If you ever encounter data loss on your MacBook, this article will provide you with complete information about how to recover data from any MacBook.
Data loss is scary but it is also very common, millions of users encounter data loss every single day. Fortunately, recovering data from a MacBook is not risky at all.
However, there are a few complicated data loss scenarios that might give you a hard time. For example, recovering data from a dead MacBook.
This is why we have created this comprehensive article, that will guide you to recover data from a MacBook in every possible data loss scenario.
Frequent Data Loss Scenarios on MacBook
- Accidentally deleting files from MacBook
- MacBook or iMac that won’t boot past Apple logo
- Dead MacBook or iMac
Each and every one of the above scenarios is of different levels of complexity. Based on the complexity, you will need various methods to recover data from MacBook or iMac.
How to Recover Files from MacBook (Pro and Air), iMac
If you ever deleted files from a MacBook, you can recover the deleted files from the Mac trash folder. Unfortunately, if you have permanently deleted files from MacBook or iMac, you will require a Mac data recovery software.
In most cases, data is of more importance than the whole Mac computer. This is why the choice of Mac data recovery tool is very critical.
Remo Recover’s user interface aims at streamlining and simplifying the complex recovery process. Engineered with effective scan algorithms, the tool ensures recovery of every bit of data from the Mac volumes. These two features justify Remo as one of the highly trusted data recovery software in the industry.
Steps to Recover Deleted Files from MacBook
- Launch Remo Recover Mac and from the home screen, select recover files option
- Select deleted file recovery option to recover deleted files from MacBook or iMac
- From the listed drives, select the drive you wanted to recover and click on next
- After scanning the drive, Remo will recover and list all the deleted files in the recovery window
- From the recovery window, you can open the recovered files using the preview option and check whether the files are rightly recovered
- After confirming all the files are recovered save the recovered files from iMac or MacBook.
You can also use Remo to recover data from complex data loss scenarios such as dead or unbootable MacBook as previously mentioned.
How to Recover Data from MacBook that Won’t Boot?
At times, when you try to switch on your MacBook, it will not boot past the apple logo. The reason could be many, but chances are it is due to a damaged or corrupted MacBook hard drive. In such situations, Apple suggests users to boot the MacBook or iMac in recovery mode and use disk utility to reinstall the Mac OS. You could also try restoring Mac from Time Machine Backup.
Beware that both of the options given above will not work in all the situations. In the case of Mac recovery mode; reinstalling might erase the data and not every user maintains a Time Machine backup.
Disclaimer: Reinstalling Mac OS will not erase the data. However, if the Mac hard drive is severely damaged, you might need to erase the data and reinstall the Mac OS. Which is why it is highly recommended to recover data before trying to fix the situation. This ensures maximum data recovery rate. |
For any Mac that doesn’t boot, you will need another healthy Mac to recover data from MacBook that won’t boot past the Apple logo. If another MacBook or iMac is not available, you can also use a PC to recover data from a damaged Mac hard drive.
Disassemble the MacBook, retrieve the damaged hard drive, and connect it to Mac or a PC using SATA to USB converter cable. Now install Remo Mac data recovery software on the computer and follow the steps to recover data from MacBook that won’t boot.
Fortunately, you can avoid disassembling your MacBook or iMac with the help of Target Disk mode. Booting your Apple computer in Target Disk mode will make the MacBook behave as an external hard drive.
Hence, you can directly connect a damaged MacBook or iMac to another computer using a proper data cable while your MacBook is in target disk mode.
Steps to Recover the Data from MacBook the Won’t Boot
- Launch the Remo software and from the home screen select Recover Volumes or Drives
- From the next screen select volume recovery and select the externally connected MacBook hard drive
- From the next screen select either normal scan mode or advanced scan mode based on necessity and click on next
- Similarly, as recovering deleted files from MacBook you will be able to see the recovered files in a single window
- Finally, select the prominent files and save them in a safe location
Hence now you have safeguarded data you can move to fix the MacBook.
How do I fix my Mac that won't boot up?
When your MacBook or iMac is stuck at Apple logo and fails to boot further, in the majority of times it is due to damaged Mac hard drive. In case of a critically damaged MacBook hard drive, you definitely need to reinstall the Mac OS or restore using Time Machine back up.
In case of simple error situations, you can fix them using the following methods.
Force Switch off MacBook
Press and hold the MacBook or iMac power button for 10 seconds to force turn off. Now restart the Mac again, if it is a minor error your MacBook should boot normally. This might look really primitive but rebooting fixes a lot of issues.
Boot Mac in Recovery Mode
Booting Mac in Recovery mode will provide you tools to fix the MacBook that won’t boot. To boot iMac in recovery mode hold “command+R” while startup. Once in recovery mode, you will see the Mac utilities window.
Use First aid from the disk utility option to fix the error. Even after using the first aid option if the error persists, you definitely need to reinstall the Mac OS or restore from Time Machine backup.
Nevertheless, don’t forget to recover the data before repairing the damaged MacBook.
Boot Mac in Safe Mode
Just hold the shift key while switching on your iMac or MacBook and release the shift button when Apple logo appears. Booting Mac in safe mode might not completely fix the error but it will give you a window to recover all your important files.
How to Recover Data from Dead MacBook, Air, Pro, iMac
In this situation, your MacBook doesn’t even turn on. Unfortunately, this might be a physical or hardware damage. There are numerous probable reasons why you Mac is not turning on, some of them are:
- Damaged battery
- Damaged power adapter
- Broken screen
- Faulty or fried motherboard
- Errors in RAM
There is a very probability of a damaged hard drive to result in a dead Mac. If you were able to successfully fix the error, then you can regain access to the drive and the lost data. In all the other cases, the only way you can recover data on the MacBook is to disassemble it and retrieve the hard drive.
Later you can connect the hard drive to a PC or Mac using a SATA connector to recover data from a dead MacBook.
Senior Editor, Content Analyst and a fan of exceptional customer service. John develops and publishes instructional and informational content regarding partition management, Windows hot-fixes, data management and computer troubleshooting.
As a tenured data recovery specialist, John shares exceptional insights and blog posts about data loss and data recovery across any storage device. With 8+ years’ experience in writing for Data Recovery for both Mac OS and Windows OS computers, he is an avid learner who always wants to polish and simplify the data recovery process. John passes his free time playing Chess and reading Science Fiction novels.
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