Best Mac data recovery software in 2025
Mac data recovery software isn’t the first thing Mac users think of, since these machines are known to be stable and reliable. However, the right software prevents accidental deletions, system crashes, and corrupted drives – all of which are too common nowadays.
Mac data recovery tools restore data from hard drives, SSDs, and USB drives. They save time, effort, and money, especially when facing these stressful issues.
The Cybernews research team and I reviewed the top Mac data recovery software available in 2025. Below, I present the best Mac file recovery software, from EaseUS to Disk Drill and Stellar.
Best Mac data recovery software – shortlist
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac – best for data recovery with powerful advanced scanning options
- Disk Drill – best for all-in-one data recovery and additional disk management features
- Stellar Data Recovery – best for versatile recovery across multiple devices with support for RAID and virtual disks
- SetApp – best for bundled Mac app subscriptions, including file recovery
- Wondershare Recoverit – best for high recovery success rates and support for over 1,000 file types and formats
The best Mac data recovery software compared
Below, you’ll find a quick side-by-side comparison of our top five best data recovery software for Mac. I’ve included what each one is best for, the pricing structure, and some key features. Take a look.
| Software | Best for | Pricing | Key features |
| EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac | General users and professionals needing versatile recovery across multiple devices | Starts at $89.95 (one-time), free trial available | Recovers 1,000 file types from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, raw partitions, and RAID, Cloud integration, BitLocker recovery, 1:1 remote assistance |
| Disk Drill | Users needing both recovery and disk management tools | Starts at $89 (one-time), free trial available | Recovers 400+ file formats, RAID recovery, recovery chances prediction, binary signature-based recovery, cross-platform support |
| Stellar Data Recovery | Home users and IT professionals needing RAID, Linux, and media repair | Starts at $84.99/year, free trial available | Recovers from formatted, encrypted, and RAID drives, Linux file system support, photo/video repair; disk health monitoring |
| SetApp | Mac users wanting recovery plus an extensive app toolkit | Starts at $8.99/month, free trial available | Access to Disk Drill Pro and 240+ other apps, unlimited file recovery, disk and space management tools, automatic updates |
| Wondershare Recoverit | Users needing high recovery rates with advanced photo/video recovery | Starts at $47.99/month, free version available | NAS and Linux recovery, 4K/8K video recovery with fragment merging, bootable recovery for crashed systems |
5 best Mac data recovery software – our detailed list
Below, you’ll find a detailed list comprising our top five Mac data recovery software. For each provider, I focused on key features, pricing, and use cases. I also included my overview and the pros and cons of each tool.
1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac – best overall Mac data recovery software
| Best for: | Dependable data recovery with advanced scanning features |
| Standout feature: | Dual scanning modes for more thorough file recovery |
| Pricing: | From $89.95, free trial available |
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a popular data recovery tool that brings back lost or deleted files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards. It supports over 1,000 file formats including documents, videos, photos, and emails, making it a dependable solution for both personal and professional use.
EaseUS’s software serves millions of customers globally in multiple languages. It also offers a partition manager and backup software for both Mac and Windows. This is why it is at the top of our best recovery software for Mac list.
Overview
The software has dual scanning modes for recovery, a Quick Scan for recently deleted files, and a Deep Scan for locating deeply buried or corrupted data. This tool supports all major macOS versions, from macOS 15 Sequoia down to OS X 10.9. It also supports file systems including APFS, HFS+, exFAT, and NTFS.
Beyond standard file recovery, EaseUS can restore data from raw partitions, RAID arrays (RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10), and BitLocker-encrypted drives. Also, its built-in integrity checker previews files before recovery to minimize the risk of retrieving corrupted data. The tool also integrates with EaseUS Todo Backup.
EaseUS offers several plans. The Free version recovers up to 2GB of data with basic search and preview. The Pro plan is available in three payment options: One Month ($89.95), One Year ($119.95), and Lifetime with free upgrades ($169.95). All Pro plans support unlimited data recovery, including Time Machine and iTunes backups.
For professionals, the Technician plan ($299 one-time) extends these features across multiple devices and adds client services. Additionally, students and educators receive a 40% discount on all individual plans.
2. Disk Drill – best all-in-one Mac data recovery software
| Best for: | Forensic data recovery with built-in disk management tools |
| Standout feature: | Recovery chances prediction for more efficient results |
| Pricing: | From $89, free trial available |
Disk Drill, developed by CleverFiles, is a solid data recovery tool for Mac. The company specializes in data recovery, and Disk Drill has been installed over 10 million times worldwide.
