Disk Drill for Mac Review – In a League of Its Own

4.79

Out of 5 Total Score

No. 1 Among all macOS solutions

Price range $89...$598 • 508 Software LLC • macOS

Last update:

With its modern user interface and a wealth of extra features, Disk Drill for Mac looks like a perfect data recovery application. But do its data recovery capabilities match the polished exterior? Our own tests of the software have convinced us that they do.

Disk Drill for Mac – Gallery

Main Pros and Cons of Disk Drill for Mac

PROS

  • Two for one. When you buy Disk Drill for Mac, you also unlock Disk Drill for Windows.
  • Abundance of extra utilities. Included with Disk Drill for Mac are many extra free utilities that greatly increase the value of the software.
  • Structured scan results. Disk Drill groups scan results into three main categories (Deleted, Existing, and Reconstructed), and it provides advanced filters to help you find what you're looking for.
  • Mount results as a virtual disk. The results of all scans can be mounted as a virtual disk and browsed using Finder.
  • RAID recovery capabilities. The latest version of Disk Drill for Mac can reconstruct and recover RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 1E + JBOD arrays.
  • File previews. The program can generate previews for all file formats supported by macOS.
  • Raw photo support. The raw image scanner is one of the best on the market because it can detect the largest number of raw file formats.
  • Multiple view options. There are 4 view options: files, files and icons, folders, and folders with icons.
  • Support for Windows Storage Space. Disk Drill can scan and recovery files from Windows Storage Spaces in the following configurations: Simple, Two-way mirror, Three-way mirror, Parity.
  • Raw video support. Disk Drill for Mac excels at detecting professional raw video formats like Apple ProRes or Braw.
  • Recovery chances. You can see how likely can each file be successfully recovered.
  • S.M.A.R.T. Can read and analyze S.M.A.R.T. data from all compatible devices, including spinning hard drives in older Macs as well as fast SSDs in M1 Macs.
  • Clever scan. The program does a great job of restoring the original structure of files and folders on FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, and APFS partitions.
  • Great support for Linux file systems. Disk Drill can find and recover the original file structure even after formatting or partition loss.
  • Mounting images. In certain scenarios, the program can mount even those disk images (.dmg and other supported formats) that can't be mounted by macOS itself.
  • No installation needed. It’s possible to launch Disk Drill without installation from macOS Recovery Mode.
  • Deep scan of T2/M1/M2 devices. The program is able to scan system disks on devices with T2 and M1/M2 processors.
  • Compatible with Apple Silicon Macs. The latest version of Disk Drill for Mac is fully compatible with all Apple Silicon Macs (M1 & M2) running the latest version of macOS.
  • Mobile device recovery. This data recovery software can recover certain data on iOS and Android mobile devices, a capability that most competitors would usually branch out into a separate product.
  • iOS 16 recovery. iPhones running iOS 16 and newer can be recovered without any issues using Disk Drill for Mac.
  • Recovers third-party iOS data. Disk Drill for Mac can recover both first-party (messages, contacts) and third-party (WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, and so on) iOS data.
  • Time Machine. The program can scan both local system snapshots as well as disks containing backups created by Time Machine.
  • Data protection. Disk Drill includes two additional modules to prevent data loss from occurring in the first place.
  • Creating macOS installation disks. There is a free module for creating macOS installation disks.
  • Byte-by-byte disk copies. It's possible to create both full and partial byte-by-byte disk copies.
  • Bad sector map. Disk Drill for Mac can create a map of physical bad sectors during scanning to improve data recovery speed and efficiency. It’s also possible to manually input sectors to be skipped during disk reading.
  • Portable mode. The program can work in portable mode without making any changes to scanned systems.
  • Scanning process clarity. The scanning process is visualized in real time, with information about the number of scanned disk blocks, found files, and the estimated remaining time available at a glance.
  • Recover during scan. With the latest version of Disk Drill, you can recover lost files with a scan going on in the background.
  • Support for VHD and VHDX images. Disk Drill can mount these virtual hard drive image file formats and scan them just like regular storage devices.
  • Great technical content. There is a dedicated YouTube channel, as well as a blog with a vast database of support content that covers all sorts of data loss scenarios and solutions.
  • Saving scans. The program automatically saves scan sessions and has a friendly interface that makes it easily possible to resume or review any of them later.
  • Cross-platform scan sessions. Disk Drill scan sessions can be shared between the Mac version and the Windows version of the data recovery software.
  • Outstanding flexibility. The user can browse found files, preview them, filter them, and more, while the software is still searching for lost data.
  • Active disk monitoring. If bad or unreadable disk areas are found during the scanning process, the program recommends the user to create a backup first.
  • Scanning prompts. When there is a chance to find additional data, Disk Drill for Mac automatically offers to re-scan activating additional recovery algorithms.
  • Disk status icons. With S.M.A.R.T. monitoring activated one can see disk temperatures, lifetime remaining, disk health, and free disk space in the menu bar.
  • User interface. The program has a fancy modern interface with dark mode support.
  • Auto resume. If the scanning or backup process is suddenly interrupted, the software automatically resumes it as soon as possible.
  • Free space scan. Disk Drill for Mac can increase scanning speed by focusing on sectors that are marked as empty.

