Top 10 Free Data Recovery Software Mac | macOS Sonoma

This article covers the top 10 completely free data recovery software Mac, which vary in features, functions, and performance. However, they all have one thing in common: they are free.

Compare the best free Mac data recovery software carefully, and select the best fit for your needs.

1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free
2. 2. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac
3. 3. Disk Drill
4. 4. Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery
5. 5. PhotoRec
6. 6. TestDisk
7. 7. Recuva
8. 8. Ontrack EasyRecovery Home for Mac
9. 9. Softtote Mac Data Recovery
10. 10. Puran Data Recovery

How to Test the Free File Recovery Software for Mac

To find out the best free Mac data recovery apps, we tested 20 software and picked out the best 10. Here is a glance at the testing statistics.

Criteria	Details
🔢 Number of tested tools	10
⏳ How long have we tested	Four weeks
💻 OS version	macOS 12.0, macOS 13.0, Mac OS X 10.11
📊 Minimum cost	Free
💰 Average cost	$70
💾 The storage device	Seagate SSD (128GB)
📙 Number of files	200+ files

Top 10 Completely Free Data Recovery Software for Mac

When you get data loss on your Mac due to accidental deletion, partition/hard drive formatting, system crash, macOS upgrade, or file system or hard drive corruption, stay calm and pick up one of the recommended data recovery software below for help. 

1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free is a free top and handy Mac data recovery software that can recover deleted files on Mac, Mac notebooks, desktops, hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, memory cards, digital cameras, etc. It works on internal APFS/HFS+/HFS X drives and FAT/FAT32/exFAT/NTFS file systems used in USB flash drives and external hard drives connected to Mac. 

Highlighted features of EaseUS free file recovery for Mac:

😀1. User-friendly Software with Strong Compatibility

EaseUS Mac data recovery software is fully compatible with the latest macOS versions, including 14.0 (Sonoma), 13.0(Ventura), 12.0(Monterey), 11.0 (Big Sur), 10.15(Catalina), 10.14 (Mojave), and all the former Mac OS X 10.11 ~ 10.9 versions. It enables all Mac users to recover any lost data in only 3 steps: scan > preview > recover.

🚩 2. Powerful Data Recovery Capabilities

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can restore deleted or lost files in various severe scenarios. It supports deleted recovery, lost partition recovery, formatted Mac hard drive recovery, virus attack recovery, and OS crash recovery.  It restores files from all kinds of storage devices like internal or external hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, external hard drives, memory cards, and digital cameras.

🧰3. Encrypted Drive Recovery

Another great update in EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is that it can recover data from encrypted hard drives by offering guidance to assist Mac users in decrypting and unlocking their drives with passwords.

🧿4. Comprehensive SD Card Recovery Solutions

Based on the most advanced algorithm technology, the EaseUS Mac file recovery tool has a robust SD card data recovery function, which can scan and recover the largest number of files from different cameras like Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic.

🔰5. Extra Video Repair

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac also adds an additional video repair feature to help you repair any broken, unplayable, soundless videos. You can fix corrupted videos in MP4, MOV, AVI, 3GP, etc.

Advantages:

• Support to restore 200+ file types on Mac, including recovering unsaved Word documents on Mac, and Excel/PPT files, photos, videos, music files, emails, archived files, and more.
• Quick and deep scan technology greatly enhances recovery probability.
• Real-time Preview lets you preview found files while scanning and before proceeding with data recovery.
• No quality-loss recovery returns your lost photos and videos to their best performance.

Improvements:

• The completely free version is limited to a maximum of 2GB of free data recovery. (The outstanding Windows data recovery free version also provides 2GB free file recovery.)

🏆Editor's review: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac offers all-in-one and user-friendly solutions for recovering lost or deleted data on macOS and Mac OS X. It is an excellent choice for recovering data from APFS, HFS+, NTFS, FAT, and exFAT hard drives. With its wizard-style operation guides, both individuals and businesses can use it to restore lost files without technical expertise.

Did EaseUS Mac data recovery software solve your problem? Help others discover it by sharing it on your social media.

✒️3-Step Tutorial to Recover Files with EaseUS Mac Data Recovery Tool

To help more Mac users bring their lost files as soon as possible, we show you a 3-step tutorial for free Mac data recovery. If you are eager to return your lost files to Mac or external storage devices, apply the brief and innovative EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free for help.

2. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac

Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a DIY tool that can recover data from all types of Mac-based internal or external storage drives. This Mac data recovery tool helps retrieve photos, videos, documents, and other files from all Mac HDDs, SSDs, Thumb Drives, memory cards, and more.

