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Disk Drill for Mac

Data recovery and protection app.

Free
In English
Version 5.5.1517
3.8
Based on 192 user rates

MacUpdate professional review by Yar Yan

Updated on August 29, 2024

Disk Drill for Mac

Safely recover lost files on Mac with Disk Drill.

As an advanced solution by CleverFiles, the Disk Drill data recovery app safeguards your data and recovers lost files. Mac users will appreciate the Dics Drill interface UI, which is intuitive and user-friendly and makes the data recovery process easy and fast.

The Disk Drill download page initiates a free download immediately, which can be intimidating. However, Disc Drill is completely free unless you want to upgrade to Disc Drill PRO or Enterprise.

Disk Drill features

The Disk Drill data recovery app lists several features and scans: Smart Disk Scan, Quick Scan, Allocate existing data, Undelete protected data, and Deep Scan.

With each scanning algorithm, you can identify 383+ file types, including AVI, FLV, MP4 videos, MP3 and AIFF audio, BMP, JPEG, JP2, GIF, and PSD images. Among the text files, DOCX, PDF, and XLSX formats, as well as ZIP, RAR, and DMG archives and image formats.

Generally, if you cannot identify which scan you need for your Mac, you want to use the Smart Disc Scan feature.

  • Smart Disc Scan will activate the most effective sequence of scanning algorithms created specifically for your Mac storage.
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The Smart Disc Scan feature is a good choice for new Disc Drill users. A more confident user might choose a quick scan to detect recently deleted files or a more profound scan—the Deep Scan.

  • The Deep Scan feature will scour your data storage sector-by-sector and identify patterns associated with particular file formats. Each new Deep Scan iteration can recognize additional file types.

If you know exactly which file you want to recover that’s been lost after you emptied the bin, you will go for a Quick Scan feature.

  • The Quick Scan will recover files you have recently deleted but they haven’t been rewritten with new data on your computer yet.

Whenever your data storage device gives you a tick, you can rely on Disc Drill, too—use the Allocate existing data feature when your files suddenly stop showing up in the storage.

  • Allocate existing data will extract the data from your live storage device with custom data reading techniques.

And last but not least—a feature you will want to keep enabled at all times—Undelete protected data.

  • The Undelete protected data option provides you with a vault for data protection and guarantees data recovery at all times (except when the feature was not enabled before the data loss).

Note: You have to consider several factors that lower the chances of data recovery: disk condition, fragmentation, file system, storage device type (SSD disks are harder to recover), time passed after data loss, and finally, whether the file was overwritten.

Is Disk Drill safe?

Absolutely. Disk Drill is 100% safe and carries zero malware or spyware of any type. Both VirusTotal and Microsoft Defender have confirmed that Dics Drill is completely safe by running multiple malware scans.

In fact, Disk Drill is an offline service, which means it carries out each process only using your computer’s resources without sending your data to a remote company server. This helps prevent data loss and privacy breaches associated with third-party data exchange. The End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy clearly state the company’s commitment to user privacy and data protection.

How to use Disk Drill?

Once you find yourself in need of a free ‘undelete too’, all you have to do is visit the Disk Drill website and choose between a free download and a PRO version. If you want to use the PRO benefits, purchase and download.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Disc Drill:

  1. To install, simply drag the Disk Drill icon to your Applications folder.
  2. Check the version and click Install now.
  3. Once in, use your Disk Drill activation code to start enjoying the benefits of the Disk Drill PRO or its free features.
  4. To recover your data, choose the disc and click Search for lost data.
  5. Wait for the scan to finish and press Review found items.
  6. Choose a folder or a file from the list and hit Recover.

Tip: The longer you stall, the higher the chance your data will be overwritten and, thus, impossible to recover.

Disc Drill reputation

Although Disc Drill is a reputable and safe data recovery tool, App Store users do not seem too impressed. Disc Drill hit a star rating of 3.1 out of 5 on the App Store. TechRadar rates Disc Drill at 4.5 out of 5 stars, which is quite favorable compared to G2 rating Disc Drill at 3.8 out of 5.

While some Disk Drill reviews scream "Best recovery app of all the (many) recovery apps I’ve tried," others complain—"Expensive and Useless: I accidentally formatted an SD card but I could still see all the files. In my desperation I searched for the best app in the app store and got this. bought it, used it and it recovered literally nothing."

