Freedom251 › Data recovery software
Magic Rescue
What Magic Rescue is
Magic Rescue is a free utility for recovering files from block devices such as drives or partitions. It scans device data for recognized file types by matching magic bytes, then invokes an external program to extract matches. This can support undeleting files or recovering data from a corrupted drive or partition, and it works on any file system. Included recipes cover formats such as FLV, SQLite, RAR, mbox, Nikon RAW, FLAC, Canon CR2 RAW, and OpenOffice documents. The project targets Unix-like systems and is listed for Linux. Building requires a C library and a UNIXish system; the documented sequence is `./configure`, `make`, and `make install`, with installation optional. On very fragmented file systems, recovery may stop after the first chunk of each file, with 30–50 MB chunks described as not uncommon. The maintainer advises using a sandbox because arbitrary disk data is passed to programs written in unsafe languages. Magic Rescue is GPL-2.0 licensed and no longer actively developed.
Who it suits
It suits users needing a free Unix-like recovery or undelete utility for block devices and varied file systems. It requires comfort with building software and handling sandboxing precautions.
What it does well
- Free with no stated usage limits
- Works across file systems
- Scans drives and partitions directly
- Includes recipes for many file formats
- Can recover data from corrupted media
What to know first
- Very fragmented files may recover only partially
- Maintainer advises running it in a sandbox
- No longer under active development
- Building requires a C library and UNIXish system
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Rescue | No paid plan or usage limits stated | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Magic Rescue offers signature-based recovery across file systems without a paid plan. Fragmentation limits, security precautions, and its inactive development status are important before relying on it.
Facts from Magic Rescue's own pages
- Build requirements
- Building requires a C library and a UNIXish system; dupemap additionally requires an NDBM compatibility header. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Development status
- The software is no longer under active development, and the maintainer does not promise to address GitHub issues or make new stable releases. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- File recipes
- The project includes extraction recipes for formats including FLV, SQLite, rar, mbox, Nikon RAW, FLAC, Canon CR2 RAW, and OpenOffice documents. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Filesystem support
- It works on any file system. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Fragmentation limit
- On very fragmented file systems, it can recover only the first chunk of each file; the project says chunks of 30–50 MB are not uncommon. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Installation
- The documented build and install sequence is ./configure, make, and make install, with installation optional. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The project describes the software as a tool for recovering files from a corrupted file system and as an undelete utility. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies the software as GPL-2.0 licensed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Operating systems
- Unix-like systems (the project specifies a C library and a UNIXish system to build; Linux support is not separately enumerated) · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Magic Rescue scans a block device for file types it recognizes and invokes an external program to extract them. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Recovery method
- It identifies files by magic bytes in their contents and can be used to undelete files or recover data from a corrupted drive or partition. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Security
- The maintainer says Magic Rescue should only be run in a sandbox because it passes arbitrary disk data to programs written in unsafe languages, creating a large attack surface. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Recovery sources
- Block devices,including drives or partitions · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Support
- The maintainer says they will consider merging pull requests but will not personally address issues raised in GitHub. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where Magic Rescue stands on Freedom251
- Data recovery software#67 of 128