When it comes to recovering lost files on a Mac, there are different processes involved compared to when you’re using a Windows PC. Specifically, the use of APFS as a file system, combined with FileVault’s full-disk encryption, plus Apple’s integration of soldered storage into their new designs, all affect what is possible. There are many tools out there that can effectively recover deleted files from a Mac that is operational enough to boot, and the good tools are genuinely capable. So prior to getting started with the process of attempting to recover lost files, understanding the specific limits associated with a Mac, and where software simply cannot reach, will help guide you appropriately.
If you’ve deleted or lost files on a functional Mac, you’ll be able to get those files back through third party tools like Disk Drill, EaseUS or Data Rescue. However, there are Mac specific issues related to FileVault, APFS, and the soldered storage that no external tool will ever be able to access.
Prior to selecting a recovery application for your Mac, you must consider three distinct realities unique to Mac systems. First and foremost, FileVault. In the event that you have enabled full disk encryption on your Mac (which is often done by default) then no third-party software will be able to recover any of your lost files unless you provide your password or recovery key, since the data is stored encrypted on your computer. Secondly, APFS (Apple’s new file system) is more complex than the old HFS+ file system and not all third-party recovery tools support APFS equally, therefore seek out tools specifically designed to handle APFS. Thirdly and most critically for your ability to use a third-party recovery application, soldered storage. Since newer models of Mac computers utilise Apple Silicon or the T2 chip, the storage is physically soldered directly onto the logic board and thus if your Mac is unable to boot up, there is no physical drive to disconnect from your failing machine and connect to another machine in order to perform the necessary operations, and this is not a limitation imposed by software but rather an industry wide hardware limitation.
The popular applications to retrieve data from a functional Mac that still boots and a non-encrypted drive (or one that you can unlock) are Disk Drill, which offers a user-friendly interface and includes a complimentary full-scan preview allowing you to see whether your data may be retrieved before purchasing the software; EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, a general-purpose tool for retrieving lost data; and Data Rescue, a long-established, Mac-focused retrieval application. All three applications allow users to recover deleted files, files from an emptied Trash and/or files from a formatted volume on a healthy drive, in addition to allowing users to preview recoverable files prior to actually recovering them. While the biggest differences amongst these three applications are the interface design and cost of the application, rather than raw recovery ability, our honest look at Disk Drill provides information about its free versus paid aspect.
For those who do not wish to pay money for retrieval software, there exists PhotoRec (included with TestDisk), which is completely free and open source, but surprisingly powerful: PhotoRec identifies recoverable files on your drive by searching for the unique signature of each file. The drawback of using PhotoRec, however, is that it does not offer the polished user experience of paid software, as PhotoRec is simply a command-line based application. In addition, PhotoRec provides recoverable files without providing the name of the file or the folder path of the file. Therefore, once you use PhotoRec to extract recoverable files, you will need to determine the correct location of the extracted files. PhotoRec is a viable free option for performing a “retrieve my photos” task on a functioning Mac when you are comfortable with the no-frills application and export all files to an external device.
Sometimes there is simply no solution from an application. If the Mac won’t boot and its storage is permanently installed (soldered), then there’s nothing to move to a different device. If the drive is removable and has physically failed, then you’ll need to recover this on the bench (read-only) and not through scanning. Finally, when FileVault encryption is active and you’ve lost the key, the data is encrypted and thus unrecoverable. If a Mac has a removable drive that’s failed, we recover the data off the drive on the bench (reading only); and we’re being completely honest here: soldered-storage Macs where the computer itself is dead are beyond what anyone could ever recover. A free diagnostic will clearly identify which one of those categories you’re in.
All three applications mentioned above (Disk Drill, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard & Data Rescue) can recover files from a Mac that still boots and isn’t encrypted. In addition, all three allow you to see a preview of your files prior to purchasing. If you don’t mind working at the command line interface, PhotoRec is a powerful (free) tool. Which program would work best for you will largely be based on cost and/or user preference as each offers similar recovery functions.
Yes, but only if you know the correct password or recovery key. Once FileVault locks down a disk, recovery software doesn’t see the actual contents of the disk because everything stored on it is just scrambled. Once you enter the correct password or recovery key that unlocks the disk, then recovery can proceed; once you lose both the password and the recovery key however, your data is locked up tighter than Fort Knox, beyond the reach of software and everyone else.
Whether you can recover the data from your Mac’s hard drive depends on whether your Mac has a removable hard drive or whether the storage is soldered directly to the motherboard (like most newer Macs). Older Macs with removable hard drives can be recovered on our lab bench. Most newer Macs with either a T2 chip or Apple Silicon M chips cannot. In these cases, because the storage is soldered onto the logic board, there is nothing to pull out of your dead Mac. So unfortunately, data loss due to a dead Mac is generally unrecoverable. Unfortunately, this is just how things are today across the industry: there is no magic way to make software “see” a drive that is no longer readable by the computer.
Yes, although, it’s worth noting that PhotoRec (which comes with TestDisk), is a free, open-source, command-line based file carver and does not attempt to restore a file system. This means that once a file is restored using PhotoRec, it will have no folder structure or original name. It does however, allow for recoverable files to be extracted from a drive. As a no-frills solution, PhotoRec is a great free option for recovering files from a functional Mac, as long as you don’t care about restoring your file structure.
Anytime you’re dealing with situations where the Mac won’t start up and its storage is soldered, the removable drive inside of your Mac has physically failed, or you’ve lost files that are irreplaceable and only have one chance to recover them, then software solutions will not help. In each of these situations, the issue requires hands-on bench recovery, and an initial free diagnostic will clearly identify which scenario you’re facing.
If you believe that your Mac is dead and/or its hard drive has died, please provide us with some basic information regarding your Mac (the model) and what led to your data loss. We’ll then be happy to perform a free diagnostic and an honest assessment of what data is likely recoverable, and give you a fixed price quote prior to beginning any work.