Why SSDs are different
On a traditional hard drive, a deleted file's data physically stays on the platter until something new is written over it — which is what makes recovery possible. SSDs work differently. To stay fast, they use a background command called TRIM that proactively erases the blocks behind deleted files, usually within seconds. Once TRIM has run, the data is physically gone, and no software — ours or anyone's — can bring it back.
So is SSD recovery ever possible?
Sometimes, yes:
- If you act immediately, before TRIM has processed the deletion, some data may still be intact.
- External SSDs over USB sometimes don't pass TRIM through, leaving deleted data recoverable longer.
- Files still in the Trash aren't really deleted yet — those recover normally.
Where deep recovery shines instead
Raw-sector recovery is most effective on the media where deleted data lingers: traditional hard drives, USB flash drives, and SD cards. If you lost files from one of those, your odds are far better than on an internal SSD.
The honest takeaway
We'd rather tell you this up front than sell you false hope. Download Cinder and scan the drive for free — if the files are recoverable, you'll see them with their real names before you pay a cent. If TRIM already erased them, the free scan tells you that too, at no cost.