ddrescue ☆
« Back to VersTracker
Description:
GNU data recovery tool
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 1.29.1@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: System utilities
Tags: data-recovery disk-utility forensics cli gnu
Install: brew install ddrescue
About:
GNU ddrescue is a data recovery tool that copies data from one file or block device to another, handling errors and bad sectors intelligently. It uses a sophisticated algorithm to maximize recovery from failing drives by first copying easy data and then attempting to read bad sectors multiple times. Unlike simple copy tools, it can resume interrupted operations and works efficiently even on heavily damaged media.
Key Features:
  • Resumable recovery process
  • Intelligent sector-by-sector error handling
  • Fast first pass, thorough second pass strategy
  • Supports both files and block devices
  • Minimal writes to failing drives
Use Cases:
  • Recovering data from failing or damaged hard drives
  • Creating forensic disk images from unstable media
  • Cloning disks with bad sectors
Alternatives:
  • dd – Basic Unix tool without error handling or resume capability
  • dd_rescue – Similar purpose but ddrescue is more sophisticated and faster
  • TestDisk – Focuses on partition recovery rather than sector-by-sector copying
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 15, 2025 5:34am 0 VERSION_BUMP 59a1b499
Jan 5, 2025 7:54pm 0 VERSION_BUMP faa8227a
« Back to VersTracker  |  Browse Packages  |  About