Even though some file types are more difficult to recover or might be unrecoverable, most Disc Drill users seem pleased with the app. Its simplicity and reliability allow it to recover long-lost photos and documents.

Disk Drill description

Disk Drill is available in a Free/Basic version and a Pro version.

Disk Drill is a Mac data recovery software designed natively for Mac OS: easily protect your files from accidental deletion with Recovery Vault and recover lost data from Mac disks. Most storage devices, file types, and file systems are supported. You can recover deleted files from iPhone and Android devices! Disk Drill offers helpful and free tools for disk management like duplicate file finder, byte-to-byte backups, disk cleanup, and space visualization, bootable data recovery drive, disk health monitoring, etc.

When something is deleted Recovery Vault makes it possible to recover not only the file itself but also its properties, such as original file name, location, etc. So you will always be able to recover data from the Mac files system (HFS/HFS+) and FAT32 partitions. Disk Drill also includes powerful S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring right out of the box; you can monitor your disks' hardware status and get automatic notifications of potential failures or other issues. If a disk or partition is failing, you can easily backup it into a disk image (DMG) which can later be mounted for recovery.

Disk Drill PRO also features a number of advanced scanning modes for data recovery of FAT, NTFS, HFS/HFS+, other file systems, and formatted (initialized) drives. Using Quick Scan you can locate deleted items on FAT and NTFS disks, this scanning method is fast and accurate but is unlikely to find data deleted long ago. With Deep Scan you can try to recover data from any disk or memory card regardless of their file system. This recovery method is long and thorough, it scans your disk in a binary mode and is capable of finding deleted files even after formatting.

What’s new in version 5.5.1517

New
  • Disk Drill 5.5 brings on lots of fine tuning of interface and overall app performance.
  • New file signatures recognized by Disk Drill: .gp - Guitar Pro 8 Tablature and .musx - Finale Music Notation files.
  • iOS scan can now recognize and include geographical location in photo recovery results as well as keychain passwords.
Improvements
  • Minor improvements in iPhone and iPads scanning module for even better user experience.
  • Improved handling of Dropbox files by the Clean Up module.
  • Better presentation of images assigned to the recovered contacts.
  • Better recovery chances prediction for the files recovered from BTRFS file systems.
  • Much improved .potm files detection and therefore their subsequent recovery.
  • Overall scanning speed improvements by approximately 5%.
  • Subtle improvements of the app interface visuals, responsiveness and usability throughout.
  • Purgeable space is now taken into consideration when determining how much free space is available on disk.
  • Better detection of operating systems on scanned NAS devices.
  • Better handling of NAS devices set up with DRBD system.
  • Overall improvements for data recovery from Android devices.
  • Better detection of the following file signatures during scan: .potx, .ppsm, .pptm, .dotx, .docm, .dotm, .xltx, .xltm, .xlsm, .xlsb.
  • Disk Drill stability on macOS Big Sur.
  • Optimized the display of information about NAS devices and their elements.
Fixes
  • Corrected some issues when attempting recovery from locked notes on iOS devices.
  • Fixed Disk Drill running out of memory on rare occasions while scanning for lost contacts, and other non-file entities.
  • Random occurrences of the detected lost partitions not being displayed in dashboard during scan.
  • Crash during scan when a .zip file was found.
  • Data Protection module was not always displaying all supported partitions.
  • Randomly occurring issue in Clean Up module upon dashboard refresh.
  • Rare crash when items were dragged to caddy in Clean Up module.
  • Eliminated the Dylib Hijack Scanner vulnerability in a third-party analytics library.
  • Sorting status for the Disk list not saved.
  • Excessively long scan of Fusion Drive has been fixed.

Related articles to Disk Drill

Disk Drill for Mac

Free
In English
Version 5.5.1517

What users say about Disk Drill

Mr. C
By Mr. C on Nov 23 2021 for v.4.6.370

Value: 1.0

Beware of the recovery capabilities of this software! I lost 100€ on this software that didn’t live up to its promise. - Don’t buy DiskDrill Pro: Recovery corrupted all the MP4 files from the GoPro Hero 10. - EaseUS is the software that saved (all) my precious MP4 files WITHOUT corrupting them.

