Nothing is worse than losing an indispensable file. And we've all been there. Data recovery utilities scan a disk or partition, and recover lost or deleted files and folders. These are the top apps we've tested for the Mac.
Don't Despair, Deleted Files Aren't Gone Forever
Cloud-based storage is no antidote to human error. On more occasions than I care to admit, I've emptied my trash prematurely or saved over the desired version of a file. An ill-timed kernel panic has cost me hours of work on a desktop without Microsoft Word AutoRecover enabled. What I would have done to turn back the clock.
Data recovery utilities purport to do just that. They scan a disk or partition and recover lost or deleted files and folders. In my experience, they're successful more often than not.
So we've collected and tested five of the top data recovery utilities. All but one specialize in recovering lost or deleted files. The curveball is DiskWarrior. While Alosoft's maintenance and repair utility competes directly with applications such as TechTool Pro or Drive Genius, we've chosen to include it in this roundup because you might find, in searching for a particular file or folder, that a desktop suffers from substantive issues with a directory, which can cause partitions and files to disappear.
While we encourage you to explore the reviews linked below, you should also dive into this piece, as it provides a brief introduction to data recovery utilities via background on the recovery process, an explanation of our testing methodology, and context related to the comparison chart. There are many available data recovery utilities that we were unable to test or include in this version of the roundup, but we will update it and add to it with time, and we're working on a separate roundup of PC file recovery tools.
Data Recovery 101
Recovering files isn't as simple as checking under the figurative couch cushions. When a file is deleted from a hard-disk drive (HDD), the operating system wipes its name from the file table, which is something like a hard drive's table of contents. However, just because you've removed a title from the table of contents, doesn't mean the referent isn't in the book. The original file is still available, but the name is no longer associated with it, and a hard disk recognizes that space as free for new data. The file continues to exist until its overwritten.
Data recovery software searches for file tags. Once it finds a signature—and some utilities are equipped with more voluminous indexes of file signatures than others—the application identifies the file type (for example, a jpeg), and tries to recompile that file by rebuilding the file table. The file only exists in a single location, but the file name is stored in two locations at either end of a drive. If the second file table is wiped, a data recovery utility may only retrieve generic file names. In my testing, this was often the case, hence the need for excellent search and filtering tools.
One needn't install a new operating system to overwrite a file. Even browsing the internet can overwrite valuable date (via caching). This explains why many data recovery utilities can run directly from a downloaded disk image—to minimize data disruption.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) pose unique challenges for data recovery utilities. They include a command called TRIM through which a drive constantly reorganizes itself to free up space and to extend its longevity. As a technician at Prosoft explained it, the operating system defragments the drive upon each erasure. When TRIM is enabled (and it will be on a new Mac), each time a file is deleted the drive performs a single pass wipe of that section of the drive. That doesn't necessarily mean users won't be able to recover deleted files, but it greatly diminishes the efficacy of data recovery software. For additional context on TRIM, we recommend this primer.
Our Testing Procedure
We wanted to see how each utility performed recovering files on both a solid-state drive and a hard-disk drive. To that end, we tested utilities using two Macs: an early-2015 MacBook Pro and a late-2014 Mac Mini. Both systems run the same version of macOS Sierra, but the MacBook Pro features a 120GB SSD, whereas the Mac Mini uses a 500GB HDD.
All utilities are also available for Windows except for DiskWarrior. (Alsoft has specialized exclusively in Macintosh maintenance and repair for several decades now.) Currently, the Windows versions of Data Rescue and Disk Drill are less advanced. With Stellar Phoenix, the two versions don't neatly align: they're branded and priced differently. Seagate is the only manufacturer to provide parallel Mac and PC experiences, an asset for blended work environments.
To ensure uniform testing, we deleted the same files on both desktops two weeks prior to testing. In the interest of testing real world usage, we selected six common file types (DOC, XLS, PDF, JPG, MP3, and MP4).
We encourage you to explore each of the reviews; my findings are more nuanced than we can describe in this short space. We will say that all of these utilities were effective for recovering files on the HDD; finding files poses a more acute challenge. To this point, we craved for more advanced filters with which to limit results. It's no coincidence that we were able to find all intentionally deleted files using Disk Drill, which bundles the best filters of the bunch. In sifting through tens of thousands of recovered files—many of which have lost their original names—you need to winnow results.
