{"id":45735,"date":"2022-11-30T17:08:54","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T17:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=45735"},"modified":"2022-11-30T17:08:54","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T17:08:54","slug":"how-to-recover-data-from-an-ssd-on-a-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/mac-ssd-data-recovery.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover Data from an SSD on a Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"

SSD data recovery on Mac is not that complicated if you use the right tools and prepare adequately. SSDs are generally more resilient and don\u2019t fail as often as HDDs, but they are still not immune to data loss.<\/p>\r\n

And while keeping consistent backups is of course always important, sometimes you\u2019re hit by sudden loss of data and there\u2019s nothing you can do other than attempt to recover what you\u2019ve lost. Let\u2019s see what your options are.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Is It Possible to Recover Data from an SSD on a Mac?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Mac SSD data recovery is not too different from recovering from a regular hard drive. The most important thing to consider here is whether your disk is using TRIM (more on that below). If you want to recover data from a Mac with an SSD, you should either use specialized software for the purpose, or send your disk to a recovery center if that fails.<\/p>\r\n

Like recovering data from other storage devices, the most important factor here is whether the SSD was used after your data was lost. The more you use the drive after the incident, the more of your original data will likely be overwritten.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>How Does TRIM Affect SSD Recovery on a Mac?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

TRIM is a special command used with SSDs which informs the drive that specific pieces of data are safe to delete. Normally, data is not physically erased from the disk, but is just overwritten. When something is marked as \u201cdeleted\u201d, what happens in reality is that the space occupied by that data is marked as free, allowing applications to write over it.<\/p>\r\n

Because of this, you can still recover files after they\u2019ve been deleted, but you need specialized tools for that.<\/p>\r\n

With TRIM, data is instead deleted permanently as soon as it\u2019s freed up. This means that it\u2019s no longer possible to recover any of it, even with advanced tools. Keep this in mind before deciding to enable TRIM. While it can improve the performance of your SSD, it can also lead to problems if you suffer from accidental data loss in the future.<\/div>\r\n

Depending on what you use the drive for, it might be a good idea to avoid using TRIM at all. Consult an expert if you\u2019re in doubt about this, and describe your general usage patterns to them to see what they will say.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>How to Recover Data from an SSD on a Mac<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Can you recover data from an SSD on a Mac? Certainly \u2013 there are actually several methods available. It\u2019s recommended to go with Disk Utility<\/b> as a first approach, and only use the alternative options if that doesn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Fix 1:<\/span> Disk Utility<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

Disk Utility<\/b> can work well if your drive is not physically damaged. It\u2019s a useful tool for bringing a \u201cdead\u201d SSD back to life if it\u2019s not getting recognized by the operating system, for example. However, it won\u2019t help you get back files that you\u2019ve deleted. You\u2019ll need to use one of the below methods for that.<\/p>\r\n

To attempt to recover your drive using Disk Utility<\/b>, simply follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  1. Start Disk Utility<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Choose your drive from the left-side list<\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Click First Aid <\/b>at the top\"first<\/li>\r\n\t
  4. Click Run<\/b><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Your computer will now attempt to recover and mount the disk properly. If this works, you should be able to access it as you normally do through the operating system.<\/p>\r\n

    <\/span>Fix 2:<\/span> Data Recovery Software<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

    There are also specialized tools on the market that can assist you with data recovery. Some of those, like Disk Drill<\/b>, can even recover data that\u2019s already been deleted. This has one major prerequisite: you must stop using the disk as soon as you\u2019ve deleted files from it. Otherwise, they will get overwritten by processes very quickly.<\/p>\r\n

    To use Disk Drill <\/b>to recover your data, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n\t
    1. Download<\/a> and install Disk Drill <\/b>
      \r\n
      \r\n
      \r\n
      \r\n \"Disk \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
      \r\n download-block-title<\/b>
      \r\n download-block-text\r\n <\/div>\r\n
      \r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/svg>\r\ndownload-block-button-text\r\n<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div><\/li>\r\n\t
    2. Launch Disk Drill<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t
    3. Choose your drive from the list of drives<\/li>\r\n\t
    4. Select All Recovery Methods\"\"<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t
    5. Click Search for lost data <\/b>and wait for the scan to finish.\"all<\/li>\r\n\t
    6. Click Review found items\"review<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t
    7. You will now see a list of all files and folders that you can recover. Go through the list and select any files you want to get back. Once you\u2019re done, click Recover<\/b> to save them.\"recover<\/li>\r\n\t
    8. Choose a location separate from your SSD in all cases. Otherwise, you risk corrupting your data by writing directly over it.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      <\/span>Fix 3:<\/span> Data Recovery Service<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

      If the above options don\u2019t work out, you can also consider sending your drive to a data recovery center. Cleverfiles Data Recovery Center<\/a> is a well-known example on this market. These services have advanced technological capabilities that allow them to access data which would normally be inaccessible via regular methods.<\/p>\r\n

      This often involves disassembling the disk and accessing the data stored on it directly. This is a risky process if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, as it can lead to permanent damage to your SSD.<\/p>\r\n

      Keep in mind that data recovery centers are still not guaranteed to get your data back. Depending on how it was lost, and what you\u2019ve been doing with the drive since then, it\u2019s possible that it\u2019s gone forever. As a general rule, you should send in your disk as soon as you\u2019ve realized that you\u2019ve lost data from it.<\/p>\r\n

      You should also prepare to wait a long time until you get your drive back, and possibly pay a high fee for the recovery.<\/p>\r\n

      <\/span>How and When Do SSDs Fail?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

      One major advantage of SSDs compared to regular hard drives is that they don\u2019t use any moving parts for data storage. In a hard drive, data is stored on magnetic plates which are constantly spinning and are read by a moving arm.<\/p>\r\n

      This makes HDDs very susceptible to physical damage. One light hit could be enough to completely destroy a hard drive and make it unusable.<\/p>\r\n

      SSDs don\u2019t suffer from this problem. They are very resilient to physical damage. However, they have a limitation in terms of how long they can be used. The NAND memory used in SSDs has a limited lifespan, measured in read\/write cycles. Once that limit is reached, your disk will start to die.<\/p>\r\n

      Usually, an SSD can last for a good 7-10 years before it dies. This depends on how actively you use it though. If you\u2019re an avid gamer, for example, your SSDs might not last as long, as games will constantly read data from the disk.<\/p>\r\n

      <\/span>How to Protect Your SSD on a Mac<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

      Protecting your SSD is not too different from protecting a hard drive, with the exception that you don\u2019t need to watch out for physical damage. There are some general precautions you can take to stay on the safe side.<\/p>\r\n