CONS

  • Phone support. No phone number to call for support is provided.
  • No disk cloning. Disk Drill doesn't offer disk cloning features, but creates convenient byte-by-byte backups for better data recovery from unstable drives.
  • Bootable drives. The software doesn't have an option to create custom boot drives.
  • Recovery over a network. It's not possible to perform remote recovery over a network.
  • Video and photo repair. Disk Drill doesn't offer the ability to repair corrupted videos and photos.

Disk Drill for Mac Summary

🏅 Highly recommended

We believe, that the Mac version of Disk Drill is the best data recovery software that you can run on Apple computers. What makes it so great is how it blends simplicity with power. In our data recovery tests, the software has achieved nearly perfect results—not just with Apple’s APFS and HFS+ file system, but also when scanning NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and EXT4 partitions. You can even recover lost data directly from Android and iOS devices, which is something only a few other applications can do. 

Disk Drill for Mac is the only software that has managed to recover all photo file formats included in our tests—even modern RAW photo formats used by professional and amateur photographers were easily found by the software. Best of all, Disk Drill for Mac performs almost as well when recovering video file formats, and its ability to recognize document file formats also rivals other top-rated solutions. 

Disk Drill’s intuitive UI allows users to navigate and manage scan results effortlessly, thanks to structured scan result categories and multiple view options. It also provides convenient access to a bunch of extra tools that are included with the software for free and greatly increase its overall value, like S.M.A.R.T. monitoring and advanced backup capabilities. The value is further increased by the fact that purchasing Disk Drill for Mac also unlocks Disk Drill for Windows. 

TitleResult
Compatibility Superb
Recovery Rate Superb
Usability Superb
File Type Support Superb
Scan Speed Superb
Free Trial Yes
Starting Price $89.00 / Perpetual
Money-Back Guarantee Yes

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What is Disk Drill for Mac?

 #

Disk Drill for Mac is a leading data recovery software application. It supports hundreds of file formats and can recover them from internal and external storage devices, including mobile phones.

When we review a data recovery software tool, we always begin by collecting detailed factual information about it and the company behind it. This helps us understand the product, as well as the company’s values, goals, and achievements better. We believe that it’s an appropriate way to start a review.

Disk Drill for Mac Factsheet

RequirementsmacOS 10.15-14.0
Latest version 5.4.1426 • Released 22nd Dec, 2023
Download size68.7 MB
CategoryData Recovery Software
UI languagesArabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, English, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian

Sibling version

Disk Drill for Windows

4.55

The Windows version of Disk Drill has the same user interface as the Mac version, and its capabilities are similar as well, making it an excellent choice for all Windows users. Read full review

No. 1 Among all Windows solutions

Disk Drill Logo

How Much Does Disk Drill for Mac Cost?

Distributed as Freemium Some features are provided free of charge, but money is required to unlock the rest
Trial version availableTrial version available
Trial version limitations

Trial version of Disk Drill Basic includes:

  • Prevent data loss with Recovery Vault
  • Preview recoverable items for all scanning methods
  • All storage types and file systems supported
  • Byte-to-byte backups, Disk Clean up, Duplicate Finder, Data Shredder & more free built in data management tools
Paid plans
  • PRO License
  • Enterprise License
Price range $89.00...$598.00
License model Lifetime
No credit card to tryNo credit card to try
Money back guaranteeMoney back guarantee

There are three editions of Disk Drill for Mac. The Basic version can only preview recoverable data, but it can recover only those that are protected by Recovery Vault or Guarantied Recovery (Disk Drill’s data protection features). The PRO version offers unlimited data recovery, and it can be used by 1 user on up to 3 devices. The Enterprise version can be used by up to 10 users on an unlimited number of devices, and it also comes with some extras aimed at enterprise customers.

