What will fix your Mac (will not turn on, freezing with a question-mark folder, dead hard drive, missing files) depends entirely upon how the storage was configured. We can recover your data in-house (including APFS, HFS+, FileVault & Fusion volumes), wherever the drive comes out of the Mac, and on Fusion setups. Where the flash memory is soldered onto the logic board, outside of our access, then we’ll let you know clearly; and for what we cannot recover from the memory, you will not be billed. That’s honest MacBook data recovery: £300 + VAT for a Mac where the drive comes out; £550 flat for a Fusion Drive setup; and a direct answer as to whether there is anything we can do if the storage is soldered beyond our reach.
Once you find that your Mac won’t boot, or your Mac gets stuck while booting up with a question-mark folder or Disk Utility gives you the option to format/repair the disk, stop. Running First Aid on the disk, wiping it or installing a fresh macOS over the top could potentially delete the very files we’re attempting to recover. Don’t reset your Mac; if it’s a soldered machine, don’t keep restarting it over-and-over again. Turn it off immediately and call us. Also, if you happen to have a FileVault recovery key, please hold onto it!
These are some of the common Mac and MacBook problems we see most often: boot-up/file system troubles, dropped/failed drives, Fusion Drive failure, FileVault volume storage and storage that’s been soldered in. Below is a list of the items listed above, ranging from a corrupted directory to a physical failure of the storage unit under your files.
All models (MacBook, MacBook Air and Pro, iMac and iMac Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro), regardless if made with Apple Silicon chips or Intel processors, can be evaluated for recovery based upon their storage configuration (removable drive, Fusion pair, or flash soldered directly onto the board).
From 2018 on (T2 and Apple Silicon, M1 to M4), the flash sits soldered to the board and locked to the Secure Enclave — with no chip to lift out, we’d rather be honest when it’s beyond reach than promise what can’t be done.
Send the drive by post or bring it in for a complimentary diagnostic evaluation; please include a brief summary of what occurred with the Mac. An engineer will evaluate it and provide a detailed quote in writing before attempting to recover your data.
Provide the model and year of your Mac along with some background information regarding what happened (will not boot, lost files due to accidental deletion, etc.) and an engineer will perform a diagnostic evaluation and submit a quote to you in writing. This process typically takes less than 48 hours.
We utilise dedicated hardware to create a non-invasive (read-only), exact replica of your original drive to avoid damaging the original. We do not apply additional stress to a drive that is already failing.
If FileVault is enabled and you have knowledge of the password or recovery key, we will first unlock the volume; subsequently, we will rebuild the APFS/HFS+/Fusion structure of your original volume utilising this read-only replica.
As many files and folders as possible are returned to you in their original form. In cases where the original file/folder structure was damaged during the failure event, we employ signature-based methods to extract documents, photos, and videos from the read-only image.
Before returning your recovered files to you, we ensure that each item opens correctly and that the overall directory structure has been preserved.
After verifying your data’s integrity, your recovered files/data are delivered to you on a clean drive or through secure download for projects up to 75GB.
First you send us your hardware or drop it off. We will then do a diagnostic on your device. After the diagnostic is complete, we will provide you with a quote. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch very soon. If it can’t wait, call 01483 901310.
There’s one flat rate for recovering one Mac drive. This is always after a free diagnosis, and after we have given you a written quote before any work is done on your device.
Some recent Mac & MacBook jobs include: boot failures, dead drives, Fusion Drives and liquid damage. We’ve intentionally left identifying information about these jobs blank; each result has been verified. If you’re interested in reading full writeups about these jobs, please see: an iMac stuck after a macOS update, an iMac Fusion Drive rebuilt from both halves and a MacBook Pro with a soldered SSD, and why we said no.
The file system on the drive was failing. We removed the SSD, created a read-only copy of the drive, then rebuilt the file system so as to recover the user’s data.
The hard disk portion of the Fusion Drive had failed completely. We made separate images of each side of the drive separately, then rebuilt the Fusion volume which contained the user’s data.
Although the logic board had failed, we still were able to remove the SSD, create an image of the SSD, and recover all of the user’s data from it.
