Losing files on Mac – whether due to accidental deletion, formatting, system error, or any other unexpected reason – can be distressing. Fortunately, in 2025, several free Mac data recovery methods, including manual backups and third-party recovery tools, are available online that you can try to recover your lost files.
However, recovering lost files using previous backups can be time-consuming and sometimes challenging, as well. Thankfully, dedicated free Mac data recovery software tools can help you recover lost or deleted files in Mac with a few simple clicks, with minimal effort. In this article, we’ll explore the top 5 free Mac data recovery software tools, explain what they do best, their limits, and when you should choose each one. Let’s get started!
Features to Check in Your Mac Data Recovery Software
When choosing a Mac data recovery software to restore lost files, it’s essential to thoroughly check and analyse all its features. Some essential features include:
- Recovery Size Limit: Check how much data can be restored using your free Mac data recovery tool (some tools only allow scanning or have a low free recovery limit).
- Different Scanning Capabilities: Multiple tools offer both basic scan and deep scan capabilities. Basic scan is for recovery of recently deleted files, but deep scan allows you to find files from formatted, corrupted, or severely damaged drives.
- Support from Different Storage Devices: Look for the data recovery software which supports the recovery of files from different storage devices, ranging from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, to external drives.
- Compatibility With Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3): Modern Macs run on Apple Silicon chips, so the tool must be optimised for these processors for stable performance.
- User-Friendly Interface: Ensure your Mac data recovery tool provides a clean and simple GUI so anyone, even without technical expertise, can easily restore lost files.
Best 5 Free Mac Data Recovery Software Tools to Try in 2025
Now that you are familiar with different features to check in any free Mac data recovery software tools, it’s time to explore some best tools along with their features. Here are the top 5 among them:
1. Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac
Stellar Data Recovery Free is a user-friendly free Mac data recovery software, especially designed to restore your deleted files by performing a thorough scan of your storage media. The software can recover files deleted from various internal or external storage devices, such as Mac internal drives, USBs, memory cards, and more. It supports modern file systems (APFS, HFS+), works with a variety of storage media, and lets you scan, preview, and recover deleted files.
Pros:
- This tool offers a simple and user-friendly GUI, making it easier even for beginners to restore deleted files.
- The software is useful for both simple deletions and complex data loss scenarios (formatted drives, corrupted volumes).
- The preview functionality of this software lets you preview the recoverable files before restoring.
- The free version supports recovery of lost files up to 1 GB for free. To restore files of a larger size, you can check and use the premium versions.
Cons:
- The Deep scan process on large drives or external media may take hours.
- To perform advanced recovery (bootable media recovery, unbootable system recovery, disk imaging), you need to purchase the premium version.
- If your deleted data is overwritten, even Stellar may struggle to restore it fully.
2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
It is a popular data recovery utility, supporting recovery of accidentally deleted, formatted, or lost files from Mac internal drives and external media. You can easily restore deleted photos, videos, documents, and other types of files of various file formats using this tool. It offers both quick and deep scans, file-type filtering, and preview functionality — making recovery fairly simple and accessible.
Pros:
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac supports recovery of deleted files from various internal or external storage media, including USB drives, SD cards, and external HDD/SSD.
- It offers a clean, user-friendly interface with straightforward scan and recovery process.
- This tool can easily handle data recovery in different scenarios, including accidental deletions, empty Trash, formatted drives, corruption, etc.
- The free version actually performs some basic data recovery without payment.
Cons:
- The free version is limited in file size during recovery. For larger recoveries, you’ll likely need to upgrade to Pro.
- Some file formats (especially large or RAW photos) may not support previews under free mode.
- Features like bootable-drive recovery, cloud recovery, and advanced repair tools are available only in paid versions.
3. Recuva by CCleaner
Recuva is a well-known freemium data-recovery tool, allowing recovery of files deleted from internal or external disks, USB drives, memory cards, and more. The software supports various file systems such as FAT, exFAT, NTFS (and some Linux filesystems like Ext2/3/4) for storage media. It is known for several amazing features, such as it performs both quick and deep scans, previews recoverable photos, and helps retrieve files even from formatting, corrupted or damaged drives.
Pros:
- The freemium version of this Mac data recovery software makes it accessible even without spending any cost.
- A wizard-style, intuitive UI works well for beginners and non-technical users.
- This tool performs fast recovery of recently deleted files or a deeper scan for lost or formatted data.
- The tool is lightweight with a small size, and it doesn’t heavily burden system resources.
Cons:
- This software is designed only for the Windows OS. If you’re using a Mac, it won’t work unless via a virtual machine or other workaround.
- The full deep scans on large or damaged drives may take a long time and yield limited success.
- The free version is somehow limited in size; the paid version is often necessary for more serious recovery tasks.
4. Disk Drill Data Recovery
Disk Drill for Mac is an all-in-one data recovery software that supports the recovery of files deleted from various storage devices, including internal/external drives, USB drives, memory cards, and more. Its interface is clean and user-friendly, making it accessible even to non-technical users. The free version lets you scan and preview, while full recovery requires upgrading to the Pro plan.
Pros:
- The software offers a clean, intuitive GUI that simplifies the recovery process — good for beginners and non-tech users.
- It allows you to preview the recoverable files before restoring them, ensuring everything that is recovered is really required.
- Works with HFS+, APFS, and other common file systems, making it practical for modern Macs
Cons:
- If data has been overwritten or the storage device is physically damaged, Disk Drill may fail to restore files.
- The free version offers limited features, and data recovery on large drives can be time-consuming.
- Sometimes recovered files come jumbled or unnamed, making them hard to sort.
5. R-Studio
R-Studio is a powerful, cross-platform data recovery software, supporting restoration of files on both Windows and macOS devices. It also supports a broad range of file systems — including APFS/HFS+ on Mac and many on Windows/Linux. The advanced scanning feature of this tool allows creating disk images, which makes it popular among IT professionals and advanced users.
Pros:
- The software supports recovery of files even if the partition structure is lost or the drive is reformatted.
- It avoids writing to the original disk during recovery, reducing the risk of further data loss.
- It works on macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux, which makes it flexible if you deal with multiple OS environments.
Cons:
- Many advanced features and detailed options are applicable only in paid versions.
- The free/demo version typically restricts recovery to a minimal file size (e.g. 256 KB). To restore files of a larger size, you need premium versions.
- Users need some understanding of file systems, partitions, and recovery principles to get good results.
Wrapping Up
If you are looking for free Mac data recovery software, then carefully check the above top 5 tools to help you restore lost or deleted files. Carefully check the pros and cons of the aforementioned top 5 free Mac data recovery software tools, then select the one that best fits your needs. Remember: free tools are excellent for many recovery situations, but there are limits. If a drive is physically failing or files are mission-critical, consider pausing software attempts and contacting a professional data-recovery service—software cannot reliably fix mechanical hardware failure.