All Disk Drill for Mac Pricing Options

1PRO $89.00
2PRO + Lifetime Upgrades $118.00
3Details

Basic version plus:

  • Unlimited data recovery
  • 1 user, up to 3 simultaneous activations
  • All recovery methods: Quick & Deep Scan, Lost Partition Search & others
1Enterprise $499.00
2Enterprise + Lifetime Upgrades $598.00
3Details

PRO version plus:

  • Unlimited data recovery
  • Up to 10 users, ∞ activations
  • Licensed to your business
  • Priority technical support
  • Forensic data export (DFXML)

Discounts and coupons

DiscountDescriptionLink
-20%
Education, Non-profit & Government

If you are a student, teacher or another representative of an educational establishment, as well as if you need to recover data for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you are eligible for a 20% discount on Disk Drill PRO or Enterprise!

Get the Deal
-50%
Competitive Upgrade

If you already own another data recovery app for macOS or Windows and find it less effective than Disk Drill, you can easily switch to the equivalent edition of Disk Drill with a 50% discount.

Get the Deal
-50%
Upgrade to Disk Drill 4

Disk Drill 4 for macOS and Windows is here. To all our current premium users of Disk Drill 1, 2 or 3, a big thank you for supporting us through all these years!

Get the Deal
Have you found a better discount coupon and would like to share it with our readers? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, and we’ll update this section promptly.

Developer — 508 Software LLC

Disk Drill for Mac is developed by a company called CleverFiles, which is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. The company was founded in 2009, and has been perfecting its data recovery products ever since.

16% 1329.8% than avg

Online market share

Reflects the share of online traffic within the niche occupied by data recovery software, based on data taken from ahrefs.com (from Google US search engine).

3400 695.1% than avg

Brand name popularity

Based on the number of brand-related search queries on Google US according to ahrefs.com.

CleverFiles is owned by 508 Software, LLC, whose mission is to build software for data management, protection and recovery. While not a BBB accredited business, 508 Software, LLC has a near-perfect customer review score of 4.87 out of 5.

Developer website cleverfiles.com
Support email help@cleverfiles.com
Founded

2009 • 15 years on the market

HQ location

66 Canal Center Pl #505, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA

Social media LinkedIn YouTube

Disk Drill developers are active on multiple major social media websites, where they post news about their product and publish helpful data recovery tutorials. The best way to reach CleverFiles is via email, but you can also get in touch with its employees on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

How to Use Disk Drill for Mac

Tested on: macOS 14.4 (23E214)

Disk Drill for Mac is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for anyone to use, regardless of their technical expertise. Here’s a comprehensive overview of our firsthand experience with Disk Drill for Mac, detailing the installation process and initial use of the software for data recovery.

Step 1

Installation

In order to install Disk Drill for Mac, we headed over to its official website and downloaded the free version of the software. What's great about the free version is that it lets you preview all recoverable files, so you can purchase a license only when you know that Disk Drill can actually recover your lost files. And if you take advantage of Disk Drill's Recovery Vault and/or Guarantied Recovery data protection features, then you don't even need to purchase a license because the software can recover files backed up by the two features without any limitations. 

The installation process was relatively painless, but there were a few extra hoops we had to jump through to give the application the permissions necessary to scan both internal and external storage devices. Fortunately, Disk Drill provided helpful step-by-step instructions with illustrative screenshots, so we never felt lost or confused. 

Step 2

Source selection

After installing Disk Drill and giving it all the necessary permissions, it was time to launch the application and tell it which storage device we wanted to scan. Thanks to Disk Drill's well-organized, modular user interface, choosing the right storage device was a breeze.

From there, launching the scan process was as simple as clicking the Search for lost data button. Since version 5, Disk Drill automatically uses the best recovery methods to deliver the most comprehensive results on the first try.

The latest version of Disk Drill organizes connected storage devices into four sub-categories: Hardware Disks, Logical Volumes, RAIDs, and Others. In addition to internal and external storage devices, you can also scan mobile devices running iOS and Android plus Time Machine backups. 

Step 3

Scanning process

While the scanning process was running, Disk Drill did an excellent job of keeping us informed. The application separates found files into six categories (pictures, video, audio, documents, archives and other), displaying the number of found files in each category. 

If you're impatient, you can click the "Review found files" button even while Disk Drill is still performing a scan. We decided not to do that and let the application finish. We were then informed that there was a chance to find even more files by scanning the entire storage device. Helpful tips like this one make Disk Drill great even for complete beginners who might otherwise not realize that more data can be recovered.

Step 4

Managing found files

Where Disk Drill for Mac truly shines is the management of found files. The application can display found files as icons or in a list, and it can preview all file formats that are natively supported by macOS.

