – data recovery services. If the lost video is absolutely irreplaceable, a professional data recovery service might be worth the cost. It’s pricier and you’d need to send your device in, but their sophisticated equipment and expertise can retrieve data in more severe cases of loss.
Give those solutions a shot and fingers crossed you’ll get your precious video back.