Reliability: 1.0

I went on vacation, took my new GoPro to document the trip, returned home, and saw that the SD-card crashed. Two weeks of memories were lost. :( Searching the internet, I came across Disk Drill Pro. There was hope, or at least I thought... I installed the (free) software, did a scan, and it showed a hopeful 84GB of recovery on my 64GB card. After the scan, I saw it could recover JPEG’s as well as MP4 files. The JPEG showed a preview of the photo, and the MP4 files showed up as MP4 icons in the preview while being accompanied with tiny JPEG previews. (Which led me to believe they could read the content of the file. There was no mention of them being corrupted anywhere on the application...) Full of hope, I bought the software (100€) and recovered everything to a separate SSD. Only to realize that ALL the MP4 files were corrupted and couldn’t play. (Even when using video recovery software: they showed a few frames and then froze or glitched…) PLEASE reconsider buying Disk Drill Pro as you will be disappointed and left out in the dark with less cash… In our email correspondence, they literally stated that: Any recovery at all is considered a blinding success, as file recovery was often thought impossible. ==> So that’s their standard when it comes down to recovering files. I can’t emphasize this enough: ALL THE DATA WAS RECOVERED USING OTHER RECOVERY SOFTWARE. NONE OF THE FILES WERE CORRUPTED, DISK DRILL PRO WASN’T ABLE TO DO IT.

Customer support: 1.0

No refunds, even when going through the whole process of explaining everything to customer service (with logs, proof that other software did work, etc.). They state that “Any recovery at all is considered a blinding success, as file recovery was often thought impossible.” ==> So that’s their standard when it comes down to recovering files.

Other user ratings:

Ease of use | 4.0
Features | 1.0
Write a detailed review about Disk Drill

What customer like

Stability
User Experience
Performance

What needs improvements

Support
Price

Disk Drill qualities

Value
3.3
Ease of use
3.9
Features
3.3
Reliability
3.1
Customer support
2.9

Write your thoughts in our old-fashioned comment

MacUpdate Comment Policy. We strongly recommend leaving comments, however comments with abusive words, bullying, personal attacks of any type will be moderated.
3.8

(196 Reviews of Disk Drill)

