{"id":51,"date":"2013-03-25T13:33:41","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T13:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/help.cleverfiles.com\/?p=51"},"modified":"2025-10-30T12:34:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T12:34:16","slug":"how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/help\/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover Lost Files with Disk Drill PRO for Mac or PC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">\n  <b>Prerequisite<\/b>: This guide assumes you\u2019ve <a title=\"How to Upgrade from Disk Drill Basic to PRO\" href=\"\/help\/how-to-upgrade-from-disk-drill-basic-to-pro\/\">upgraded<\/a> from Disk Drill Basic to Disk Drill PRO.\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"before_you_begin\"><\/span><b>Before You Begin<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Connect the device you\u2019re recovering from:<\/b> If the deleted files are on an external device (USB flash drive, SD card, camera, or external HDD\/SSD), connect it now.<\/li>\n<li><b>Close any apps that might write to the drive:<\/b>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc\">\n<li><b>macOS<\/b>: Time Machine, Photos, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.<\/li>\n<li><b>Windows<\/b>: File History\/Windows Backup, Photos app, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, antivirus or disk utilities, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Recovering from your internal\/system drive?<\/b>\u00a0If you need to recover files from your Mac\u2019s internal hard drive, proceed to\u00a0<a title=\"How to Recover Lost Files from Your Mac Internal Hard Drive\" href=\"\/help\/how-to-recover-lost-files-from-your-mac-internal-hard-drive\/\">How to Recover Files From Your Mac Internal Hard Drive<\/a>.\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Important<\/b>: If the lost data is on your internal drive, minimize use of that computer. When possible, shut it down and perform the recovery from another Mac\/PC or boot from a separate drive. This helps prevent overwriting the deleted data.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Have a safe destination ready<\/b>. Prepare a different disk or partition with enough free space to save recovered files. Never recover to the same drive you\u2019re scanning.<\/li>\n<li><b>Using Disk Drill\u2019s data protection?<\/b> If Data Protection (e.g., Recovery Vault or Guaranteed Recovery) is enabled on the affected volume, go to <a title=\"How to Use Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery\" href=\"\/help\/how-to-use-recovery-vault-and-guaranteed-recovery\/\">How to Use Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery<\/a> for the fastest restore path.<\/li>\n<li><b>New to scanning?<\/b> Review our <a title=\"Scanning FAQs\" href=\"\/help\/scanning-faqs\/\">Scanning FAQs<\/a>\u00a0and <a title=\"Troubleshooting Scan Results\" href=\"\/help\/troubleshooting-scan-results\/\">Troubleshooting Scan Results<\/a> articles to understand scan types, timelines, and best practices.<\/li>\n<li><b>Confirm file\u2011type support:<\/b>\u00a0If you need a specific format (for example, .docx, .jpg, .mp4), check <a title=\"What file types can Disk Drill recover?\" href=\"\/help\/file-types\/\">What File Types Can Disk Drill Recover?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"post-relative post-download\">\r\n<i class=\"box-60x36 icons icon-winmac-xs  \"><\/i>\r\nDownload Disk Drill data recovery app\r\n<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-xs-block pull-right\" href=\"\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/dl.html\">Download now<\/a>\r\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div><p>\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7CFpGBJFFvc?si=ky1sshIHuSLaISFa\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"scan_for_lost_files\"><\/span><b>Scan for Lost Files<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Launch Disk Drill<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Select the drive or device<\/b>. In the device list, click the disk that contains your deleted files. If it has multiple partitions\/volumes, expand the drive to choose the correct one if needed. Don\u2019t see the right volume? See <a title=\"Scanning FAQs\" href=\"\/help\/scanning-faqs\/\">Scanning FAQs<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Start the scan<\/b>. Click &#8220;Search for lost data&#8221;. As the scan begins, Disk Drill will attempt to <a href=\"\/help\/remount-disks-partitions-in-read-only-mode\/\">remount the selected volume as read\u2011only<\/a> (where supported) to minimize write activity during recovery.\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">\n  &#x26a0;&#xfe0f; This protection does not apply to the system\/boot drive and may not be available on all configurations.\n<\/div>\n<p><\/li>\n<li><b>Choose the scan method<\/b>.\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc\">\n<li><b>Universal Scan<\/b>: A comprehensive, all\u2011purpose scan for most drives and scenarios (internal, external, USB, SD, HDD\/SSD).<\/li>\n<li><b>Advanced Camera Recovery<\/b>: Optimized for camera cards and cameras (SD\/CF\/XQD, etc.) to <a href=\"\/help\/advanced-camera-recovery-in-disk-drill.html\">reconstruct photos and videos<\/a>, including many RAW formats. Best when a camera or SD card was formatted or files disappeared from a shoot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/li>\n<li><b>Let the scan finish<\/b>. Scanning time varies by drive size and condition\u2014large or <a href=\"\/help\/dmg-iso-backup.html\">failing disks<\/a> can take hours (and in extreme cases, days). You can view scan results in real time as Disk Drill finds files. When the scan is complete, Disk Drill displays the full list of discovered files.<\/li>\n<li><b>Pause, resume, or stop if needed.<\/b> Use the Pause\/Stop control next to the progress bar to temporarily Pause and Resume later.\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc\">\n<li>To stop and return to the previous screen, click Cancel\/Stop.<\/li>\n<li>Auto\u2011save: Your scan state is saved automatically.