When dealing with a large number of found files (which is almost always the case when scanning larger HDDs and SSDs), you can use Disk Drill's filters to focus on specific file types, file sizes, or file modification dates. 

It also helps that recoverable files are organized into the following three groups: Deleted, Existing, and Reconstructed. Disk Drill for Mac displays how likely each file can be successfully recovered, so you always know what to expect. 

Step 5

Recovery and post-processing

Thanks to the preview feature, we were able to easily identify and select all recoverable files we were looking for in no time, and begin their recovery by clicking the Recover button. Disk Drill for Mac prompted us to specify a suitable directory and it confirmed that we made the right choice, which we found helpful. 

When the entire data recovery process was finished, we were given the option to view the recovered files in Finder, which we immediately took advantage of to confirm that the selected files were, indeed, in the specified recovery directory.

Is Disk Drill for Mac safe?

100%

Avg score Disk Drill for Mac is completely safe in every way.

Safe and Trustworthy
👾 Malware
10/10

We've thoroughly tested  Disk Drill for Mac using multiple leading anti-malware products and verified it to be completely free of malware.

🔒 Privacy
10/10

Disk Drill for Mac takes user privacy very seriously. The software does not collect any personal data without the user's consent, and any data collected is used solely for the purpose of improving the software.

📊 Data Integrity
10/10

The software uses read-only access to scan and recover files, so the original data is never modified or corrupted in any way. Additionally, Disk Drill for Mac provides users with the option to create a backup of their data before attempting any recovery.

👨‍💻 Developer
10/10

The developer of Disk Drill, CleverFiles, is a reputable US-based software company with a long history. 

SUMMARY

Disk Drill for Mac is a completely safe and trustworthy data recovery software application. It is free of malware, respects user privacy, protects data integrity, and is developed by a reputable company. Users can confidently use Disk Drill for Mac to recover their lost or deleted files without worrying about any security risks.

Disk Drill for Mac - Full Review and Analysis

It took us some time to review Disk Drill for Mac because the data recovery software is packed with a ton of capabilities and extra features, so it was almost like reviewing multiple applications instead of just one.

90%

Karma

13 rating criteria

Disk Drill for Mac is a reputable application with native support for Intel-based and Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, and M3, at the time of writing this review). It is frequently updated to maintain compatibility with the latest version of Apple’s operating system, and a full changelog is available on the app’s website. Customer support is provided via chat, helpdesk, and knowledge base. Unfortunately, phone support isn’t available.

#FeatureResult
1Update frequency Every 3 months
2Updated recently Yes
3Changelog available Available (View full update history)
4Latest macOS supported Yes, all good
5Runs natively on M1 Macs Supports
6Genuine or clone? Genuine
7Brand name popularity Recognizable
8Online market share Excellent
9Maturity Mature
10Extensive knowledge base Available
11Helpdesk support Available
12Live chat Available
13Phone support No
76%

Bang for the buck

8 rating criteria

The value provided by the two paid editions of Disk Drill for Mac is excellent for two reasons. First, the software performs great even when presented with some of the most difficult data loss situations that can be encountered (including those involving RAID arrays). Second, the presence of many useful extra features eliminates the need to purchase other related applications.

The only major thing that holds the software back is the inability of the free version to recover any data. Instead, you can only preview recoverable data and verify that they can actually be retrieved. 

#FeatureResult
1Competitive pricing Yes
2Price-quality ratio Great
3Free trial Yes (unlimited time, but limited features)
4Is it free? Paid license is required to recover files
5Pricing policy Two plans + Lifetime upgrades option
6Unlimited recovery in full version Yes
7Free upgrades With purchased Lifetime Upgrades
8Commercial rights in the cheapest license No
100%

Usability

18 rating criteria

The Mac version of Disk Drill is the first data recovery application to earn 100% for usability based on our 17 rating criteria. What this means is that the application leaves pretty much nothing to be desired when it comes to the user experience it provides. 

What makes Disk Drill for Mac so good? The fact that its developers have created a native application that’s optimized from the ground up for the hardware it runs on and adheres to Apple’s user interface design guidelines and recommendations. It also helps that Disk Drill for Mac has been around for some time now, so many kinks and bugs have been fixed since the release of the first version. 

