Accidentally deleted a partition on my Mac, and I’m in urgent need of a reliable software to recover it. What’s the best partition recovery software for Mac? Any recommendations based on personal experience?
I’ve been there! Accidentally deleting partitions is a nerve-wracking experience, but there are some solid partition recovery options for Mac users.
From personal experience, I’d recommend Disk Drill for Mac. This software is reliable and pretty straightforward to use. It supports multiple file systems and offers features like data protection and drive backup. I once managed to recover an entire partition with all my files intact after a botched partition resize operation.
Another good option is Stellar Data Recovery. It’s robust and covers a wide range of recovery scenarios, but I found it a bit clunky compared to Disk Drill.
If you’re looking for something a bit more hardcore, TestDisk & PhotoRec is a free option. It’s not as user-friendly, but it’s powerful if you don’t mind getting into the weeds a bit.
You can find Disk Drill at this link: Disk Drill Mac Data Recovery.
Give it a shot; it’s been a lifesaver for me!
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That’s a tight spot to be in! If you’ve deleted a partition on your Mac, there are indeed a few software tools that might save the day. While Disk Drill for Mac is solid, one alternative I’ve relied on before is Data Rescue 5. It’s a bit more industrial in its approach but very effective. It offers a deep scan feature that’s pretty thorough, though it can take a while depending on the size of your drive. You might appreciate the forensic-level of detail it provides.
Another one that doesn’t get enough love is EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It’s user-friendly, and I’ve managed to get back lost partitions and files without much hassle. It’s particularly good for those who aren’t super tech-savvy but still need reliable results. You can start with a free scan to see if your data is recoverable before committing to the paid version.
I should mention that I’ve had mixed results with TestDisk & PhotoRec. While it’s super powerful, it’s not for the faint of heart if you’re not comfortable with a command-line interface.
For the more technically inclined and those okay with paying extra for professional-grade software, R-Studio for Mac could be considered over Stellar Data Recovery. It’s highly effective but there is a learning curve.
Whatever you choose, make sure to immediately stop using the affected drive to prevent overwriting any recoverable data!
Looking for a reliable Mac data recovery software? Check out disk-drill-media-recovery on the App Store. This versatile tool can help you recover lost data and partitions with ease. Disk Drill Media Recovery
Disk Drill is indeed a solid pick for partition recovery on Mac, but let’s not overlook some nuanced aspects that might impact your choice. Firstly, pros: it’s user-friendly and has a clean interface, supports various file formats, and offers additional tools like drive monitoring. However, a significant downside is its free version is pretty limited—you’re gonna need to open your wallet for the heavy lifting.
That said, if you’re tech-savvy and not looking to spend much, TestDisk & PhotoRec might be worth considering despite the steep learning curve. It’s powerful, but, as mentioned, it’s not for the faint-hearted.
While @viajeroceleste and @espritlibre made some great points about Stellar Data Recovery and Data Rescue 5, let’s talk about EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. The tool is quite efficient and user-friendly, but it’s not as thorough as Disk Drill. Pro: Ease-of-use, con: might miss deep-level recoveries that the former flawlessly accomplishes.
Another option not frequently discussed is Wondershare Recoverit. This one’s pretty decent, though sometimes the scanning speeds can be somewhat frustrating.
In summation, Disk Drill for Mac does stand out due to its balance between user-friendliness and deep recovery capabilities, yet falling somewhat short on the ‘free’ spectrum. Just make sure you pick what’s best for your specific scenario and tech comfort level.
Ok so went through this whole nightmare myself recently, and Nachtschatten’s take on the free version is kinda off – Disk Drill for Mac is paid. You can scan and preview everything for free, but to actually pull files you need a license. That’s actually still useful though because you can see exactly what’s recoverable before committing to anything.
The thing that’s weirdly missing from this whole thread tho – APFS. Apple switched to APFS as the default filesystem back in macOS High Sierra 10.13 in 2017, so if your Mac is from 2017 or later, it’s almost certainly running APFS internally. And APFS isn’t just a different name for HFS+ – it’s a completely different on-disk structure with a container-based layout where volumes share a single pool of space. Tools that don’t handle it natively just fall back to raw signature scanning, and you lose all the metadata – file names, folder structure, the whole thing. Disk Drill has actual native APFS support, not a workaround
If you’re in this situation – what machine, and was it an internal or external drive? That changes the approach a lot
Yeah I can actually back this up with numbers since I ran both tools on the same drive – external SSD formatted as APFS, accidentally nuked the partition while resizing. Worth noting this was an external drive, which matters for context since internal drives on Apple Silicon or T2 Macs have additional complications with TRIM and chip-level encryption.
