Summary
PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost files. Download PhotoRec 7.2 Beta Mac 1MB Mac. Free software / FOSS (Free download and also Free and Open Source Software). 6.14. The log file generated by the Windows version (cygwin) reports bad sectors in a more readable fashion, example. PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost files including video, documents and archives from hard disks, CD-ROMs, and lost pictures (thus the Photo Recovery name) from.
Top 5 complete free data recovery programs for Mac OS X/macOS are described below. These five tools vary from the functions and performance. You can choose the one that suits your needs best.
When you get data loss on your Mac due to accidental deletion, partition/hard drive formatting, system crash, macOS upgrade, file system or hard drive corruption, the first reaction might be a quick search for professional and reliable data recovery software. This article covers the top five completely free data recovery software for Mac, which varies from features, functions, and performance. However, they all have one thing in common: they are free. Compare the five tools carefully, and select the one that fits your needs best.
1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free is one of the top best and handy Mac data recovery software that enables you to recover data from the emptied trash bin, Mac notebooks, desktops, hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, memory cards, digital cameras, etc. It works on internal AFPS/HFS+ drives, and FAT/FAT32 file systems used in USB flash drives and external hard drives connected to Mac.
Pros:
- Compatible with the latest macOS 10.14(Mojave) and all the former versions.
- User-friendly interface, only three steps are required to complete data recovery.
- Powerful restoring abilities to restore 200+ file types on Mac, including recovering lost Word/Excel/PPT documents, photos, videos, music files, emails, archived files, and more.
- Deep scanning technology greatly enhances recovery probability.
- The Data Protection in the free version automatically backs up the deleted files to a safe location. If you unexpectedly delete files and want to recover later, you can quickly restore the lost files from the created backup.
- The preview feature is provided before proceeding data recovery.
- It is regularly updated to perfect the restoring performance.
Cons:
- The completely free version is limited to a maximum of 2GB data recovery. The outstanding Windows data recovery also provides 2GB free file recovery.
2. Disk Drill
Disk Drill is one of the most popular Mac data recovery applications developed to recover lost partitions or files from your Mac's internal and external hard drives. Also, you can use the Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery options in the free trial version to monitor your file deletion activity and retain metadata to allow for quick and easy file recovery.
Pros:
- Compatible with all the Mac OS X and macOS systems.
- Recover 200+ file types.
- It is packed with free and useful disk tools for all users.
- An intuitive user interface to recover lost files effortlessly.
Cons:
- The free version only allows a preview of data recovery.
3. PhotoRec
Although PhotoRec is not the best Mac data recovery tool, it is a free, open-source program that works very well with OS X, Linux, Free BSD, Net BSD, Open BSD, and Windows. It allows users to restore most common files, like photos, audios, documents, ZIP archives, and others from internal or external devices, such as digital camera, memory cards, USB flash drives and partitions/hard disks.
Pros:
- Strong capability with multiple platforms as described before.
- Not only the software but also the source code is open.
- Effective recovery for various kinds of files.
Cons:
- Not very user-friendly for ordinary computer users.
- Technical requirements. It uses command lines to operate.
4. TestDisk
TestDisk mainly focuses on partition recovery. It enables users to find deleted/lost partitions, fix the partition tables and recover deleted partitions caused by software crash, virus attack, mistaken formatting, etc.. It's also an open-source, freeware product that allows for multiple file types recovery.
Pros:
- Completely free and open.
- Runs on several operating systems, including macOS and Mac OS X versions.
- Recover lost partitions and correct problems in bootable drives that are failing to boot.
Cons:
- Use the command line to make data recovery.
- Not user-friendly for regular computer users.
5. Exif Untrasher
Exif Untrasher is another completely free Mac data recovery tool that helps to restore deleted/lost JPEG files from digital camera, external drive, USB stick, SD card, etc.. You can easily download and install this software on your Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 and all the later versions.
Pros:
- Simple and quick to recover lost images from the memory card.
- Free with no quantity limits.
- It is updated by developer regularly.
Cons:
- Only works with JPEG files.
- It doesn't allow to recover deleted photos from Mac internal hard drive.
Conclusion
When you are facing unexpected data loss on Mac, the programs demonstrated above can help you recover lost files effectively. In many aspects, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free is highly recommended as it provides the most user-friendly interface and most powerful data recovery function. What's more, if your lost data is less than 2GB, you can use this software completely for free.
TestDisk is a powerful free data recovery software.
It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting your Partition Table). Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy.
TestDisk can
- Fix partition table, recover deleted partition
- Recover FAT32 boot sector from its backup
- Rebuild FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 boot sector
- Fix FAT tables
- Rebuild NTFS boot sector
- Recover NTFS boot sector from its backup
- Fix MFT using MFT mirror
- Locate ext2/ext3 Backup SuperBlock
TestDisk has features for both novices and experts. For those who know little or nothing about data recovery techniques, TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a non-booting drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis. Those more familiar with such procedures should find TestDisk a handy tool in performing onsite recovery.
PhotoRec is a companion program for TestDisk. It is designed to recover files including video, documents and archives from Hard Discs and CDRom and lost pictures from digital camera memory. PhotoRec ignores the filesystem and goes after the underlying data, so it will still work even if your media's filesystem has been severely damaged or re-formatted.