Additionally, users with desktops or laptops with SSDs should take pause. Data recovery utilities are largely ineffective at recovering files from solid-state drives. The noteworthy exception is DiskWarrior, which performs well on both storage types.
Which File Recovery Tool Is For You?
The table above is by no means comprehensive, we encourage you to read the reviews, which will tease out the ambiguities of these apparently discreet feature sets.
Consider the ability to repair a Mac volume: only two utilities—Disk Drill and DiskWarrior—offer the functionality out of the box. (Stellar Phoenix does as well with an optional upgrade.) While Disk Drill's volume repair is certainly a welcome addition to its core functionality, we've included DiskWarrior in this series because it sets the standard for repairing Mac directories. If your computer is running poorly or booting improperly, DiskWarrior is your choice.
By the same token, if you're only interested in recovering a lost document or spreadsheet, you might not care whether a utility includes or allows you to create a bootable thumb drive. If so, DiskWarrior, Disk Drill, and Data Rescue includes the functionality, but Data Rescue deserves high marks for its recent foray (BootWell).
The ability to retrieve files from a RAID or recover lost partitions may not factor into the purchasing decisions of many users. However, given that macOS supports both Windows (via Boot Camp) and recovery (macOS Recovery) partitions, perhaps you might dwell on the latter, which does draw some points of contrast. While both CleverFiles and Stellar Phoenix promote the ability to recover lost partitions, Alsoft and Seagate accomplish some of the same ends obliquely. While DiskWarrior won't recover partitions, it recovers damaged partition maps, which can make partitions reappear. The Seagate Recovery Suite, meanwhile, finds files on a lost partition, even if it won't recover the partition itself.
Finally, you will notice that we've identified whether manufacturers offer in-house recovery services should a utility fail to retrieve lost files. These services are available, but not included, to Prosoft and Seagate users. Seagate also offers reasonably priced insurance plans (Rescue Plans). While Disk Drill is too small an outfit to support a recovery lab, the enterprise version of their software includes a forensic data export feature.
Once you've got your files back, you'll want to regularly back up your work. Our roundups of the Best External Hard Drives and the Best Cloud Backup Services are good places to start.
Don't Despair, Deleted Files Aren't Gone Forever
Cloud-based storage is no antidote to human error. On more occasions than I care to admit, I've emptied my trash prematurely or saved over the desired version of a file. An ill-timed kernel panic has cost me hours of work on a desktop without Microsoft Word AutoRecover enabled. What I would have done to turn back the clock.
Data recovery utilities purport to do just that. They scan a disk or partition and recover lost or deleted files and folders. In my experience, they're successful more often than not.
So we've collected and tested five of the top data recovery utilities. All but one specialize in recovering lost or deleted files. The curveball is DiskWarrior. While Alosoft's maintenance and repair utility competes directly with applications such as TechTool Pro or Drive Genius, we've chosen to include it in this roundup because you might find, in searching for a particular file or folder, that a desktop suffers from substantive issues with a directory, which can cause partitions and files to disappear.
While we encourage you to explore the reviews linked below, you should also dive into this piece, as it provides a brief introduction to data recovery utilities via background on the recovery process, an explanation of our testing methodology, and context related to the comparison chart. There are many available data recovery utilities that we were unable to test or include in this version of the roundup, but we will update it and add to it with time, and we're working on a separate roundup of PC file recovery tools.
Data Recovery 101
Recovering files isn't as simple as checking under the figurative couch cushions. When a file is deleted from a hard-disk drive (HDD), the operating system wipes its name from the file table, which is something like a hard drive's table of contents. However, just because you've removed a title from the table of contents, doesn't mean the referent isn't in the book. The original file is still available, but the name is no longer associated with it, and a hard disk recognizes that space as free for new data. The file continues to exist until its overwritten.
Data recovery software searches for file tags. Once it finds a signature—and some utilities are equipped with more voluminous indexes of file signatures than others—the application identifies the file type (for example, a jpeg), and tries to recompile that file by rebuilding the file table. The file only exists in a single location, but the file name is stored in two locations at either end of a drive. If the second file table is wiped, a data recovery utility may only retrieve generic file names. In my testing, this was often the case, hence the need for excellent search and filtering tools.
