If you accidentally delete an important file and even clear the Bin, you have no choice except searching for a good data recovery software. There are several good data recovery software Mac that can recover files even if you delete them from Bin. These software can also recover files from corrupt disk and can also delete files that you delete a few months ago. I have tested several Mac data recovery apps to see their performance. Based on the experience I had, I am making this list of best data recovery apps for MacOS
Before I talk about data recovery apps, I will recommend you to start using a good cloud storage service for taking backup of your important files. Google Drive and OneDrive are two popular cloud storage service where you also get free limited storage. If you require storage lots of data in cloud, I recommend pcloud.
Best Data Recovery Software for Mac
Check this list of best data recovery software for Mac. These Mac data recovery apps work well and can recover deleted files effectively.
1. Disk Drill
Disk Drill is the best data recovery software for Mac that can recover deleted files from your mac’s internal storage along with external storage added to the MacBook. The latest version of Disk Drill has also been tested with the latest version of macOS. It also supports Macbook powered by Apple T2, M1, and M2 chips. This software supports Deep scan with M2 chips. It also supports hundreds of file formats. So, you can recover most of files you deleted from your system. This software can also scan Time Machine backup to look for deleted files.
It can recover files from storage devices using the HFS/HFS+, APFS, FAT/exFAT, NTFS, EXT3/EXT4 file systems. The software comes with a modular user interface that lets users easily search for delete files. This tool includes several extra tools such as disk health monitor, data backup and recovery utilities, duplicate finder, and others.
Disk Drill can be downloaded for free but that limits recovery. The free version of Disk Drill can only preview files. You need to purchase the pro version to recover files effectively.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great performance Supports most file formats Supports all MacBooks and the latest macOS Cross-platform scan session management Can also recover oils from iOS and Android mobile devices | No option to scan a single folder No option to repair corrupted videos and photos. |
2. Stellar for macOS
Stellar is a powerful data recovery software for macOS. This software can recover deleted photos, files, documents, videos, audio files, and more from your Macbook’s storage. This software can also recover data from a non booting Mac. Stellar also supports data recovery from partition loss and unrecognized drives. The latest version of Stellar data recovery software supports latest macOS and is also compatible with M1, M2 & T2 chip-enabled Macs. It also supports APFS, HFS, HFS+, ex-FAT & NTFS drive
In the free version, you can only recover up to 1GB of data. For recovering all the data, you need to get the license. The company offers 1 year lincese and a lifetime license. You can get any depending on your need.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast and easy to use Good performance Comes with several search tools Can scan formatted drives Can recover from a non booting MacBook | Scanning options are limited Preview limits Recovery speed is very slow. |
3. PhotoRec
By the name, it feels like the app is only for recovering photos but it can also recover other files. PhotoRec for Mac is a good data recovery software for Mac. It can recover deleted files including video, documents and archives from internal storage or attached divers. PhotoRec is an open source tool that is distributed under GNU General Public License. It supports more than 480 file extensions. So, it can recover most files.
There is no need for installation. You can download and run this software. This Mac data recovery software also does’t require lot of PC resources. It also supports RAW disk.
This software is completely free and you can recover an unlimited amount of files. The only issue with this software is that it comes with a Command-line user interface. So, it is not used friendly.
| Pros | Cons |
| Completely free. No installation required. Good performance Raw disk support | Command-line user interface Lack of additional functionality Rarely updated |
4. EaseUS Data Recovery WizXDard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is also an excellent software for Mac that can help you in recovering your lost data on your MacBook. This software can revert photos, videos, music files, documents, emails, and more from HDD, SSD, fusion drive, Time Machine backup drive, sd card, memory card, USB drive, camera and more. This software first scans the disk and shows a list of all the files you can recover. It also offers an option to check the preview before you can revere files. It can also recover data to cloud if you want. You can combine the quick and deep scan to effectively find deleted files for recovery. It supports a wide range of file formats and storage devices.
This software comes with a limited trial version that lets you review up to 2GB of data for free. You can search, filter and preview recoverable files without any issue in the free version. For recovering more data, you can get the premium version.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great scanning speed Detailed scan results Scan and recover at the same time Native M1 support Recovery to the cloud | ETA is often inaccurate Limited support of formats for preview No S.M.A.R.T. for external hard drives and M1 system |
5. DM Disk Editor and Data Recovery
DM Disk Editor os DMDE data recovery software is another excellent software for recovering deleted files on Mac. This software can recover files from a wide variety of disk-based storage systems. The software comes with an old interface that is not easy to understand. You will have to spend a few minutes to understand how this software works. Once you are comfortable with the interface, you can select the disk to scan and wait for the results. This software also supports a large list of file formats to recover. Data recovery performance of this software is also really good. You get a list of files you can recover. Then you select what files you want to recover.
It supports NTFS, FAT12/16, FAT32, exFAT, Ext2/3/4, HFS+/HFSX, ReFS, APFS, and btrfs file systems for data recovery. The software also perform data recovery by file signatures.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good performance Multiple additional free features RAID constructor Large list of support file formats | Outdated user interface. Complicated for normal users |
Wrap Up
There are several other free and paid data recovery software for mac. I will also keep testing other data recovery apps and will surely update this list if I get a worthy data recovery software for adding to this list. I persnally recommend Disk Drill for data recovery. This is an impressive data recovery software for macOS. It can recover most files you deleted. By using these data recovery apps, recovering data from your MacBook becomes easier.
In my opinion, Disk Drill is the best data recover software.
Different data recovery software have different pricing. You can also opt for data recovery services offered by different company. So, you will have check the pricing manually for each software or service provider.
Yes, Disk Drill is completely safe. It can recover your deleted files effectively.
PhotoRec for Mac is safe to use.
