Data loss is something every Mac user fears. Whether you’re a student, creative professional, or enterprise user, losing critical files can cause major disruptions. Fortunately, the evolution of data recovery software for Mac has brought a host of powerful solutions that can retrieve everything from accidentally deleted photos to files lost from a failed SSD or a formatted APFS partition.
But how do you pick the best one? With all the choices available, and each claiming total recovery with little effort, it’s important to know how Mac data recovery software operates, what features to look for, and how to make sure your macOS version and hardware are supported.
This detailed guide has everything you should know before selecting the ideal data recovery tool for your Mac.
Why Mac Users Require Data Recovery Software
MacOS is famous for stability, slim design, and security, but it is not infallible to data loss. Despite having Time Machine and iCloud, there are numerous situations where recovery software is a must.
The following are some typical situations where recovery software is required:
- Accidental file deletion, even from the Trash
- USB drives or external disks formatting without backup
- Damaged or unreadable drives (APFS and HFS+ volumes included)
- Partition table corruption or accidental erasure of a partition
- macOS crashes or fails system update
- Protection from malware infections (rare on a Mac, but not unheard of)
- Drive hardware failure, particularly on older HDDs and SSDs
In each case, data recovery software provides the hope of recovering deleted content, even if macOS proclaims otherwise.
Important Qualities of Mac Data Recovery Software
Not all recovery tools are created equal. Some are basic undelete programs, while others offer full forensic-level recovery. Here are the top features to prioritize:
- macOS File System Support: Ensure the software supports your drive’s file system, especially APFS (Apple File System), which is the default for most Macs after macOS High Sierra. HFS+, FAT, and exFAT support are also important.
- Deep Scan Ability: Deep scan goes beyond the file table, looking for file pieces in the drive. It is slower but more powerful with extreme data loss.
- Preview Prior to Recovery: A preview facility allows you to view recoverable items (pics, videos, docs) before paying or recovering—necessary to check for success.
- Support for External Drive and SD Card: The utility must be able to recover from not only internal drives but also from external HDDs, SSDs, USBs, SD cards, and even digital cameras.
- Bootable Recovery Media: If your Mac will not boot, having the option to create a bootable USB recovery disk allows you to get into and recover data from a failed system.
- File Type Filters: This functionality is time-saving by limiting results to particular file types—images, PDFs, emails, etc., rather than searching the entire drive for everything.
- Encrypted Drive Recovery: Numerous Mac users encrypt their disks using FileVault. Your recovery tool should be able to access and restore data from these password-protected APFS volumes.
- Apple Silicon Compatibility: With the advent of M1, M2, and now M3 chips, it’s crucial to have a tool that is compatible with ARM-based Macs and runs on the newest macOS Sonoma or whatever you have installed.
List of 10 Best Data Recovery Software For Mac
1. Disk Drill for Mac (by CleverFiles)
Disk Drill by CleverFiles is generally acknowledged as one of the most comprehensive and easiest-to-use data recovery software available for macOS. Its popularity lies in its capacity to recover more than 400 file formats, from documents and emails to multimedia files, without compromising on a simple, easy-to-use interface. Regardless of whether data loss was the result of accidental deletion, formatting, disk corruption, or partition loss, Disk Drill makes it easy to restore the data in no time.
The program provides Quick Scan and Deep Scan modes, enabling users to select the suitable option based on the severity or recency of the data loss. Its most highly-recommended feature is Recovery Vault, which actively tracks files and metadata that have been deleted so you can restore them more precisely later. The Guaranteed Recovery feature also acts as a safety net for the deletion of files from particular folders.
Disk Drill is compatible with a variety of file systems such as HFS+, APFS, FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS, and can therefore be used on a variety of storage media, including internal Mac storage, external USB drives, SD cards, and even Android and iOS devices. With more utilities such as disk health monitoring and a duplicate file finder, Disk Drill is not only recovery software—it’s a complete disk maintenance suite.
Key Features:
- Recovery Vault
- Guaranteed Recovery
- Deep and fast scan modes
- 400+ file formats supported
- Partition recovery
- File preview
- macOS Sonoma support
Price:
- The free version: recovery of up to 500 MB
- Pro version:$89 (one-time purchase).
2. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac
Stellar is a powerfull Data Recovery Software For Mac is a professional-level data recovery tool that provides robust features designed for both individuals and IT professionals. It can recover deleted or lost data like documents, photos, emails, videos, and others from Mac-based storage media such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards.
What differentiates Stellar is its capacity to recover data from encrypted and formatted APFS and HFS+ drives and from crashed or non-bootable Macs with a bootable recovery drive. Its UI is clean and wizard-driven, allowing users to easily begin scans, preview files, and retrieve only what they require.
The software offers both standard scan and deep scan options to ensure maximum retrieval of lost data. The preview function also lets users see which files are recoverable before initiating the recovery process. Whether you’ve lost data due to macOS corruption, accidental deletion, virus attacks, or disk formatting, Stellar is engineered to bring it back.