#FeatureResult
1Modern user-friendly interface Yes
2Dark mode Yes
3Easy-to-locate features Yes
4Automatic implementation of multiple appropriate scanning methods without user interaction Yes
5Auto-resuming scans of failing drives Yes
6Auto-resuming backups of failing drives Yes
7Convenient source selection on start Yes
8Convenient file-by-file preview of recoverable items Yes
9Convenient thumbnail preview of recoverable items Yes
10Mount recoverable items as disk Yes
11Built-in updater Yes
12Multiple view modes in scan results Yes
13Hex view for recoverable items Yes
14Filter recoverable items by type Yes
15Search recoverable items by file names Yes
16Sort results Yes
17Multilingual UI Yes
18Simple deployment Yes
96%

Recovery performance

128 rating criteria

We were extremely pleased with the overall recovery performance of Disk Drill for Mac. Thanks to its powerful data recovery algorithms and numerous extra features, the data recovery software can effortlessly deal with some of the most challenging data loss situations that you can possibly encounter. 

#FeatureResultDescription
1Quick scan GoodRecently deleted files can be quickly recovered from most partitions.
2Deep scan GoodDisk Drill for Mac has no problem data and metadata recovery after formatting.
3Signture scan GoodThe application has passed our signature-based recovery challenges with flying colors.
4Additional scan features GoodDisk Drill for Mac can deal with most data loss situations.
5Device support GoodCommonly used storage devices are supported, including RAID arrays, and iOS/Android devices.
6Other notable recovery features GoodDisk Drill for Mac has many other extra recovery features that make it well worth its price.

Scan results

Summary of our scan results

This table presents a quick summary of the scan results we gathered when testing the data recovery software

#FeatureQuick ScanRecovery of recently deleted filesDeep ScanThe ability to restore data upon file system reformatting or loss
1HFS+ partitions55
2APFS partitions45
3FAT32 partitions55
4exFAT partitions55
5NTFS partitions55
6EXT4 partitions55
95%

Quick Scan is designed to find recently deleted files on a device. This score reflects the overall software's effectiveness of recovering permanently deleted files across various file systems

Average Score

100%

Deep Scan is primarily designed to recover data from formatted devices, and lost partitions. This score reflects the overall software's effectiveness of recovering data from various file systems after reformatting

Average Score

#SignatureDescriptionScan Score
13FR

Hasselblad 3F RAW Image File

5
2ARW

Sony Alpha RAW File

5
3BMP

Bitmap Image File

5
4CR2

Canon RAW Version 2 File

5
5CR3

Canon RAW Version 3 File

5
6CRW

Canon RAW CIFF Image File

5
7DCR

Kodak Digital Camera RAW File

5
8DNG

Digital Negative Lossless RAW Image File

5
9CinemaDNG

Adobe Industry-wide Standard File Format for Digital Video Files

5
10ERF

Epson RAW File

5
11EXR

High Dynamic-range File Format

5
12FFF

Hasselblad RAW Image File

5
13GPR

GoPro RAW Format File

5
14HEIC

High Efficiency Image File Format

5
15IIQ

Intelligent Image Quality RAW File

5
16INSP

Panoramic Image Insta360 File

5
17JP2

Bitmap Image Format JPEG 2000 File

5
18JPG

Joint Photographic Experts Group Compressed Image File

5
19KDC

Kodak Digital Camera RAW Image File

5
20MEF

Mamiya RAW Image File

5
21MOS

Leaf and Mamiya RAW Image File

5
22MPO

Multi Picture Stereoscopic Object File

5
23MRW

Konica Minolta RAW Image Format File

5
24NEF

Nikon RAW Image File

5
25NRW

Nikon RAW Image File

5
26ORF

Olympus RAW Format File

5
27PEF

Pentax RAW Image File

5
28RAF

Fujifilm RAW Image File

5
29RAW

Native Digital Camera File

5
30RW2

Panasonic Lumix RAW Image File

5
31RWL

Leica RAW Image Format File

5
32SR2

Sony RAW 2 Image File

5
33SRF

Sony RAW File

5
34SRW

Samsung RAW Image File

5
35TIFF

Tag Image File Format

5
36X3F

Sigma Camera RAW Picture File

5
37X3I

Sigma Super Fine Detail Picture File

5
100%

Most modern digital cameras and an increasing number of mobile devices allow their users to capture raw image data in a variety of raw file formats. This score reflects the software's ability to recover photos in these formats using their unique signatures

Average Score

#SignatureDescriptionScan Score
1360

GoPRO 360 Degree Video File

5
2ARI

ARRI Professional Digital Video Camera File

5
3ARX

ARRI Professional Digital Video Camera File

5
4AVI

Audio Video Interleave Multimedia Container with GoPRO CineForm Intermediate Codec

