You emptied the Trash, and a minute later you realize a folder you needed was inside. Or an external drive stopped mounting and Finder shows nothing. Disk Drill is a Mac data recovery tool built for exactly these moments, and it lets you scan and preview what can be saved before you pay anything.
Quick facts
- Current version: 6.3.2326
- Platform: macOS 10.15 and later; older Disk Drill versions (1.x-5.x) cover OS X 10.5+
- Download size: about 69.7 MB
- Price: Disk Drill Basic is free to download, with PRO as the paid upgrade
- Trial terms: scan and preview for free; pay only once you know your data is recoverable
- Average user rank: 4.8 from 1251 users, as shown by the vendor
Key features
Scan almost any drive your Mac can see
If you can connect a device to your Mac, Disk Drill can scan it. Internal drives, external drives and memory cards are covered, and there is recovery for iPhone and Android as well. Supported file systems include APFS, HFS+, FAT16/FAT32/exFAT, NTFS, ReFS, EXT2/3/4 and BTRFS, plus RAW disks.
Pick the scan that fits your situation
Quick Scan brings back files with names and locations intact, which suits a file you just deleted. Deep Scan takes longest but is the most thorough. It recognizes over 400 file types and works even when the file system is missing or corrupted. There is also Universal Partition Search for lost partitions, and an option that reads data Finder can't.
Protect files before you lose them
Guaranteed Recovery keeps an invisible copy of everything you put in the Trash. If you installed Disk Drill and enabled it before the loss, the undelete option can bring those files back. It is a free feature.
Back up a failing drive before you scan it
Disk Drill makes byte-to-byte disk backups into a DMG image. When a drive is dying, you can work from the image rather than stress the original. Built-in S.M.A.R.T. disk health monitoring is meant to warn you about hardware trouble in advance.
Free tools for tidying storage
The app also includes Clean Up, a Duplicate Finder and disk storage analysis that maps what is taking space. Bootable Recovery gives you another route when your Mac won't start or you don't want to scan the system drive and risk overwriting data.
Other features the vendor lists include native preview, Fusion Drive support, scanning sessions, bad sector management and a one-click Recover option.
Who it's for
It suits home users who deleted something by accident, people with a failing or unreadable external drive, and anyone recovering photos or video from a camera card. The step-by-step approach makes it approachable if you have never run recovery software before.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free scan and preview, so you know what is recoverable before paying
- Wide file system and file type coverage
- Several scan methods, including a Deep Scan for damaged volumes
- Byte-level backup and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring in the same app
Cons
- Deep Scan takes the longest to finish
- Some recovered files may be corrupted, particularly after a Deep Scan
- Guaranteed Recovery only helps if you enabled it before the loss
- Actual recovery of files needs the paid upgrade
- Current versions need macOS 10.15 or later; older Macs must use an older release
FAQs
Can I try Disk Drill before buying?
Yes. Disk Drill Basic scans your drive and previews files for free. You upgrade to PRO when you are sure your files can be recovered.
Which Macs does it support?
Version 6 runs on macOS 10.15 and later. For OS X 10.5 and newer you can use Disk Drill 1.x-5.x.
Is it safe to use on a failing drive?
The vendor advises making a byte-level backup first and running the app from a different disk than the one you are recovering, so nothing gets overwritten.
Can it recover deleted files if I had no protection enabled?
Yes. Quick Scan and Deep Scan work after the fact. Guaranteed Recovery only adds an extra route for files sent to the Trash while it was on.
Can it recover data from a phone?
The vendor lists iPhone and Android data recovery among the supported device types.
System requirements
- Current version: macOS 10.15 and later
- Older versions (1.x-5.x): OS X 10.5 and later
- Download size: about 69.7 MB