Highlighted features:

📌1. Recover Lost Data from Unbootable Systems

You can recover data without booting into macOS. Stellar Mac data recovery software helps you get Mac files back without entering your system.

🔷2. SMART Drive Monitor and Clone

This software also examines various complex drive attributes, like performance, drive health, and temperature. Exploring these features reduces the chances of data loss in the future.

Advantages:

• Free to use for 1GB data recovery
• Can recover data from any storage device
• Include a lot of advanced features

Improvements:

• You must pay for the software if your data is over 1GB.

🏆Editor's review: Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is an outstanding file recovery software that saves your data quickly! Its excellent scanning speed, extensive file support, and GUI interface made the data recovery process a breeze. You can selectively choose specific files to preview and recover efficiently.

3. Disk Drill

Disk Drill is a popular Mac data recovery application developed to recover lost partitions or files from Mac internal and external hard drives. Also, the Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery options in the free trial version support monitoring the file deletion activity and retaining metadata to undelete files quickly.

Highlighted features:

💗1. Undelete Protected Data (Not Available in Free Version)

Similar to the Data Protection feature in EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, Disk Drill also contains an undelete protected data feature that requires Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery features to be enabled in advance.

With these two features enabled, Mac users could quickly undelete files from a Trash Bin reference or shadow copy of each file to a user-specified folder.

🟢2. Allocate Existing Files

When Finder fails to read data, Disk Utility reports the drive as unformatted. Disk Drill can scan the partition and retrieve data from Mac.

Advantages:

• Compatible with all Mac OS X and macOS systems.
• Recover 200+ file types.
• It is packed with free and helpful disk tools for all users.
• An intuitive user interface to recover lost files effortlessly.

Improvements:

• The free version only allows a preview of data recovery.
• Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery are not available in the free version.

🏆Editor's review: Disk Drill is an exceptional Mac data recovery software with a user-friendly interface and outstanding recovery capabilities. It supports many file types, including photos, videos, documents, and archives. Except for data recovery, Disk Drill also provides other free tools, such as Disk Health, Mac Cleanup, Data Protection, and Data Backup. Highly recommended!

Share this reliable Mac file recovery tool on your social media and help others discover it too.

4. Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery

Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery is comprehensive software developed specifically for users to recover lost or deleted data on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and other Mac devices. It allows users to restore files with a user-friendly interface, making it popular for users of all levels. This software supports the recovery of different file types, including documents, photos, videos, and more.

Highlighted features:

🟩1. Recover Data in Multiple Recovery Modes

Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery offers file recovery and drives recovery methods to undelete files from Mac OS 10.9 Mavericks, Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion, Mac OS X Lion 10.7, Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6, Mac OS 10.5 Leopard, and Mac OS Server 10.5 Leopard. Its quick and deep scan modes ensure a higher chance of successful data retrieval.

💽2. Restore Files from Various Devices Allocate Existing Files

Except for internal and external hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards, this software can still retrieve data and files from your iPod Nano, Shuffle, or Classic by applying "Enable Disk Use" for your iPod in iTunes. 

Advantages:

• Compatible with all Mac OS X versions
• Recover files from formatted, damaged, or lost exFAT partitions
• Recover files from HFS/HFS+, FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and other file systems
• Provide free technical support

Improvements:

• Limited deep scan abilities affecting the recovery of severely damaged files
• Lack of advanced features like recovering data from RAID disks 

🏆Editor's review: Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery is free data recovery software for Mac to help users recover unlimited data. It's compatible with all the common file systems like HFS/HFS+, FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXFAT (new). It has strong disk recovery capabilities to restore lost data from formatted, deleted, or damaged partitions. However, it can't be used in the new macOS versions, including macOS Ventura and macOS Monterey.

5. PhotoRec

PhotoRec is a free, open-source program that works very well in data recovery on older operating systems like OS X, Linux, Free BSD, Net BSD, Open BSD, and Windows.

It allows users to restore the most common files, like photos, audio, documents, ZIP archives, and others, from internal or external devices, such as digital cameras, memory cards, USB flash drives, and partitions/hard disks.

Highlighted features:

✅1. Advanced File Carving

PhotoRec first searches for the data block or cluster size. The program will quickly load value from superblocks like ext2/ext3/ext4 or volume boot records like FAT/NTFS if the file system is not corrupted. When the file system is corrupted, PhotoRec will check the device at a sector level, using the first ten found files to calculate the block or cluster size to locate and find more lost files.

👍2. Block or Cluster Level Recovery

This program will read the Mac device block by block, cluster by cluster, checking against different file signatures so as to recuperate available files. 

Advantages:

• Support data recovery cross-platforms, Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, etc.
• 100% open-source program, not only the software but also the source code.
• Nice tool to recover personal files.

