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Scalpel
by Scalpel
What Scalpel is
Scalpel is a free, open-source file carving and indexing application for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It works from disk images and includes file preview for examining recovered content. Carving uses patterns based on fixed binary strings or regular expressions. The supplied scalpel.conf leaves supported patterns commented out, so users must edit the configuration to activate them. Project-listed version 2.0 features include minimum carve sizes, multithreading, asynchronous I/O, regular-expression headers and footers, and embedded header/footer matching. GPU execution is available only on Linux with the NVIDIA CUDA SDK and a compatible NVIDIA GPU; GPU mode does not support regular-expression headers or footers. A precompiled Windows executable is provided, but Windows physical and logical device files are not currently supported. Scalpel is not actively maintained and has no official releases. It uses the Apache 2.0 License.
Who it suits
It suits users recovering files from disk images on Linux, macOS, or Windows who can configure carving patterns. Linux users with compatible NVIDIA hardware may also use the GPU option.
What it does well
- Free and open source
- Works with disk images
- File preview included
- Supports multithreading and asynchronous I/O
- Apache 2.0 License
What to know first
- Not actively maintained
- No official releases are being made
- Patterns require configuration edits
- Windows device-file carving is unsupported
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Scalpel | Open source data carving tool | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Scalpel provides configurable file carving across three desktop operating systems, with preview and several processing features. Its inactive maintenance status and configuration requirements make setup and long-term support important considerations.
Facts from Scalpel's own pages
- Carving patterns
- Scalpel carves files using patterns based on fixed binary strings or regular expressions. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- The included scalpel.conf has all supported file patterns commented out, so users must edit it to activate patterns. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Features
- The README lists minimum carve sizes, multithreading, asynchronous I/O, regular-expression headers and footers, and embedded header/footer matching among the v2.0 features. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2005 · github.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 19 Sept 2026
- GPU support
- GPU execution is available only on Linux, requires the NVIDIA CUDA SDK and a compatible NVIDIA GPU, and does not support regular-expression-based headers or footers. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The README says an effort to integrate Scalpel with Autopsy through Java/JNI bindings was abandoned after memory leaks were encountered. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License
- The README says Scalpel was released under the Apache 2.0 License; the repository includes an Apache License 2.0 text file. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Maintenance
- The project says Scalpel is not actively maintained and no official releases are being made. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Operating systems
- Linux,Windows,macOS · github.com, 19 Sept 2026
- Other Unix systems
- The project says it does not currently support Unix variants other than Linux and advises thorough testing before production use on alternate platforms. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The README describes Linux and Windows support and gives compile instructions for Linux and Mac OS X. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- File preview
- Yes · github.com, 19 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Scalpel is an open source file carving and indexing application. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Recovery sources
- disk images · github.com, 19 Sept 2026
- Support
- The README says pull requests may be submitted but may take a while to be reviewed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Windows download
- The README says a precompiled scalpel.exe is provided for Windows. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Windows limitation
- Carving Windows physical and logical device files is not currently supported. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where Scalpel stands on Freedom251
- Data recovery software#47 of 128