It can restore lost or deleted files from storage types like SSDs, USBs, and SD cards. It supports over 400 file formats, including documents, videos, photos, and music. Additionally, it has useful disk management features like S.M.A.R.T monitoring and disk cleanup tools.
Overview
Disk Drill offers a pleasant interface for macOS. It supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, and M4 devices). Its dual scanning modes – Quick Scan for recently deleted files and Deep Scan for more complex recoveries – work across file systems including APFS, HFS+, exFAT, and NTFS.
Its Recovery Chances Prediction is impressive – estimating the probability of recovering each file before the process starts, with support for RAID configurations and virtual disks like VHD, VHDX, and VMDK. Combined with S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring, this limits future data loss.
The software also supports cross-platform scans – for continuing scans started on macOS from a Windows PC. Also, there’s binary signature recognition to reconstruct fragmented files and restore lost partitions.
Disk Drill comes in three tiers. The Free version has basic scanning and file previews to check recoverability. The Pro plan ($89 one-time) adds unlimited data recovery with up to three activations. The Enterprise plan ($499 one-time) supports unlimited devices, multi-user access, and forensic data exports.
3. Stellar Data Recovery – best Mac data recovery software for advanced data recovery
| Best for: | Data recovery with RAID, virtual machine, and file repair |
| Standout feature: | World’s first built-in photo and video repair tools |
| Pricing: | From $84.99/year, free trial available |
Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a capable data recovery tool that can retrieve lost or deleted files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and virtual machines. It supports over 1,000 file types, including documents, photos, videos, and emails. Stellar has over 30 years of experience and millions of global users.
Overview
Stellar Data Recovery recovers files from a broad range of devices like MacBooks, iMacs, Time Machine backups, RAID arrays, and Linux-formatted drives. It supports APFS, HFS+, NTFS, and exFAT file systems, with full compatibility for M1, M2, M3, and M4-powered Macs running macOS Sequoia 15.
Its RAID recovery capabilities can restore data from virtual machine drives (VMDK, VDI, VHD, and VHDX) and Linux-formatted storage devices. Plus, photo and video repair tools restore corrupted media files to their original quality – an industry-first feature. You also get disk imaging to recover data in a non-destructive way from drives with bad sectors.
The Stellar Mac hard drive recovery software is available in four tiers with one-year or lifetime licenses. The Standard plan ($84.99/year) recovers unlimited data from formatted or encrypted drives. The Professional tier ($99/year) adds partition recovery, non-booting Mac recovery, and drive health monitoring. The Premium plan ($109/year) includes photo and video repair tools.
Finally, the Technician version ($199) serves as the business tier, with unlimited recovery, Linux file system support, and disk cloning.
4. SetApp – best for bundled Mac app subscriptions
| Best for: | Accessing data recovery and maintenance data in a single subscription |
| Standout feature: | Unlimited Disk Drill Pro access with 240+ other Mac apps |
| Pricing: | From $8.99/month, free trial available |
SetApp is a different solution for Mac recovery. It’s a subscription-based platform that gives you access to over 240 premium Mac apps including Disk Drill Pro for data recovery. Rather than purchasing multiple apps individually, you get them all under one affordable subscription.
Overview
SetApp offers unlimited access to Disk Drill Pro (costing $89 on its own), so you can recover lost or deleted files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. It supports 400+ file formats and includes advanced tools like Recovery Chances Prediction, binary signature-based recovery, and partition reconstruction.
SetApp includes apps for file management, system maintenance, productivity, and even network troubleshooting. Installation is simple, and all apps receive automatic updates without additional costs. MacBook data recovery becomes a breeze with this service.
SetApp's pricing starts at $8.99/month for a single Mac. The Mac + iOS plan costs $11.24/month (for 1 Mac and 4 iOS devices), while you can get 4 Mac + 4 iOS devices for $13.49/month via the Power User plan.
5. Wondershare Recoverit – best Mac data recovery software for high success rates
| Best for: | Reliable data recovery with high success rates |
| Standout feature: | 99.5% claimed recovery success rate across 1,000+ file types |
| Pricing: | From $47.99/month, limited free version available |
Wondershare Recoverit is a data recovery tool that claims a success rate of 99.5% across over 1,000 supported file types. It restores lost or deleted files from hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, NAS systems, and Linux devices. It offers unique features like video fragment merging and repair for 4K and 8K files.