Key Features:
- Encrypted/bootable drive recovery
- APFS/HFS+/exFAT support
- Bootable recovery drive
- Preview function
- RAW recovery, simple UI.
Price:
- Free version: recovers a maximum of 1 GB
- Paid subscription begins: $69.99/year.
3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an intuitive, extremely powerful tool engineered to recover deleted or lost data on Mac computers. With its sleek interface and simple workflow, it’s an excellent option for users who need a dependable recovery tool with a minimal learning curve.
The software allows for recovery of files, audio, video, images, archives, and even Time Machine backup files. It also recovers from APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT file systems. EaseUS comes with Quick Scan for recent losses and Deep Scan for more advanced recoveries, like those of formatted drives or lost partitions.
Yet another highlight feature of this software is its capacity for file recovery from crashed or corrupted Macs, including those with Apple’s T2 or M1 security chips. It has targeted scanning, which enables users to scan specific folders or sectors of drives for quicker results.
Main Features:
- Quick and deep scan modes
- Recovery of Time Machine backups
- File preview
- Support for encrypted drives
- optimized for Apple Silicon.
Price:
- Free edition: recovers data up to 2 GB
- Pro edition:$89.95/year.
4. Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac
4DDiG from Tenorshare is a cutting-edge data recovery tool that is designed for high speed and flexibility. It supports recovering over 1000 types of files, such as pictures, videos, emails, audio, documents, and more. It can recover files from Mac system disks, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, external hard drives, and even unmountable or unreadable volumes.
Among 4DDiG’s strongest functionalities is its support for the newest macOS versions such as macOS Sonoma, and compatibility with Apple Silicon chips (M1/M2). It has a wise and swift scanning engine and categorized results to facilitate easy file identification and recovery. It also features a crash recovery module, which allows recovery from non-booting systems through a bootable USB.
The program is particularly useful for photographers and creators, as it provides great performance in restoring high-quality media files that tend to be large or corrupt in nature.
Chief Features:
- Recovery of unmountable drives
- 1000+ file support
- Preview and filtering ability
- Crash recovery
- Support for Apple Silicon.
Cost:
- Monthly subscription:$55.95
- Annual:$69.95/year
- Lifetime:$119.95.
Suggested Read: Antivirus Software for Laptops (PC + Mac)
5. Wondershare Recoverit for Mac
Recoverit by Wondershare is among the most powerful data recovery software for Mac users seeking a trusted, efficient, and visually appealing experience. Both beginners and experts can rely on Recoverit, which recovers more than 1000 different file types and can restore from situations like accidental deletion, corrupted drives, virus invasion, and system failure.
One of the strengths of Recoverit is its Advanced Video Recovery, which not only restores deleted video files but also fixes corrupted video data—a feature that is not common in other data recovery software. The software’s ability to support bootable media is ideal for non-booting Macs, preventing users from losing valuable data.
It also handles external drives, SSDs, memory cards, and camcorders. With a preview window, real-time scanning visualization, and clearly categorized files, Recoverit has a very professional recovery experience.
Key Features:
- Powerful video recovery and repair
- Support for over 1000 file formats
- Bootable USB for Mac crash
- User-friendly UI
- Real-time scanning.
Price:
- Free trial for preview
- Standard plan: $69.99/year.
6. Data Rescue 6 for Mac (by Prosoft Engineering)
Data Rescue 6 is a professional-grade data recovery software created by Prosoft Engineering. It is specifically made for technology-savvy individuals, system administrators, and data recovery professionals who require complete control over their recovery procedures.
The software adds FileIQ, a smart learning module that is trainable to identify custom file types, which is particularly valuable for specialized applications or corporate file types. It further has cloning capabilities that enable users to back up deteriorating drives prior to recovery.
A comprehensive analysis of physically damaged or formatted disks is possible with Data Rescue. Although the interface is not as flashy as the competition, its capabilities are unmatched for serious recovery tasks. It’s priced so users can preview recoverable data and only pay for what they use, or purchase an unlimited-use license.
Most important features:
- FileIQ smart engine
- Disk cloning
- pay-per-recovery model
- Adjustable scanning
- Failed drive support.
Price:
- Free preview
- Pay-per-file recovery
- Unlimited Pro license: $399.
7. Ontrack EasyRecovery for Mac
Ontrack EasyRecovery is a proven, scalable data recovery software offering customized solutions for home users, IT pros, and enterprise environments. It provides complete recovery from formatted drives, virus-affected partitions, and even RAID arrays.
EasyRecovery supports both standard and niche file types and allows users to search for missing files in certain folders. Its RAID recovery feature distinguishes it from most consumer-grade tools, and it is an ideal choice for companies with multi-disk storage configurations.
The tool also features optical media (CD/DVD) recovery support, and its graphical interface features live progress reporting, a file filtering mechanism, and data previews prior to complete recovery.
Key Features:
- RAID recovery
- Support for optical media
- Enhanced filtering
- APFS/HFS+/FAT/NTFS compatibility
- Extensible for enterprise deployment.
Price:
- Home version:$79/year
- Technician and Toolkit versions are offered for higher-end users.
