Trust, Security & Legal

Open-Source Transparency

TestDisk is open-source software (GNU GPL v2+). The source code is available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. This transparency supports trust: security researchers and users can verify that the tool does not contain malware, backdoors, or hidden data collection. The project is maintained by CGSecurity; development and repository information are available from the official project.

Legal Usage

Laws governing data recovery, disk imaging, and access to storage vary by country and context. You are responsible for ensuring that your use of TestDisk complies with applicable laws. Use the software only on storage devices you own or have explicit authorization to access and repair. Do not use recovery tools to access or recover data from devices without proper authorization.

Ethical Usage

TestDisk is intended for legitimate recovery and repair: recovering your own data, assisting authorized users, or performing authorized maintenance. Use it in a way that respects privacy, ownership, and local regulations. We do not support or encourage use of the software to access, copy, or alter data belonging to others without permission.

Safe Download Practices

Always obtain TestDisk from the official CGSecurity project or from trusted channels (e.g. your operating system’s official package repository). Verify file integrity using checksums or signatures when the project provides them. Avoid downloading from unfamiliar or unverified third-party sites, which could distribute modified or malicious builds.

No Malware

TestDisk is legitimate software. It is not malware, adware, or spyware. Because it performs low-level disk access and can write to storage, some antivirus or security software may flag it heuristically. When you have downloaded from the official source and verified the checksum, such alerts are often false positives. You can submit the file to your vendor or to multi-engine scanners for a second opinion. We do not ask you to disable security; we ask you to use official sources and verification.

User Responsibility

You are responsible for how you use TestDisk. Select the correct disk and partition before performing any write operations. Do not save recovered files to the same drive you are recovering from. Follow safe recovery practices described in our Download and Guides pages. Misuse or mistaken use (e.g. writing to the wrong disk) can cause data loss. The developers and this site are not liable for damage resulting from use or misuse of the software.

Recovery Risk Awareness

Recovery success depends on many factors: the condition of the disk, whether data was overwritten, the type of damage, and how the tool is used. We do not guarantee that TestDisk will recover any specific data. In some scenarios, TestDisk writes directly to the disk (e.g. when repairing partition tables or boot sectors); an unsuccessful or incorrect repair can worsen the situation. Proceed with care, create logs, and when possible work on a copy or after creating a sector-level backup if you have the means.

Responsible Use

No Guaranteed Recovery

We do not promise that TestDisk will recover your data. Success depends on disk condition, file-system state, what happened after the data loss (e.g. overwriting), and correct use of the software. TestDisk is a powerful tool for partition and file-system repair, but no software can guarantee recovery in all situations.

Professional Disclaimer