A damaged file contains partial corruption that prevents normal opening. Specialized software can sometimes salvage readable portions by bypassing corrupted segments or extracting intact data blocks. This differs from fully corrupted files where no data remains accessible, as partial recovery relies on undamaged sections still adhering to their original format structure.

For example, data recovery tools like Recuva or R-Studio might extract intact photos from a corrupted memory card, ignoring unreadable sectors. Similarly, video players like VLC can often play undamaged parts of a partially corrupted MP4 file by skipping over corrupted frames, while PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat may open pages with unaffected elements.

Partial recovery provides valuable data retrieval but has significant limitations. Success depends entirely on the corruption's location and severity; if vital structural information (like a file header or index) is damaged, the file remains inaccessible. Using untrusted recovery software carries risks like data exposure or further corruption. Ongoing advancements in AI-assisted pattern recognition offer potential for improved future salvage capabilities.