Improvements:

• Not very user-friendly for ordinary computer users.
• Technical skills required. It uses command lines to operate.

🏆Editor's review: PhotoRec is an incredible data recovery program offering free methods for all users. Despite its name, it doesn't just recover photos; it also supports document, video, and file recovery. Although it has a command-line interface, which may seem daunting, it won't be hard for you if you have some computer knowledge. Its deep scanning capability and cross-platform compatibility make it a versatile choice.

6. TestDisk

TestDisk, like PhotoRec, is an open-source, freeware product allowing multiple file type recovery.

It mainly focuses on partition recovery. It enables users to find deleted or lost partitions by fixing the partition tables due to software crashes, virus attacks, mistaken formatting, etc.

Highlighted features:

💚1. Partition Recovery 

When a partition is lost or disappears on Mac due to corrupted partition tables, Mac users can apply TestDisk to rebuild and repair the corrupted partition table. 

🔨2. Rebuild Boot Sectors

When the Mac bootable drive fails to boot, it corrects problems in bootable drives failing to boot.

Advantages:

• Completely free and open.
• Run on several operating systems, including macOS and Mac OS X versions.
• Recover lost partitions and rebuild the partition table.

Improvements:

• Use the command line to make data recovery.
• Not user-friendly for regular computer users.

🏆Editor's review: TestDisk is a safe and reliable disk recovery tool for anyone needing data recovery. It can restore files from various storage devices, even if they are corrupted or formatted. Both TestDisk and PhotoRec have command-line interfaces, which may seem complicated, but their step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow. In addition, it is an open-source tool that is friendly to users who need completely free software.

7. Recuva

This free Mac data recovery program is one of numerous freeware options for recovering deleted and lost files on your Mac. You can use the tools to recover various file types that have been damaged by a corrupted hard drive, malware attack, system error, power outage, and so on.

Highlighted features:

🔒Bitlocker Recovery

What sets it apart from other Mac data recovery applications is the Bitlocker Recovery function. It can help you recover Mac data from a deleted or lost Bitlocker encrypted drive.

Advantages:

• Multiple recovery options.
• Supports various storage devices, including CF cards, iPods, USB flash drives, and more.

Improvements:

• Deep scanning is time-consuming.
• Recuva doesn't have mobile phone version

🏆Editor's review: Recuva is a completely safe recovery application in both its free and professional versions. PC Magazine rates Recuva 3.5 out of 5 and highlights the software's low cost and strong cost-effectiveness. Rather than colorful and sophisticated interfaces, Recuva's operation interface merely contains the information required to ensure that individuals with low technical understanding may use it effectively.

8. Ontrack EasyRecovery Home for Mac

Ontrack EasyRecovery is a user-friendly tool that allows you to precisely recover Mac files in various data loss scenarios, particularly for mistakenly lost files. The free Mac file recovery edition, which has a 1 GB restriction, allows you to recover lost data from Mac-based devices.

Highlighted features:

💽RAID Recovery

The rapid scan and deep scan options do a more thorough search of the storage device, including internal hard disks, portable media, and RAID hard drives.

Advantages:

• Professional recovery
• Comprehensive and efficient

Improvements:

• Slow scanning

🏆Editor's review: We're not particularly impressed with its speed (especially when compared to Ontrack's comprehensive recovery tools for Windows and Mac), and we get the idea that it hasn't been optimized in quite some time.

9. Softtote Mac Data Recovery

Softtote Mac Data Recovery covers a variety of logical data loss circumstances with an above-average success rate. Though it is incompatible with the most recent macOS Ventura, it is a viable alternative for Mac users using Mac OS X 10.7 - 10.14.

Highlighted features:

🖲️Lost Partition Recovery

Softtote Data Recovery offers a straightforward user interface with three wizards: File Recovery to recover deleted Mac files and documents; Photo Recovery to recover any sort of photo; and Lost Partition Recovery, which recovers lost, overwritten, damaged, or formatted partitions.

Advantages:

• A simple user interface
• Supports macOS 10.14 and Mac OS X 10.7.
• Preview the recoverable files.

Improvements:

• There is no support for exFAT or encrypted APFS file systems.
• No support for T2 and M1 Macs.

🏆Editor's review: Softtote Data Recovery is significantly less expensive than other data recovery tools for Mac, and you may preview recoverable files before deciding. It's worth noting that Softtote Mac Data Recovery does not handle the more complex exFAT or APFS file systems.

10. Puran Data Recovery

Puran File Recovery allows you to recover deleted or lost files. Almost anything detected as a drive can be scanned, regardless of the file system. Unlike other file recovery applications, Puran Data Recovery recovers data from a damaged disk, CD, DVD, or any other Mac-supported media to a specified destination.