One needn't install a new operating system to overwrite a file. Even browsing the internet can overwrite valuable date (via caching). This explains why many data recovery utilities can run directly from a downloaded disk image—to minimize data disruption.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) pose unique challenges for data recovery utilities. They include a command called TRIM through which a drive constantly reorganizes itself to free up space and to extend its longevity. As a technician at Prosoft explained it, the operating system defragments the drive upon each erasure. When TRIM is enabled (and it will be on a new Mac), each time a file is deleted the drive performs a single pass wipe of that section of the drive. That doesn't necessarily mean users won't be able to recover deleted files, but it greatly diminishes the efficacy of data recovery software. For additional context on TRIM, we recommend this primer.
Our Testing Procedure
We wanted to see how each utility performed recovering files on both a solid-state drive and a hard-disk drive. To that end, we tested utilities using two Macs: an early-2015 MacBook Pro and a late-2014 Mac Mini. Both systems run the same version of macOS Sierra, but the MacBook Pro features a 120GB SSD, whereas the Mac Mini uses a 500GB HDD.
All utilities are also available for Windows except for DiskWarrior. (Alsoft has specialized exclusively in Macintosh maintenance and repair for several decades now.) Currently, the Windows versions of Data Rescue and Disk Drill are less advanced. With Stellar Phoenix, the two versions don't neatly align: they're branded and priced differently. Seagate is the only manufacturer to provide parallel Mac and PC experiences, an asset for blended work environments.
To ensure uniform testing, we deleted the same files on both desktops two weeks prior to testing. In the interest of testing real world usage, we selected six common file types (DOC, XLS, PDF, JPG, MP3, and MP4).
We encourage you to explore each of the reviews; my findings are more nuanced than we can describe in this short space. We will say that all of these utilities were effective for recovering files on the HDD; finding files poses a more acute challenge. To this point, we craved for more advanced filters with which to limit results. It's no coincidence that we were able to find all intentionally deleted files using Disk Drill, which bundles the best filters of the bunch. In sifting through tens of thousands of recovered files—many of which have lost their original names—you need to winnow results.
Additionally, users with desktops or laptops with SSDs should take pause. Data recovery utilities are largely ineffective at recovering files from solid-state drives. The noteworthy exception is DiskWarrior, which performs well on both storage types.
Which File Recovery Tool Is For You?
The table above is by no means comprehensive, we encourage you to read the reviews, which will tease out the ambiguities of these apparently discreet feature sets.
Consider the ability to repair a Mac volume: only two utilities—Disk Drill and DiskWarrior—offer the functionality out of the box. (Stellar Phoenix does as well with an optional upgrade.) While Disk Drill's volume repair is certainly a welcome addition to its core functionality, we've included DiskWarrior in this series because it sets the standard for repairing Mac directories. If your computer is running poorly or booting improperly, DiskWarrior is your choice.
By the same token, if you're only interested in recovering a lost document or spreadsheet, you might not care whether a utility includes or allows you to create a bootable thumb drive. If so, DiskWarrior, Disk Drill, and Data Rescue includes the functionality, but Data Rescue deserves high marks for its recent foray (BootWell).
The ability to retrieve files from a RAID or recover lost partitions may not factor into the purchasing decisions of many users. However, given that macOS supports both Windows (via Boot Camp) and recovery (macOS Recovery) partitions, perhaps you might dwell on the latter, which does draw some points of contrast. While both CleverFiles and Stellar Phoenix promote the ability to recover lost partitions, Alsoft and Seagate accomplish some of the same ends obliquely. While DiskWarrior won't recover partitions, it recovers damaged partition maps, which can make partitions reappear. The Seagate Recovery Suite, meanwhile, finds files on a lost partition, even if it won't recover the partition itself.
Finally, you will notice that we've identified whether manufacturers offer in-house recovery services should a utility fail to retrieve lost files. These services are available, but not included, to Prosoft and Seagate users. Seagate also offers reasonably priced insurance plans (Rescue Plans). While Disk Drill is too small an outfit to support a recovery lab, the enterprise version of their software includes a forensic data export feature.
Once you've got your files back, you'll want to regularly back up your work. Our roundups of the Best External Hard Drives and the Best Cloud Backup Services are good places to start.
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