Side by side

Cathy vs Windows File Recovery

Both stand on desktop search software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Choose Windows File Recovery if you need a free command-line option for deleted files on local storage and can work with its recovery modes. Look elsewhere if the files are in cloud storage or a network share, or if you need a graphical app.

Visit Windows File Recovery

The facts

	Cathy	Windows File Recovery
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Windows	Windows
Lowest paid plan	Not published	Free or on request
Plans published	None	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	mtg.sk	support.microsoft.com
On desktop search software	#27 of 57	#23 of 57

Cathy: what it does well

Windows File Recovery: what it does well

Free to use through the Microsoft Store.
Supports internal and external drives, USB devices, SD cards, and flash drives.
Offers Regular and Extensive recovery modes.
Filters searches by name, path, type, or wildcard.
Signature mode targets groups of file extensions.

What to know first

Cloud storage and network file shares are unsupported.
The recovery source and destination must be different drives.
FAT and exFAT recovery is available only in Extensive mode.
Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.

Alternatives to Cathy Alternatives to Windows File Recovery The whole list