<\/li>\n<li>Save a copy: Click Save to <a href=\"\/help\/save-resume-recovery-progress.html\">export the scan session<\/a> to another disk, so you can pick up later without re\u2011scanning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">\n  &#x1f4a1; <b>Best results<\/b>: Allow the scan to run uninterrupted whenever possible. Full, uninterrupted scans tend to produce the most complete recovery results.\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Filter the results<\/b>. Use the built\u2011in filters to narrow down what you need by filename keyword, file type (Documents, Photos, Video, Audio, Archives), size, and date. Can\u2019t find what you\u2019re looking for? See <a href=\"\/help\/find-specific-lost-item-in-disk-drill.html\">How do I find a specific lost item in Disk Drill once the scan is over?<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"file_recovery_option_1_mount_and_browse_found_items_pro\"><\/span><b>File Recovery Option 1: Mount and Browse Found Items (PRO)<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once the scan completes, Disk Drill PRO lets you mount the found items as a read-only virtual disk. This makes reviewing and opening files much easier\u2014you can browse them in your operating system\u2019s native file manager and open them with their usual apps (no special viewers or plug\u2011ins required).<\/p>\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">\n&#x2139;&#xfe0f; <b>Good to know: file systems &#038; cross\u2011platform drives<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>FAT32<\/b> is legacy and not journaled, with a 4 GB per\u2011file limit\u2014not ideal for modern workflows.<\/li>\n<li><b>exFAT<\/b> is widely supported by macOS and Windows and avoids the 4 GB limit, but it\u2019s also non\u2011journaled, so unexpected power loss or unplugging can increase corruption risk. On macOS, you may see auxiliary \u201c._\u201d files on FAT\/exFAT\u2014these are normal metadata sidecars.<\/li>\n<li><b>For primary drives<\/b>, use the native file systems: APFS (or HFS+ Journaled on older Macs) on macOS, and NTFS or ReFS on Windows. Reserve exFAT mainly for temporary, cross-platform transfers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Mount the results<\/b>. In Disk Drill PRO, choose <a href=\"\/help\/how-do-i-mount-scanning-results-as-a-disk-and-recover-from-it\/\">Mount found items as disk<\/a> (wording may vary slightly by version). The mount is read\u2011only for safety.<\/li>\n<li><b>Find the mounted disk<\/b>.\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc\">\n<li><b>macOS<\/b>: The disk appears under Locations in Finder (and often on the Desktop).<\/li>\n<li><b>Windows<\/b>: The disk appears in File Explorer as a new drive letter under This PC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/li>\n<li><b>Browse and preview<\/b>. Open the mounted disk to sort, preview, and open files with their native applications.<\/li>\n<li><b>Choose a safe destination and save (recover)<\/b>. Drag the files or folders you want from the mounted disk to a different drive or partition with enough free space.\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">\n  &#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Important<\/b>: Never save recovered data back to the same drive you\u2019re recovering from. Writing to that drive can overwrite still-recoverable data and reduce your chances of a successful recovery.\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Verify your files<\/b>. Open the copied files in their new location to confirm they transferred and open correctly.<\/li>\n<li><b>Eject\/unmount when you\u2019re done<\/b>. In Disk Drill (Windows version), eject the mounted virtual disk. It will also unmount automatically when you leave the scan results and return to the main screen. Mac users can also eject it in Finder.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"file_recovery_option_2_recover_selected_files_using_the_disk_drill_interface\"><\/span><b>File Recovery Option 2: Recover Selected Files Using the Disk Drill Interface<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you don\u2019t want to mount the scan results as a disk, you can recover selected files directly from Disk Drill.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Select the items to recover<\/b>. Check the box next to each file or folder you want to retrieve.<\/li>\n<li><b>Click Recover<\/b>. Click Recover in the lower-right corner of the window.<\/li>\n<li><b>Choose a safe destination<\/b>. Pick a different drive or partition with enough free space for the recovered files.\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">\n  &#x26a0;&#xfe0f; <b>Important<\/b>: Never save recovered data to the same drive you\u2019re recovering from. Writing to that drive can overwrite remaining deleted data and reduce your chances of a successful recovery.\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Finish and verify<\/b>. Disk Drill will show Finished when the process completes. Open your destination folder in Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) and launch the files with their native apps to confirm they work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prerequisite: This guide assumes you\u2019ve upgraded from Disk Drill Basic to Disk Drill PRO. Before You Begin Connect the device you\u2019re recovering from: If the deleted files are on an external device (USB flash drive, SD card, camera, or external [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-51","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-recovery","7":"category-tutorials"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Recover Lost Files with Disk Drill PRO for Mac or PC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recover deleted files on Mac or Windows with Disk Drill PRO. Scan drives, preview results in real time, and safely restore data to another drive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/help\/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-pro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Recover Lost Files with Disk Drill PRO for Mac or PC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recover deleted files on Mac or Windows with Disk Drill PRO. 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