8. PhotoRec (with TestDisk)
The free, open-source file recovery tool PhotoRec, which comes with TestDisk, offers surprisingly good results for a completely free solution.PhotoRec isn’t restricted to photos by name, however, it can restore over 480 file extensions from many file types and systems.
The main drawback is that PhotoRec uses a command line, which non-techies may find frightening. But its recovery engine is one of the most complete and editable, able to dig deep into cracked drives and raw partitions to pull out recoverable data. It’s particularly handy when commercial utilities give up.
PhotoRec is compatible with nearly every major OS and supports recovery from internal drives, external media, and memory cards. It’s also frequently updated and has strong community support.
Key Features:
- Supports over 480 file extensions
- Raw disk recovery
- Cross-platform compatibility
- Highly customizable scans.
Price:
- Free and open-source (donation-supported).
9. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac
iBoysoft Data Recovery is designed with Mac users, particularly those on recent macOS versions and Apple Silicon chips, in mind. It offers a lightweight, high-speed solution for recovering files from erased, formatted, or damaged APFS and HFS+ drives. It also supports encrypted volumes and unmountable disks, something that many simple tools are incapable of dealing with.
iBoysoft has smart scanning algorithms that detect deleted files with high accuracy and support real-time filtering according to file types. Its compatibility with T2, M1, and M2 chips guarantees that it works perfectly even on the most recent Apple devices, such as MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and iMac.
Key Features:
- Encrypted APFS drive recovery
- T2/M1/M2 chip supports
- Access to unmounted drives
- File filtering and preview.
Price:
- Free trial with limited recovery
- Full version: $89.95/year.
10. Remo Recover Mac
Remo Recover is a simple but effective Mac data recovery software that can restore deleted files from various data loss scenarios. If your files were deleted, lost due to formatting, or hit by corruption, Remo offers a seamless, three-step recovery process: select, scan, and recover.
It has support for many file systems such as APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT. Remo also provides support for recovery of Time Machine backup, so it is perfect for users who are dependent on the native backup of macOS. Its intelligent scan engine searches deep within storage drives to recover everything ranging from small text documents to massive multimedia content.
Key Features:
- Three-click recovery
- Volume and partition recovery
- Time Machine supports a Rapid scan engine
- Support for major file systems.
Price:
- Single-user license: $69.97
When Not to Use Recovery Software
Although recovery software is strong, it is not a solution in all situations. You should not use software recovery when:
- Your drive is grinding or clicking (indications of physical damage)
- The drive is not showing up at all in Disk Utility or Finder
- You’ve already replaced the erased data with new information
- The system has been encrypted and cannot be accessed without credentials
In those circumstances, the best course of action is to contact a professional data recovery laboratory, which utilizes hardware-based tools in dust-free conditions to restore data from physically corrupted disks.
Who Should Use Mac Data Recovery Software?
- Students and Freelancers: You deleted an important thesis, design document, or client project by mistake? A good data recovery application can be your hero, no technical expertise required.
- Creative Professionals: Digital photographers and videographers tend to have large media files stored on external drives or SD cards. Forged tools can salvage and repair damaged media files, such as RAW images and 4K video.
- IT Staff and Sysadmins: High-end recovery software with RAID capabilities, disk cloning, and partition reconstruction is crucial in an office setup where system crashes or disk formatting may result in significant delays.
- Regular Users: Even casual users benefit from having a go-to recovery tool, especially if Time Machine isn’t configured or your iCloud storage is full.
Conclusion
Data loss is frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be irreparable. Using the proper data recovery software for Mac, you can restore anything from lost photos to entire drives ravaged by corruption or formatting issues. Whether you seek something easy and gratis or a professional tool with expert scanning and video repair, there’s one that suits your requirements.
Before you decide, think about the file systems you have (APFS, HFS+, etc.), the nature of the files you are recovering, your version of macOS, and whether your Mac has a T2 or M1/M2 chip. Consider, too, whether you’re recovering from an internal drive or external device, since some tools are geared for one or the other.
Take your time when considering software, always use the trial edition to view files in advance, and make sure you’re not installing anything on the infected drive. In 2025, your prospects of retrieving lost files have never looked brighter if you make the right choices.
FAQs
Q1. What is the best data recovery software for Mac?
Some of the top-rated options include Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and Recoverit. These tools offer deep scan capabilities, macOS compatibility, and support for APFS and HFS+ file systems.
Q2. Can I recover files from a formatted Mac drive?
Yes, many tools like Disk Drill and Stellar can recover data from formatted APFS or HFS+ drives using deep scan algorithms that locate raw file signatures.
Q3. Is data recovery software safe to use on a Mac?
Yes. Reputable recovery tools are read-only, meaning they don’t modify your original drive. Just avoid saving recovered files to the same disk you’re scanning.
Q4. Does macOS have built-in data recovery?
macOS includes Time Machine, but it only works if backups are enabled. For deleted or lost files without backup, third-party software is required.
Q5. Can these tools recover files from an external drive or USB?
Yes. Most Mac recovery software supports external devices like USB drives, SD cards, SSDs, and even camera memory cards.