The head on the hard drive had failed and was unable to access the drive. We replaced the bad heads with donor heads, created an image of the drive and were able to retrieve the user’s data.
No data had been written over at this point, therefore we were able to make an image of the entire drive and carve out the erased files from within it.
The physical drive itself was good and readable. We made an image of the drive and retrieved the user’s deleted folders from within their emptied Trash.
When shipping in your drive for the free diagnosis, please include a short message detailing your Mac model, as well as what’s failing. The engineer will take a look at it, determine the cost of recovery, and provide a written quote prior to performing any work.
Once you’ve shipped your drive to us (the removable drive itself, or both parts of a Fusion Drive), the data recovery process will begin. When posting your drive(s) be sure to package them securely, include your contact information and after we’ve completed our complimentary diagnostic process, we’ll give you a confirmed written quote prior to beginning any work.
Sending it by post? We’d recommend a tracked, insured service. Dropping it in? No problem: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Please package the device as described above first.
Do you need a scoped quote first? If so simply fill out the form detailing your Mac model and what’s failing. An engineer will review it and respond with a customised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
Frequently asked questions about recovering data from your Mac:
Generally yes, if the drive lifts out or it is a Fusion Drive. Most of the time when a Mac won’t boot there are software or file system problems, not lost data. We image the drive read-only then rebuild the APFS, HFS+, or Fusion volume to get your files back.
Board-level recovery of soldered T2 or Apple Silicon storage is something we don’t do: on Macs from 2018 onwards the flash memory has been soldered to the logic board and locked into the Secure Enclave so there is no chip that can be removed and read. However if the Mac still powers on, and you know the password for the account, logical recovery may possibly be available; older Mac models have removable drives which are normally recoverable. Regardless of the case, we will be honest with you and there will never be a charge if we can’t reach it.
Often, yes. The majority of the time when a user receives a “disk not readable” error, it is usually because there is some type of corruption within either an APFS or HFS+ file system. Since this is typically not related to a failure of the hard disk itself, we will create a read-only bit for bit image of the drive, which allows us to rebuild the file system from that image, allowing your recovered files to be saved.
Typically yes, however, the sooner you contact us the better. When you empty the Trash on a Macintosh computer, you are clearing the reference to where the file exists in the file system and not actually deleting the physical data associated with that file. As such, please do not continue to use your computer until we can image the drive, and then we can recover those deleted files based upon the image of the drive.
Each job starts as a no-charge diagnostic followed by a written quote. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. Our pricing for recovering data from a single drive is a flat £300 + VAT. If you have a Fusion Drive (which consists of two separate drives that create one volume), our price for recovering data from a Fusion Drive is a flat £550 + VAT.
Generally speaking, yes. There is a 50% down payment required before we will perform any type of mechanical work. Therefore, if we are not able to recover your data from your failed drive, you will only pay half of our service fee. Also, should we attempt to access data from storage that has been soldered onto the motherboard of your computer and determine that we are unable to access the storage area, we will charge you nothing for attempting to recover your data.
All of them (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro), on both Intel and Apple Silicon. Removable drives and Fusion Drives we recover directly. For storage that is soldered onto the motherboard, we assess the device and give you an honest assessment of what can be done to recover your data.
Yes, provided you have the password or recovery key. FileVault encrypts the entire volume, so the password or recovery key is what unlocks it. With it in hand, we image the drive, unlock the volume and rebuild the APFS structure to recover your data.
Stop using the device and do not put it on charge. If the MacBook has a removable drive, that drive is usually fine even if the main board is not, so we remove the drive, image it and recover your data. The sooner you get the device to us, the better, as corrosion only worsens over time.
Our recovery times are typically three to five working days. Work needing a little extra time (failed hard drives or Fusion Drives) will require about three to four working days mechanically.
If you have a removable drive, take it out and simply post the drive to our Guildford address. If you have a Fusion Drive, please send both the SSD and the HDD, clearly labelled. Alternatively, you can drop off the Mac Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and we’ll take care of extracting the drive.
A complimentary diagnosis, a flat £300 + VAT per Mac, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. We recover MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Pros, with a straight answer whichever way it goes. Begin your data recovery today.