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In today’s digital age, where everything is saved in our computers, laptops and smartphones, losing important data can be a nightmare. Whether it’s a personal project or an important office file, losing important documents and data can cause immense stress and frustration.
Although, there are many reasons that can cause data loss such as accidental deletion, formatted hard drives, corrupted drives, etc., the good news is that there are various data recovery software available in the market that can help us retrieve the lost data.
Here, in this blog post, we have compiled a list of the 7 Best File Recovery Software for Mac. With these software, you can recover lost or deleted files, music, videos, documents and photos effortlessly.
Video Tutorial:
What is File Recovery Software?
File Recovery Software is a program that helps you retrieve deleted files, documents, music, videos and photos from your storage devices such as computer, laptop, SD cards or USB drives. This software is useful for times when your data gets lost, corrupted or accidentally deleted.
Top 7 Best File Recovery Software for Mac
Top 1: Disk Drill
Disk Drill is one of the most popular and widely used file recovery software for Mac. It’s user friendly interface and features makes it a perfect choice for both beginner and advanced users. Disk Drill can recover almost any type of files, from photos to documents, music and videos.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface.
- Powerful scanning engine to retrieve data from a range of devices and file systems.
- Free version allows for recovery of up to 500 MB of data.
Cons:
- The free version has limited features compared to the paid version.
- It requires permission to access the disk.
Top 2: EaseUS Data Recovery
EaseUS Data Recovery is another popular and effective file recovery software for Mac users. The software can recover different types of files including documents, photos, music and videos from various storage media such as computer hard drives, USB drives and memory cards. It also features a preview option to view the recovered files before saving them.
Pros:
- The interface is user-friendly and intuitive.
- Allows for selective file recovery.
- Preview option available to view recoverable files.
Cons:
- The free version allows for only 2GB of data recovery.
- The scanning process can be slow in some cases.
Top 3: Prosoft Data Rescue 6
Prosoft Data Rescue 6 is a powerful data recovery software that can help you recover lost, deleted, corrupted or damaged files from your Mac hard drive or external storage devices. It can also help recover data from damaged drives or accidentally formatted drives.
Pros:
- Easy to use interface.
- Excellent scanning engine to search for lost data.
- Can recover files from damaged or failing drives.
Cons:
- Expensive compared to other data recovery software.
- The scanning process can be slow in some cases.
Top 4: TestDisk
TestDisk is a powerful and effective open source software that is mainly used for hard drive recovery but it can also be used for other storage devices. It can recover files from damaged partitions, fix bootable disks and even recover lost partitions.
Pros:
- Free and open source.
- Works on a range of file systems including FAT, NTFS, and exFAT.
- Works well on both Mac and Linux.
Cons:
- Not a user-friendly interface for beginners.
- Requires some technical knowledge to operate.
Top 5: PhotoRec
PhotoRec is another open source software that is perfect for recovering lost or damaged photos. It is a free software and can recover files from almost any storage devices such as hard drives, CDs, DVDs and memory cards.
Pros:
- Free and open source.
- Recovers almost every type of file format including video and music files.
- Allows for selective file recovery.
Cons:
- The interface is not user-friendly for beginners.
- It does not allow for preview of recoverable files.
Top 6: Recuva
Recuva is a versatile and powerful data recovery software available for both Windows and Mac users. It can recover files from damaged or formatted drives and also allows for selective file recovery.
Pros:
- User friendly interface.
- Powerful scanning engine.
- Allows for selective file recovery.
Cons:
- The free version of the software has limited features compared to the paid version.
- Cannot recover files from damaged or corrupted disks.
Top 7: Stellar Data Recovery Professional
Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is a powerful software to recover any type of lost data from your Mac computer and external storage devices. It also recovers lost or deleted photos, audio and videos from different types of memory cards.
Pros:
- Intuitive UI and easy to use navigation.
- Powerful scanning and recovery features.
- Easily recover files from corrupted storage devices.
Cons:
- Price is higher than some other recovery software options.
- Lacks some features of other data recovery software programs.
Comprehensive Comparison of Each Software
| Software Name | Free Trial | Price | Ease-of-Use | Value for Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disk Drill | 500MB | $89 for Pro version | Easy to navigate interface | Good value for features offered. |
| EaseUS Data Recovery | 2GB | $89.95 for Pro version | Simple and intuitive interface | Good value for features offered. |
| Prosoft Data Rescue 6 | No free trial | $299.00 | Easy to navigate interface | High price for software |
| TestDisk | Open source | Free | Not user-friendly for beginners | Good value for its file system recovery features |
| PhotoRec | Open source | Free | Not user-friendly for beginners | Good value for its file recovery features |
| Recuva | Free version available | $24.95 for Professional version | Easy to navigate interface | Good value for features offered. |
| Stellar Data Recovery | No free trial | $79.99 for Professional version | Intuitive UI and easy to use navigation | High price for software |
Our Thoughts on the 7 Best File Recovery Software for Mac
After testing the above mentioned file recovery software programs, we recommend Disk Drill and EaseUS Data Recovery as the best options for both beginners and experienced users. Both software options have an easy to use interface, powerful scanning capabilities, and offer good value for their features.
If you are looking for a free and open source option, Test Disk and PhotoRec are great alternatives. They offer many useful features, however, because of their technical and difficult interface, they may not be suitable for beginners.
FAQs
Q1: How does file recovery software work?
A: File recovery software scans your storage device (computer hard drives, USB drives, memory cards) to locate, recover and restore deleted, corrupt or lost files and data. Each software option has its own features, interface and scanning engine.
Q2: How much data can I recover using data recovery software?
A: The amount of data recovery totally depends on the type of software you use. Most software options come with a free trial version with limited features, and will have some type of imposed data recovery limit. However, the paid version of the software usually offers unlimited data recovery.
Q3: Is data recovery software secure?
A: Yes, data recovery software is secure. And you don’t have to worry about the safety of your files in the recovered data. Although it is recommended to not save your recovered files in the same drive you recovered them from.
Q4: Can I recover files from a formatted drive?
A: Yes, with the help of file recovery software, you can even recover files from a formatted drive.
Q5: Are all file recovery software options compatible with Mac?
A: No, not every file recovery software is compatible with Apple Mac computers. It’s important to ensure that the software you select is compatible with your Mac computer or laptop.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, losing important documents, photos or data can cause immense stress and anxiety. However, with the help of the best file recovery software for Mac, the process of recovering lost or corrupted data has been made easier.
In this blog post, we compiled a list of the 7 best File Recovery Software Programs for Mac. Each of these options offered an array of features, limitations and advantages. We hope that this post helped you understand each software program and to choose the right option for your specific needs.