The invention relates to a hydraulic
actuator (1) having the ability to recover energy from the pressure of a
hydraulic fluid, having at least one bidirectionally operable
hydraulic pump (2) for pumping the
hydraulic fluid, the
hydraulic pump (2) having two ports (6a, 6b); and a hydraulic
actuator assembly (3) having two
hydraulic fluid chambers (4a, 4b) to which hydraulic fluid can be applied in order to drive the hydraulic
actuator assembly (3), in which the hydraulic fluid chambers (4a, 4b) are each connected to the ports (6a, 6b) of the
hydraulic pump (2) by means of pipelines (7a, 7b), such that when one of the hydraulic fluid chambers (4a, 4b) is filled with hydraulic fluid, the hydraulic fluid is supplied to the hydraulic actuator
assembly (3). The second chamber (4b) has a second chamber cross-section (8b) which is different from the first chamber cross-section (8a) of the first chamber (4a), and wherein the first chamber (4a) is connected to a pressure accumulator (5), and wherein the second chamber cross-section (8b) of the second chamber (4b) is different from the first chamber cross-section (8a) of the first chamber (4a). A differential volume (28) can be received and provided in the pressure accumulator, the differential volume (28) being caused by different chamber cross-sections (8a, 8b) of the chambers (4a, 4b); wherein a first line (7a) connects the first chamber (4a) to the hydraulic pump (2), a second line (7b) connects the second chamber (4b) to the hydraulic pump (2), and the first line (7a) and the second line (7b) are further connected to each other by a bypass line (9) by means of which when the pressure in the second line (7b) drops from above to a threshold value, the pressure in the second line (7b) drops from above to the threshold value. According to the invention, a bypass flow from the first line (7a) into the second line (7b) is established via a bypass line (9) in order to prevent an insufficient supply of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic pump (2), a deactivation circuit (11) being arranged in the bypass line (9), by means of which the bypass line (9) can be interrupted when the pressure in the second line (7b) is above a threshold value.