  • Comments

  • User Ratings

Derekcurrie
Derekcurrie
May 2 2023
5.2.1215
4.0
May 2 2023
4.0
Version: 5.2.1215
If the filter ridden download link is being blocked by uBlock Origin, etc., here is the direct link for DOWNLOAD: https://www.cleverfiles.com/disk-drill-mac.html - - NOTE that Disk Drill can be used for FREE to do useful things. If you find that you need to do work with it that requires paying up, THEN decide if you want to buy it. Otherwise, sticking with the free version may be all you want or need. IOW: You don't have to fork over money to find it useful.
ali-47
ali-47
Apr 22 2023
5.1.1114
1.0
Apr 22 2023
1.0
Version: 5.1.1114
Complete rip off. I paid 75$ for the v4 of the software and used it once. Now I am being forced to purchase version 5. I can't run the version I purchased even though I can still download it and run it. I am definitely reporting this to consumer reports.
Derekcurrie
Derekcurrie
Nov 15 2022
5.0.1043
4.0
Nov 15 2022
4.0
Version: 5.0.1043
Upgrades from previous versions to version 5 are 50% off the full price. That amounts to $49. You have to go to website and fill out a request form to receive the discount. As of version 5.0.1043, Disk Drill 5 actually works with MOS 13 Ventura. Previous versions of 5 do not fully support Ventura.
matthewoliveri
matthewoliveri
Aug 21 2022
4.7.382
0.0
Aug 21 2022
0.0
Version: 4.7.382
This software helped me find my missing assessment file.
Derekcurrie
Derekcurrie
Aug 4 2022
4.7.382
4.0
Aug 4 2022
4.0
Version: 4.7.382
Version 5 will be required as an upgrade to work with macOS 13 Ventura. v4.7 will NOT. Version 4.7 is the last of the v4 series, which works up through macOS 12.x Monterey, but not beyond. At this point, the upgrade fee has not been published. Keep an eye out...
ali-47
ali-47
Apr 22 2023
5.1.1114
1.0
Apr 22 2023
1.0
Version: 5.1.1114
Sigil
Sigil
Aug 14 2022
4.7.382
5.0
Aug 14 2022
5.0
Version: 4.7.382
Ghostcat
Ghostcat
Aug 6 2022
4.7.382
5.0
Aug 6 2022
5.0
Version: 4.7.382
Imac-de raphael-celis
Imac-de raphael-celis
Apr 9 2022
4.6.380
5.0
Apr 9 2022
5.0
Version: 4.6.380
Dannymontani
Dannymontani
Oct 31 2021
4.5.369
4.0
Oct 31 2021
4.0
Version: 4.5.369
sebpetrescugmail-com5659
sebpetrescugmail-com5659
Jul 2 2021
4.3.316
1.0
Jul 2 2021
1.0
Version: 4.3.316
picokake
picokake
Feb 15 2021
5.0
Feb 15 2021
5.0
Version: null
kojimah9
kojimah9
Feb 15 2021
5.0
Feb 15 2021
5.0
Version: null
treybuher
treybuher
Feb 14 2021
5.0
Feb 14 2021
5.0
Version: null
edwardheavy
edwardheavy
Feb 14 2021
5.0
Feb 14 2021
5.0
Version: null
karlberdrindl
karlberdrindl
Feb 13 2021
5.0
Feb 13 2021
5.0
Version: null
koltzvonsteiner
koltzvonsteiner
Feb 13 2021
5.0
Feb 13 2021
5.0
Version: null
floormilky
floormilky
Feb 11 2021
5.0
Feb 11 2021
5.0
Version: null
5finally55
5finally55
Feb 11 2021
5.0
Feb 11 2021
5.0
Version: null
balanceblind
balanceblind
Feb 10 2021
5.0
Feb 10 2021
5.0
Version: null
markultrablack
markultrablack
Feb 9 2021
5.0
Feb 9 2021
5.0
Version: null
achtenaufmich
achtenaufmich
Feb 9 2021
5.0
Feb 9 2021
5.0
Version: null
Oiselle
Oiselle
Feb 8 2021
1.0
Feb 8 2021
1.0
Version: null
omerta-3
omerta-3
Feb 6 2021
1.0
Feb 6 2021
1.0
Version: null
rikkonevan
rikkonevan
Feb 5 2021
5.0
Feb 5 2021
5.0
Version: null
frankovonmayer
frankovonmayer
Feb 5 2021
5.0
Feb 5 2021
5.0
Version: null
billshiphrr
billshiphrr
Feb 4 2021
5.0
Feb 4 2021
5.0
Version: null
heinrichmeiner0
heinrichmeiner0
Feb 1 2021
5.0
Feb 1 2021
5.0
Version: null
cochinjeffrey
cochinjeffrey
Jan 20 2021
5.0
Jan 20 2021
5.0
Version: null
kristina01tokar
kristina01tokar
Jan 5 2021
1.0
Jan 5 2021
1.0
Version: null
flo-10
flo-10
Dec 18 2020
2.0
Dec 18 2020
2.0
Version: null
karenannrosen
karenannrosen
Dec 12 2020
1.0
Dec 12 2020
1.0
Version: null
connorhunter
connorhunter
Nov 24 2020
5.0
Nov 24 2020
5.0
Version: null
realistindenial
realistindenial
Nov 24 2020
1.0
Nov 24 2020
1.0
Version: null
john-545
john-545
Nov 12 2020
1.0
Nov 12 2020
1.0
Version: null
davidtimwaldman
davidtimwaldman
Nov 3 2020
1.0
Nov 3 2020
1.0
Version: null
carlosmo
carlosmo
Oct 10 2020
5.0
Oct 10 2020
5.0
Version: null
ahmedhatata-ah
ahmedhatata-ah
Sep 25 2020
5.0
Sep 25 2020
5.0
Version: null
laura-60
laura-60
Sep 4 2020
1.0
Sep 4 2020
1.0
Version: null
Jminnihan
Jminnihan
Aug 21 2020
2.0
Aug 21 2020
2.0
Version: null
mrcub3mr
mrcub3mr
Jul 3 2020
1.0
Jul 3 2020
1.0
Version: null
cerian1025
cerian1025
Jul 2 2020
5.0
Jul 2 2020
5.0
Version: null
Geography Is Destiny
Geography Is Destiny
Jun 26 2020
1.0
Jun 26 2020
1.0
Version: null
iLeopard
iLeopard
Jun 18 2020
5.0
Jun 18 2020
5.0
Version: null
crstarraz
crstarraz
Jun 17 2020
5.0
Jun 17 2020
5.0
Version: null