4
5AVI

Audio Video Interleave Multimedia Container with MJPG, H.264, MSMPEG4 v2 Codecs

5
6BRAW

Blackmagic RAW Video File

5
7INSV

Insta360 Panoramic H.264 Video File

5
8INSV

Insta360 Panoramic HEVC or HVC1 Video File

5
9MOV

QuickTime File Format with Apple ProRes 422 Proxy, LT or HQ Codec

5
10MOV

QuickTime File Format with Apple ProRes 4444 Raw or HQ Codec

5
11MOV

QuickTime File Format with H.264 Codec

5
12MOV

QuickTime File Format with CineForm HD Codec

5
13MOV

QuickTime File Format with HEVC or HVC1 Codec

5
14MP4

Digital Multimedia Container Format with H.264 Codec

5
15MP4

Digital Multimedia Container Format with HEVC, HVC1 or Apple ProRes Codec

5
16MXF

Material Exchange Format for Professional Digital Video and Audio Media with H.264 Codec

5
17MXF

Material Exchange Format for Professional Digital Video and Audio Media with DVCPRO HD Codec

5
18MXF

Material Exchange Format for Professional Digital Video and Audio Media with ARRI RAW or Apple ProRes Codec

5
19MXF

Material Exchange Format for Professional Digital Video and Audio Media with XDCAM HD422 or HD35 MPEG2 Codec

5
20R3D

Red Digital Camera Company RAW Video File

5
21WMV

Windows Media Video Image with Pro RAW 9 Codec

5
99%

Video file formats have undergone significant evolution during the past decade. This rating assesses the software's effectiveness in recovering various video files using its signature scanner

Average Score

#SignatureDescriptionScan Score
1ACCDB

Microsoft Access 2007+ Database File

0
2KEY

Apple Keynote Office Application File

4
3PAGES

Apple Pages Office Application File

4
4NUMBERS

Apple Numbers Office Application File

4
5DJVU

Scanned Document File Format Intended For Scanned Images

5
6DOC

Microsoft Word 97 – 2003 Document File

5
7DOCX

Microsoft Word 2007+ Document File

5
8FB2

FictionBook 2.0 eBook File

5
9MDB

Microsoft Access 97 - 2003 Database File

5
10ODP

OpenDocument Presentation File Format

5
11ODS

OpenDocument Spreadsheet File Format

5
12ODT

OpenDocument Text Document File Format

3
13PDF

Portable Document Format File

5
14PPT

Microsoft Powerpoint 97 - 2003 Presentation File

5
15PPTX

Microsoft Powerpoint 2007+ Presentation File

5
16RTF

Rich Text Format File

5
17XLS

Microsoft Excel 97 - 2003 Spreadsheet File

5
18XLSX

Microsoft Excel 2007+ Spreadsheet File

5
89%

Documents are among the most commonly recovered file formats because their importance can be tremendous, especially when they're related to work or school. This score indicates the software's proficiency in recovering different document types based on their signatures

Average Score

Attention

Feeling puzzled by terms like "Quick scan" and "Deep scan"? This link explains the different scan modes and their specific purposes.

With Disk Drill for Mac, you can recover files from all commonly used storage devices and even from more complex storage systems like RAID arrays and Windows Storage Spaces. The application achieves the same perfect partition recovery results when recovering deleted files from intact partitions as well as those that have been formatted or otherwise compromised almost across the board.

Equally impressive are its signature scanning capabilities, which shine when it comes to recover lost image and video file formats, including RAW files. Disk Drill’s document file format recovery performance is slightly worse than its multimedia file recovery performance, but it’s still miles above most other data recovery software applications (only Microsoft Access 2007+ database files are not supported at all). 

What makes Disk Drill’s fantastic scan results even better is how easy it is to achieve them. You just need to scan your device, and the software automatically applies all of its recovery algorithms in the optimal order—no need to manually specify if you want to recover them based on file system metadata or file signatures, for example. 

Additional scan features

Other notable scanning features and their performance These advanced scanning features expand the software's capabilities, adding flexibility to scanning process and allowing it to recover data from a wider range of data loss scenarios
93%
Average Score
#FeatureScore
1The number of file types supported by signature scan4
2Native deep scan of system drives on M1/M2/M3-powered Macs5
3Native deep scan of system drives on T2-encrypted Macs5
4Native data recovery from local Time Machine snapshots5
5Scan for lost partitions5
6HFS+ directory rebuild5
7Recovered files' labeling5
8Partial file recovery5
9Disk images: scan and recovery5

There’s virtually no data loss situation that Disk Drill for Mac can’t solve thanks to its advanced data recovery algorithms and many additional scan features. These features include native data recovery from local Time Machine snapshots, scanning for lost partitions, HFS+ directory rebuild, labeling of recovered files for easy identification, and partial file recovery to salvage usable data from corrupted files. Furthermore, it can create and scan disk images for safe, non-destructive data recovery. 

