{"id":7237,"date":"2020-08-25T00:53:28","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T00:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=7237"},"modified":"2025-02-18T15:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T15:37:02","slug":"recover-data-corrupted-ssd-hard-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/ssd-data-recovery.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover Data from an SSD Drive on Windows & Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solid State Drives (SSDs) have become the standard type of drive in modern desktops and laptops. Why? Because they are faster, cheaper to produce, and (because they have no moving parts) are less likely to fail.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

But just because a drive is less likely to fail, it doesn’t mean they are less prone to data loss than standard (platter-driven) drives. Why? User error and software failures\u2014both issues that cannot be blamed on hardware.<\/p>\r\n

\"how<\/p>\r\n

So when you lose data on an SSD, are you out of luck? In most situations, probably not. There are plenty of software tools available to help you recover data from an SSD relatively easily. However, there is one issue that could possibly prevent you from using the standard data recovery software to succeed in this task: the so-called TRIM command<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n

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

TRIM is an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) command that helps your SSD manage data more efficiently. Unlike HDDs, SSDs do not retain data for a very long time after it is deleted. This is due to TRIM. Once a file is deleted, the SSD immediately marks the space as available for new data, and TRIM speeds up the erasure process.<\/p>\r\n

Now, is this good for SSD data recovery? Not at all. When data is erased (after being issued by a TRIM command), that data is essentially gone for good, whereas if TRIM wasn\u2019t enabled, it would only be erased when new data is ready to take its place.<\/p>\r\n

Regardless of whether TRIM is enabled, you should attempt to recover your data. You\u2019ll likely find yourself in one of the following recovery situations:<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Data recovery scenario<\/td>\r\nDescription<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Recovery of deleted files or formatted SSDs<\/td>\r\nMost internal drives come with TRIM enabled. However, your data won\u2019t be lost until a TRIM command is issued. There\u2019s no telling when a TRIM command will be run, so it\u2019s important to scan your SSD<\/a> as soon as possible. The same is true if you need to recover data from a formatted SSD drive.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Data recovery from external SSDs<\/td>\r\nGenerally speaking, most SSDs do not have TRIM, as it\u2019s a SATA\/NVMe command and most drives are connected through USB. Therefore, you should have a good chance of recovering your data<\/a>, provided it hasn\u2019t been overwritten by continued use.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Data recovery from SSDs with damaged file systems<\/td>\r\nWhen your file system is damaged, your data is inaccessible to both you and your drive. Therefore, it should be safe from the dangers of TRIM. However, with the drive in its current state, data recovery<\/a> is your first priority and likely only option of accessing the data again.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

<\/div>\r\n

💾 If your SSD is unstable or failing, creating a byte-to-byte disk image<\/a> of the drive is incredibly important. This has two benefits. Firstly, it will ensure you\u2019ve got a preserved copy of your SSD in its current state. Secondly, it eliminates the stress of scanning the drive directly, which could potentially push it over to the point of complete failure. Check out our guide on how to recover data from a failed, dead, or crashed SSD<\/a> for steps on doing this.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>SSD Data Recovery Steps<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

It\u2019s easy to recover deleted files from an SSD drive nowadays because data recovery software is available at your fingertips. However, this is assuming you\u2019ve got an SSD data recovery tool that\u2019s both (a) easy to use, and (b) effective at recovering data in your specific situation.<\/p>\r\n

We\u2019ve split this into a four-step process that\u2019s super simple to follow. This is how you perform SSD hard drive recovery using Disk Drill:<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Step 1.<\/span> Disconnect Drive and Connect Externally<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

Seeing as the majority of SSDs that use TRIM are modern internal drives, this will primarily apply to them. Start by removing the internal SSD from your system as soon as possible. Then, connect it to the computer you\u2019ll be performing recovery. Ideally, you\u2019ll want to make sure it\u2019s in read-only mode<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

To connect an internal drive externally, whether it\u2019s from your desktop or laptop, you will need to get an enclosure for your SSD. These enclosures will house your M.2 or SATA drive and allow you to connect it as a USB storage device. It basically turns it into an external SSD. If your laptop SSD is soldered to the motherboard, removing it is impractical. Instead, proceed to the next step which involved disabling TRIM.<\/p>\r\n

ℹ️ If you\u2019re recovering data from a BitLocker-encrypted SSD, you will also need to log in with the same personal Microsoft or Azure account that contains the necessary BitLocker keys.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>Step 2.<\/span> Disable TRIM<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

Now we want to disable TRIM to make sure it doesn\u2019t run while we\u2019re trying to recover the data. Although the likelihood of TRIM being able to run over the USB protocol is unlikely, it\u2019s a good idea to try it anyway.<\/p>\r\n

⚠️ If you decide against removing the drive and connecting it externally, or you\u2019re working on a laptop with an SSD that cannot be removed, disabling TRIM is essential<\/b>.<\/div>\r\n

TRIM can be disabled by running just one command:<\/p>\r\n

fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 1<\/pre>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
You\u2019ll need to use a terminal application for this. Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Terminal are all great options. Here\u2019s how you can disable TRIM:<\/b><\/p>\r\n
    \r\n\t
  1. Right-click Start<\/b> and click Terminal (Admin)<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Run the command.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 1<\/pre>\r\n\"Disabling<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
    <\/span>Step 3.<\/span> Recover Files from SSD<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
    Now it\u2019s time to get data off the SSD drive. If you need to recover files, even those that were permanently deleted from the solid-state drive, Disk Drill<\/a> is an excellent option. It works well for both SATA and M.2 SSDs, including those using NVMe. Because it works directly with the drive, it can make use of file system records to locate deleted data. If the file system isn\u2019t usable, it will instead identify data by its unique file signature, giving you a good chance of recovery no matter the case.<\/p>\r\n