Highlighted features:

💪Damaged Data Recovery

Puran File Recovery is a simple tool that helps you to recover damaged or deleted data from your system. Customers may assume the tool is dangerous because the official website has not transitioned to Encryption.

Advantages:

• It works well on practically many devices.
• The recovered files can be saved with their paths intact.
• This software automatically skips faulty sectors when restoring files.

Improvements:

• You are unable to see the outcome beforehand.
• You cannot specify which files you want to recover.

🏆Editor's review: Puran Data Recovery operates in a straightforward manner: when copying data from a file, it ignores any bad sectors identified and keeps copying until the file is complete. As a result, the data can be restored to the best possible state.

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How to Choose the Best Free Data Recovery Software for Mac

What's the best free data recovery tool for Mac users among the many competing products on the market? To find out the best data recovery software, we provide a comparison table of the top 10 free data recovery tools and programs and their features. Choose the best one that meets your needs and start recovering lost data on your MacBook Pro/iMac/Mac as soon as possible.

Tools	Free	File systems	File types	Ease of use	Speed	Recovery rate	File Filter	File Repair
EaseUS	2GB	APFS, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, HFS X	1000	Easy	Fast	High	✔	✔
Disk Drill	500MB	FAT, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, APFS	400	Moderate	Fast	High	✔	✘
Stellar	1GB	FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS	200	Moderate	Average	Moderate	✘	✔
Lazesoft	Free	HFS/HFS+, FAT32, NTFS, EXFAT (new)	100	Moderate	Average	Average	✘	✘
TestDisk	Free	FAT, NTFS,ext2	10	Hard	Average	Average	✘	✘
PhotoRec	Free	FAT, exFAT, NTFS	20	Hard	Average	Average	✘	✘
Recuva	Free	FAT, NTFS,ext2	100	Moderate	Slow	Average	✘	✘
Ontrack	1GB	FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS	200	Moderate	Average	Average	✘	✘
Softtote	Free	FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS	50	Moderate	Average	Average	✘	✘
Puran	Free	FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS	50	Moderate	Average	Average	✘	✘

Conclusion

This page presents you with the top 10 completely free Mac data recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free, Disk Drill, PhotoRec, TestDisk, and Stellar data recovery software. When facing unexpected data loss on a Mac, the above programs can help you recover lost files effectively. 

If your lost data is less than 2GB, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free is highly recommended as it provides the most user-friendly interface and powerful data recovery function.

Mac Free Data Recovery Software FAQs

Some Mac users may still have doubts about Mac file recovery. Here, we have collected the top four frequently asked questions and left brief answers below. Check out and find your answers here.

1. Is Mac data recovery free?

It depends. If you lost deleted files to Trash, you could restore them from Trash for free.

When you lose files on a local Mac hard drive or an external storage device, applying free Mac data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free for help is free.

Taking your computer to a local data recovery center will cost you much money.

2. What is the best free data recovery software?

• You may refer to the top 10 free SD card data recovery software for Windows users.

The recommended software also works perfectly in Windows OS for data recovery, and you can easily find the most suitable software for applying and restoring lost files. 

• For Mac users, as we recommended on this page, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free, Disk Drill, PhotoRec, TestDisk, and Exif Untrasher are all good to help.

3. Is there any free data recovery software?

Sure! Many data recovery software producers have released their free data recovery software. Here, we have collected some of them for you to pick up and apply to guard your own data.

10 Top Free Data Recovery Software for Windows Users:

• 1). EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free
• 2). Recuva
• 3). Stellar Data Recovery
• 4). Disk Drill
• 5). R-Studio
• 6). Acronis Revive
• 7). Remo Recover
• 8). Recover My Files
• 9). Puran Data Recovery
• 10). TestDisk

10 Top Free Data Recovery Software for Mac Users: (We have uncovered on this page)

• 1). EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Free
• 2). Disk Drill
• 3). PhotoRec
• 4). TestDisk
• 5). Exif Untrasher

4. How can I recover deleted files without software on Mac for free?

There are two ways for you to recover deleted files on Mac for free without using data recovery software.

• One way is to undelete files from your Mac Trash bin.

When you mistakenly delete files on your Mac computer to the trash and don't empty the trash, you can undelete them from your Trash for free.

• The other way to try is to recover deleted files from your Mac Time Machine backup. 

Congratulations if you habitually back up files on a Mac computer using the Time Machine. Luckily, when you delete some of them, you can bring them back immediately from your Time Machine backup. You can follow Recover Files from Time Machine Backup for a detailed guide.