Device Support

Supported internal and external storage devices Ideally, data recovery software applications should be able to recover from internal and external hard drives, external USB flash drives, memory cards, smartphones, and other commonly used storage devices
95%
Average Score
#FeatureScore
1Internal and external HDD5
2Internal and external SSD5
3USB thumb drives / Classic iPods (non-iOS) / FireWire devices5
4Memory cards5
5iOS devices5
6iOS backups5
7iCloud0
8Android devices5
9Recovery from RAID arrays5
10Encrypted device support5
11Unmountable partitions5
12NAS (Network-attached storage) RAID devices5
13Remote SSH (secure shell protocol) Linux based devices recovery5

Disk Drill for Mac is an exceptionally versatile data recovery software application that can recover data from not just internal and external storage devices but also Android and iOS smartphones, as well as RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 1E, JBOD arrays, and Windows Storage Space. In its current version, Disk Drill reconstructs RAID arrays automatically, but its developers are working on a manual RAID reconstructor module for advanced users. 

In fact, Disk Drill’s iOS recovery capabilities often exceed those of dedicated iOS data recovery software thanks to its newly implemented algorithms, which can recover both first-party (messages, contacts) and third-party data (WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, and so on). 

Other notable recovery features

Additional recovery features and their performance These additional recovery features are what often separates average data recovery software solutions from those that can satisfy the needs of professionals and power users
88%
Average Score
#FeatureScore
1Overall non-intrusive read-only algorithms5
2Network recovery0
3Effectively filters out corrupted scan results3
4Byte-to-byte device backups5
5Bootable recovery drive creation0
6Runs in macOS native recovery mode5
7Convenient scan session management5
8Bad sector management5
9Recovery chance prediction5
10RAID reconstructor3
11Disk vitals monitoring and tracking during scan5
12Data protection5
13Links to in-lab recovery service for physically damaged devices5
14Scan speed5
15Scan free space only5
16Start file recovery without interrupting the scan5
17Preview recoverable items without interrupting the scan5
18Forensic features5

Disk Drill for Mac is a feature-complete data recovery software application whose extra recovery features include everything from scan session management to data protection. The software uses non-intrusive read-only algorithms, has the ability to filter out corrupted scan results, can accurately predict recovery chances, and much more. Its RAID reconstruction capabilities are second to none, making it possible even for inexperienced home users to solve complicated cases of data loss. 

69%

Extras

12 rating criteria

When a data recovery software application is loaded with extra features to help users manage and protect their data, its overall value increases. In this regard, Disk Drill for Mac may just be the most cost-effective data recovery software currently available.

#FeatureResultDescription
1Disk space mapping YesDisk Drill for Mac can analyze any storage device and create a map that shows which files and folders occupy the most.
2Disk clean up YesYou can perform disk clean-up with Disk Drill for Mac to get rid of files you no longer need.
3Corrupted video repair tool NoNot supported.
4Corrupted photo repair tool NoNot supported.
5Time Machine backups parser YesIt’s possible to restore directly from Time Machine backup using this software.
6S.M.A.R.T. YesDisk Drill for Mac can read and interpret disk health monitoring data of internal and external HDDs and SSDs.
7Bootable macOS installer YesYou can create a bootable macOS installer using Disk Drill for Mac.
8Duplicate finder YesThe Find Duplicates feature helps locate the extra copies of the same files to get rid of them.
9Built-in disk space secure eraser YesDisk Drill for Mac can securely erase empty disk space to make data recovery impossible.
10Disk cloning NoNot supported.
11Disk surface test NoNot supported.
12Secure data shredding YesYou can use Disk Drill for Mac to securely shred sensitive data.

With only a few relatively minor omissions, Disk Drill for Mac provides a complete set of data management features, making it well-worth keeping around even if your data backup strategy is so good that you don’t worry about losing important data at all.

What Users Say about Disk Drill for Mac

Disk Drill has an intuitive user interface and it is quite easy to use. It's an excellent software for recovering lost files that one cannot locate or are deleted. It also allows you to make backups in case your computer crashes and requires a reset. Disk Drill is cross-platform with support for Windows and Mac.

Anand G (g2.com)

Disk Drill is an awesome free file recovery program, both because of its long list of features and its exceptionally simple-to-use interface.