EaseUS came back with files but it was a dumpster fire to sort through – APFS handling was pure signature carving, everything came out with auto-generated names, no folder structure whatsoever. Technically “recovered” but practically a mess. Disk Drill on the exact same drive pulled back the original folder tree with filenames intact on most of the recoverable stuff. The difference is that Disk Drill actually parses APFS metadata where it’s still readable rather than just scooping up raw file signatures
Also – the Search for lost data button + preview workflow in Disk Drill is genuinely useful. You select the drive, hit Search for lost data, let it run, and see exactly what’s recoverable with real previews before committing to anything, then decide if the $89/year subscription or $149 lifetime license is worth it for what you’ve got. One license covers both macOS and Windows on up to 3 devices btw, so the math gets pretty easy. Way better than paying upfront blind
Data Rescue 5 runs $99 one-time and honestly the interface hasn’t changed much in years – feels clunky for what you’re paying. R-Studio is a beast but it’s built for IT pros doing RAID reconstruction and forensic work, total overkill for a deleted partition situation
Want to add some precise context here since the APFS point keeps coming up, and a couple of details are worth getting right
Apple introduced APFS in macOS High Sierra 10.13 (2017) as the default for SSDs and flash storage. In macOS Mojave 10.14 (2018), it became the default for Fusion Drives and HDDs as well. M1/M2/M3 Macs – everything from late 2020 onward – use APFS exclusively, full stop. So unless you’re recovering from a drive that’s been sitting in a drawer since 2016, you’re dealing with APFS
Worth clarifying – the APFS part on its own isn’t what makes things harder anymore. The real issue is internal drives on T2 or Apple Silicon Macs. TRIM kicks in quickly after deletion, so the data window is shorter. On top of that, chip-level encryption means you can’t just pull the drive and image it externally like you would with a regular HDD. Tools that actually handle both of these properly tend to cost more and offer fewer beginner-friendly features – so recovery is still possible, just with a narrower set of options and less margin for error.
For anyone who wants to go deeper before picking a tool, there’s a decent breakdown of recovery tools specifically for modern macOS – covers APFS handling and safety behavior for each option
If you’re dealing with this – what does Disk Utility show for the affected drive? Is it showing up there at all?
@Zack solid breakdown. One thing worth adding for Mac users – if you have Time Machine set up, that’s your first move. TM works independently of the affected partition, so even if it’s gone, you just create a new one, connect TM, and restore from there. Both TM and Disk Drill get your data back, but TM skips the scanning step entirely. The only catch is that Disk Drill recovers the files themselves but doesn’t recreate the partition – you’d still need to create a new one and move the recovered files over. With TM you get both in one flow. If TM is set up, that’s all you need.
If TM wasn’t configured – Disk Drill is the right call. Before scanning, run Byte-to-byte Backup first – it’s under Extra Tools in Disk Drill, creates a full image of the drive so you’re working from a copy instead of the original hardware
This is especially critical on Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3) where the internal SSD is soldered directly to the logic board. There’s no pulling the drive and dropping it in an enclosure if something goes sideways. You get one shot at the original hardware, so protecting it matters
Here’s how I’d approach it – check S.M.A.R.T. status first via Disk Drill’s built-in S.M.A.R.T. monitoring – if the drive is degrading you’ll see it there. Then run Byte-to-byte Backup, then scan the image. Adds maybe 20–30 mins depending on drive size but saves you from a situation that can’t be undone
Gonna be the person who actually tried Data Rescue 5 and reports back – ViajeroCeleste recommended it and I went that route first so I’ve got receipts lol
Paid $99 for DR5, ran the scan on an external APFS drive – worth noting the testing was on an external, internal drives with T2 or M-series chips are a different situation entirely. The results were a mess regardless. Most files either wouldn’t open or previewed as broken garbage. No way to tell beforehand because DR5’s preview is basically useless. Support’s response was “partition recovery is hard, whaddya want”. After a full weekend I’d recovered maybe 30% of my files and none of the folder structure.
Switched to Disk Drill. On Mac it’s paid – you scan and preview for free but need a license to actually pull files anywhere. Scanned first, previewed what came back – previews looked intact on most files, which DR5 couldn’t even show me properly. That’s the part that actually matters before spending anything: being able to verify the files are really there and not corrupted shells. Bought the $149 lifetime license once I confirmed everything looked good – there’s also an $89/year option. Ran the recovery, got back most of the partition with original file names and folder paths. Night and day.
Full weekend wasted on DR5 for barely anything usable, vs maybe 2 hours total with Disk Drill and most of it back intact. The preview before paying is what made the difference – I knew exactly what I was getting before committing. Not a tough call in retrospect.