Overview
Recoverit's deep scan technology can retrieve lost files from macOS systems running Sequoia 15 and earlier. It recovers data across various scenarios, including accidental deletion, partition loss, and system crashes. Its bootable recovery feature creates a USB drive to restore files from non-booting systems.
Some of the software’s highlights are its advanced features like NAS and Linux data recovery, and enhanced photo and video recovery, where it reconstructs fragmented video files from devices like DJI drones and GoPro cameras. Additionally, it's easy to use, even for beginners.
The company has pricing tiers for individuals, teams, and educational users. The Individual plan starts at $47.99/month or $69.99/year, with a $129.99 one-time purchase option. SMBs can subscribe to a business plan for $159.99/year, while students and educators receive a 30% discount on Essential, Standard, and Premium one-year licenses (starting at $55.99/year).
How did we select the best Mac data recovery software?
Our in-house methodology at Cybernews simulates real-world data loss scenarios (like accidental deletion, formatting, and system crashes). I also analyze global user feedback to gain valuable insights on recovery software.
I applied this methodology while rigorously testing EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery, SetApp, and Wondershare Recoverit.
Each tool was installed on one of our macOS testing machines, including one with the latest macOS Sequoia 15. I then simulated data loss situations – deleted files, formatted drives, and system crashes. I wanted to see how effectively each app could recover lost data. During these tests, I paid close attention to ease of use.
Most recovery apps offer similar features, like quick scans, deep scans, and file previews. So, I judged apps based on whether they buried us in technical menus, or guided us through the process.
Additionally, I tracked recovery success rates by testing over 1,000 file types, such as documents, photos, videos, and emails. For accuracy, I tested across SSDs, HDDs, USB drives, and even RAID setups. Our picks restore both recently deleted files and older ones from corrupted or damaged drives.
For pricing, I scrutinized one-time licenses, subscriptions, and free trials. I wanted to find out which contender brought real value to the table for both casual users and IT professionals. Advanced features like photo and video repair, virtual machine recovery, and Linux file system support earned providers more points.
What is data recovery software?
Data recovery software helps people and organizations get back files that have been erased, misplaced, or damaged. This type of software isn’t new. It has roots tracing back to the 1960s and 1970s. However, today’s data recovery software is vastly more effective – even providing forensic data analysis capabilities for consumers – with some tools being able to recover files from computers that won’t even start.
Data loss can happen accidentally, due to hardware malfunctions, or simply a software glitch. To address this, data recovery tools scan storage devices like hard drives, SSDs, USB sticks, and memory cards. They search for residual patterns to reconstruct files and can recover them with 100% integrity in many cases. Specifically, they analyze disk sectors to find recoverable data and restore it to a format you can use.
Unfortunately, losing information is all too common these days. It could be a mistakenly discarded report, a corrupted memory card due to a technical glitch during a photography session, or an external drive that is unresponsive after impact.
As it turns out, human error is one of the main reasons for data loss, surpassing cyberattacks and even natural disasters. In this day and age, recovery tools are an essential technology that simplifies the process of restoring data and provides a second chance for files that seemed lost for good.
Which storage devices can be recovered?
Today, recovery software can restore lost files from several types of storage devices. You can recover data from built-in hard drives to portable memory cards. These tools scan the storage device, identify recoverable data, and reconstruct it into usable files. Let’s break it down:
- Internal Mac hard drives (HDDs and SSDs): Depending on the model, your Mac uses either a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). The SSD and HDD recovery software can often restore lost files. However, SSD recovery may be more difficult if TRIM is enabled since this feature permanently erases deleted data.
- External hard drives and SSDs: External storage devices are commonly used for backups, transfers, or extra storage. If they’re accidentally formatted or become corrupted, recovery software can scan and restore the missing files.
- USB flash drives and memory cards: Portable storage devices, like USB flash drives and memory cards (SDHC, SDXC), are prone to accidental deletions and formatting errors. Recovery tools can retrieve photos, videos, and documents from these devices, provided the data hasn’t been overwritten.
- Time Machine backups: Time Machine is macOS’s built-in backup system. Backup files from this system software can also become corrupted or deleted. Modern data recovery software can scan them and restore missing data.
- APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT formatted drives: The best recovery tools support these common file systems – used on millions of Macs, Windows PCs, and external devices. This makes it possible to recover data from a wide variety of sources.
How to choose the right Mac data recovery software for my needs?
Losing files is frustrating, but the right data recovery software can help you get them back. Here are the key factors to consider:
- Recovery success rates: You want your files restored as reliably as possible, so the most important factor is the success rate. Look for reputable tools with strong recovery performance across as many different file types and devices as possible.
- Functionality: Great recovery software should restore files neatly and intuitively, with their original names and folder structure. Furthermore, professionals working with large datasets need advanced features like RAW recovery and partition scanning. For most users, dependable functionality is more important than niche features.
- Pricing: Free trials and free versions of recovery software are readily available with most providers, but won’t perform as well as their paid counterparts. Paid options tend to recover files more successfully, often including ongoing support.
- Ease of use: Data loss software should be intuitive and to the point. Look for software with an interface that makes the recovery process clear, even for beginners. Dealing with a clunky, difficult-to-use program to restore your lost data just won’t work.
- Supported file types: Not every tool recovers every file type. Therefore, make sure the software you choose recovers the precise formats you need, whether that’s media or more specialized file formats.
Other methods to recover deleted files on Mac
Though data recovery is a proven solution, there are other ways you can restore deleted files on your Mac. Here are my practical alternatives:
- Recover from Mac’s Trash bin: macOS’s “Trash” bin temporarily stores deleted files until it’s emptied. Most people forget that this is the easiest way to check for lost files. Open the Trash, locate the file, right-click on it, and select “Put Back” to restore it to its original location.
- Restore from a Time Machine backup: Time Machine is macOS’s proprietary backup tool. If you regularly back up your system with it, connect your backup drive, launch Time Machine, and choose the date when you think the file was available. Navigate through the backups, and you might restore it to its original location.
- Use Terminal commands: macOS’s Terminal application provides command-line access to macOS functions, including some recovery options. Commands like “cd ~/.Trash” help you retrieve files from the Trash. Be careful with these deep system-level commands, because mistakes here can corrupt system files.
- Use Mac’s Disk Utility: Disk Utility can help if file loss stems from drive corruption. To access it, open Disk Utility, select the affected disk, and click “First Aid.” This often helps inaccessible files reappear.
- Try the Undo command (Command + Z): If you delete a file by mistake and notice it right away, pressing “Command + Z” on your keyboard undoes the action. This shortcut works across many macOS applications but only for your most recent action (and only if no other operation has taken place since the deletion).
Final word on best Mac data recovery software
Thankfully, data recovery is possible with the right software. The best choice depends on whether you want a simple, no-nonsense solution or digital forensic tools for more complex data loss cases. It depends on what specific file type (s) you are trying to recover. For most people, our top five picks include everything required to recover a wide range of files reliably.
After careful analysis, the Cybernews team found EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to be the best overall option. It’s reliable, performs well, and requires minimal effort. Anyone can use EaseUS to find everyday documents and dig into corrupted partitions. It consistently recovered files during our tests.
I put these tools through real-world scenarios so that our recommendations are based on reality. Having a dependable data recovery tool for your Mac is crucial, so choose the software that fits your situation, and you’ll likely get your files back.
FAQ
What is the best free Mac data recovery software?
Both EaseUS and Disk Drill offer free trials where you can recover a couple of GB of data. However, for larger recoveries, you must upgrade to a paid plan to lift recovery limits and unlock the features you need.
Can I recover permanently deleted files on Mac?
Yes, permanently deleted files can often be recovered unless they’ve been overwritten. Mac data recovery tools can scan your storage to locate and restore them.
Is data recovery software safe to use?
Yes, reputable data recovery software is safe to use if you download it from the providers’ official websites. Do not download recovery software from third-party websites or sources.
Does Mac have built-in data recovery tools?
Yes, macOS includes Time Machine, a built-in backup tool that restores deleted files if backups were created beforehand. Additionally, Disk Utility helps repair corrupted drives, and Terminal can sometimes retrieve files still in your Trash bin.
What is the success rate of Mac data recovery software?
The success rate depends on file type, storage condition, and how quickly you act. High-quality Mac data recovery tools like Ease US and Wondershare Recoverit boast recovery rates of over 90% for recent deletions, but older or corrupted files will be harder to restore successfully.
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