Tim Fisher (lifewire.com)

I honestly like this application. I work with lots of devices. I am a software tester, so I have an iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Mac, and a Windows computer. Sometimes it is really hard to manage all the data I need. Even a free version of Disk Drill helps me with that. 

kojimah9 (macupdate.com)

I work as a photographer. I have a lot of photo sessions during the week. After I took photos, I have to upload them to my laptop and edit them. I use a special adapter to upload photos from a camera memory card. Last month Disk Drill saved me and my reputation.

koltzvonsteiner (macupdate.com)

Video Resources for Disk Drill for Mac: Tutorials and Helpful Guides

To help you better understand how Disk Drill for Mac works, we’ve put together a collection of useful video tutorials.

How to Recover Files from a Time Machine Backup

In this video tutorial we will discover how to recover deleted data using Time Machine backup on your Mac. No backup? Try Disk Drill for free.

How to Recover Lost iOS Data with Disk Drill

Sometimes your iPhone gets lost or damaged, which makes it very convenient that Disk Drill has the ability to recover your lost data from iOS devices.

Mac Photo Recovery: 3 Best Ways to Recover Deleted Photos

So if you've just deleted a bunch of photos on your Mac, then this video is for you. Note: if you've deleted something on your Mac and when you deleted it, it said permanently deleted, or this cannot be undone. That's a little bit more of a unique situation in which you should definitely stop using your Mac entirely and watch this video all the way through, because that's, what's going to give you the best chance of file recovery.

Meet Disk Drill 5 - The Essential Data Recovery Tool for macOS & Windows

Meet Disk Drill 5, your one stop data recovery and protection solution for macOS and Windows PC

Bottom line

Disk Drill for Mac isn’t perfect, but we have yet to test any data recovery software application that’s closer to perfection. 

Unlike most other solutions of its kind, Disk Drill for Mac is both simple and powerful. You don’t have to be an IT professional to instantly understand how to use it, and it takes just one click for its highly effective data recovery algorithms to get into action.

The fact that Disk Drill for Mac is packed with more extra features than any other data recovery software we’ve ever tested only makes it that much more attractive and cost-effective. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Disk Drill for Mac.

Disk Drill is typically located in the Applications folder, which can be accessed just like any other folder using Finder. 

Yes, Mac users can download Disk Drill for free and use it to scan any storage device to find out if their lost files can be recovered. However, it’s necessary to upgrade to Disk Drill PRO or Enterprise to perform the actual recovery.

Disk Drill displays recoverable files in the scan results window, which you can open even during scanning, by clicking the Review found items button.

You can easily remove duplicate files on your Mac using Disk Drill’s Find Duplicates feature. Simply activate the feature and add a folder to search for duplicates.

No, Disk Drill is also available for Windows, and the two versions share a similar user-friendly interface for added convenience. When you purchase Disk Drill PRO or Enterprise, you can install the application on both platforms.

Because Disk Drill installs several additional modules that allow it to effectively recover permanently lost data, simply dragging the application to the Trash folder isn’t enough to fully remove all components.

Here’s the correct way to remove Disk Drill:

  1. Launch the application.
  2. Open Preferences.
  3. Click the Remove Disk Drill option in the General section.

Alternatively, you can use a third-party app uninstaller, such as AppCleaner.

To disable the S.M.A.R.T. monitoring feature, whose purpose is to warn you about early signs of hard drive failure, open the “S.M.A.R.T. monitoring” extra tool in the main window of Disk Drill and click Turn off.

🏅 Highly recommended

Disk Drill for Mac Review – In a League of Its Own
4.79

Out of 5 Total score

No. 1 Among all macOS solutions

Disk Drill for Mac is the best data recovery solution for Mac we’ve tested so far. By combining an easy-to-use interface with powerful features, it has a lot to offer to casual and experienced users alike. 

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David Morelo
Author

David Morelo is a professional content writer with a specialization in data recovery. He spends his days helping users from around the world recover from data loss and address the numerous issues associated with it.

When not writing about data recovery techniques and solutions, he enjoys tinkering with new technology, working on personal projects, exploring the world on his bike, and, above all else, spending time with his family.

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Nikolay Lankevich
Nikolay Lankevich
Approver

Nikolay Lankevich has over 15 years of strong experience in various fields and platform includes Disaster Recovery, Windows XP/7. System analysis, design, application (Inter/Intranet) development, and testing. Provided technical supports on desktop and laptops on Win-XP and Macintosh for about 2000 employees.

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