Are your MacBook, iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro non-booting with a flashing question mark, have one of your drives failed, or have you lost some of your files? We recover your data (whether they were stored as APFS, FileVault, or Fusion Drives) anywhere your drive will still allow reading access, and regardless if we can recover anything, we’ll provide you an honest assessment.
If your Mac will not start up, shows a question mark icon instead of an operating system, or Disk Utility indicates the drive needs to be erased or repaired, stop. The files we need may be overwritten by reinstalling macOS, erasing the hard drive, or running First Aid. Do not reset your Mac. And if your Mac has a soldered-in SSD do not continue to force the Mac to power on. Power down your Mac and speak with one of our engineers. If you have the FileVault recovery key please save it until we are ready to restore your data.
From a Mac that cannot boot to a failure of your Fusion Drive, these are the types of Mac and MacBook failures we recover from most often: startup failure, logical failure, hardware failure and encrypted.
We support all MacBook and Macintosh computers (Intel-based and Apple Silicon) in addition to the MacBook, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro models. It is up to us to determine what we can do based on the model and failure. We also give you a direct answer regarding what may be possible as well as any costs associated with this.
MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro · Intel, T2 and Apple Silicon (M1 to M4) · APFS and HFS+ · Fusion Drives, FileVault and Time Machine. On 2018 and later Mac models, the storage device is soldered into the circuit board and secured by the Secure Enclave. Board-level recovery on these machines is not a service we offer, at any price. Provided that the system is operational we can create an image of the data. However, if the board is dead (and therefore unable to power on) then all data stored on that board will be unrecoverable, for every laboratory in the world, not just ours.
To begin recovering a Mac we first need to reach the drive safely. Where possible, we remove the drive and then image it. Where the drive is soldered to the motherboard and the Mac will turn on we image it as it sits. Where the board is dead we tell you that the data is unrecoverable. Once we have reached the drive we restore your APFS or HFS+ volume and recover your files.
Please let us know which Mac you have, how old it is and what occurred (it won’t start, deleted files, spill etc.). We provide a written quote after completing a diagnostic in most cases within 48 hours. In addition, we provide our best opinion as to what may be possible.
We make a read-only copy of that hard disk on our special equipment. So, in no way can your original be compromised, even if the disk is in failing condition.
If you’re able to provide the password or key (where FileVault is enabled), we’ll unlock the disk. Then we will rebuild all of the APFS or HFS+ structure, or the Fusion Drive from the copied disk.
Your files and folders will be restored as they were when they were lost. In addition, if there is damage to the file system, we’ll extract the files such as documents, photos and videos directly from the raw data.
The recovered files and folders will be checked prior to being returned to you to ensure they work properly and all the subfolders are fully intact.
Your recovered files and data are returned to you in the form of a new drive(s), or you may choose to directly download your data at no cost for recoveries that do not exceed 75 GB.
MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro, with both Intel and Apple Silicon processors, recovered by rebuilding APFS, HFS+, and/or Fusion Drives, and by accessing whatever storage the Mac allows.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
One fixed cost per Mac or drive recovery, including a complimentary diagnostic test, as well as a written quote prior to beginning work on your item.
Recent examples of Mac and MacBook recoveries from won’t boot failures, damaged drives, Fusion Drive problems and water damage. We have redacted identifying information; all results have been confirmed.
The drive was experiencing failure due to its file system. We pulled the SSD and created an image of the SSD. After that we were able to unlock the FileVault encryption using the customer’s decryption key and restore all their files.
The HDD portion had failed. We were able to recover each part individually and rebuild the Fusion volume to allow our customer to retrieve their lost data.
The board of the computer had been damaged; however, the SSD could be removed and that SSD had remained intact. We were able to pull that SSD out of the computer, image that SSD, and recover all their files from the SSD.
There was a head failure with the drive. We replaced the bad heads on that hard drive, then we imaged the drive and were able to recover the family’s pictures and other important documents from the hard drive.
In this case, nothing had overwritten the data. That is why we were able to image the drive and carve back those deleted documents and photos in full.
The drive was good and readable. Therefore we were able to image it, and find and recover all of the deleted folders right off the bat.
When you send the unit in for its free diagnostic, let us know what happened with the unit. An engineer will review the unit and confirm your quote in writing prior to starting on your recovery.
Before you post or drop off your device, please get a quote from us by phone or with the form. Once we receive your device, our recovery process can start. Safely pack your device, include your name and contact information within the packaging and ship it to us. After performing your free diagnostic, we’ll send you a written confirmation of the exact price of our services prior to starting any work.
If you decide to post it, we would advise using a trackable and insured postal service. Or if you prefer to drop it off, we are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and you don’t need an appointment. Just pack the unit as described in step one before dropping it off.
Would you like a little more background information prior to sending it? Fill in the form to provide more details about your problem; an engineer will evaluate it and reply with a customised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
Some of the things people typically want to know when they are looking at having their Mac or MacBook recovered.
In general, yes, assuming the drive itself is accessible and able to be read. A Mac that will not start, one which has hung on the Apple logo, or one where you see a question mark folder normally indicates a bad or corrupted drive, not lost data. When a drive is removable and/or when the Mac still boots, we create an image of the original drive and recover your files.
We do not perform board level recovery of the soldered T2 and Apple Silicon storage. The flash memory is soldered to the board and therefore locked to the Secure Enclave. Therefore, it is impossible to get into the system once the board is gone. If, however, the Mac does boot and you have the password, we can make an image of the data from this system (a copy). However, if the board is destroyed, it is impossible for anyone to recover the data.
Yes, usually. When a disk will not mount or when macOS tells you it is unreadable, this indicates there is a problem with an APFS or HFS+ volume rather than data loss. We image the drive in read-only mode and then rebuild the file system. Do not allow Disk Utility to “repair” or “erase” the disk prior to imaging the disk.
Probably not, provided you take action promptly. Most deleted and Trashed files on a readable Mac drive remain on the disk until they are overwritten. Do not save anything else to the Mac and contact us immediately; the sooner we can make a backup image of the disk, the greater our chances of recovering as much information as possible from it.
The cost of recovering a single Mac disk is a fixed price of £300 + VAT; prior to this we will perform a complimentary diagnostic and provide you with a written quotation. We charge a flat rate of £550 + VAT to recover a Fusion Drive (a two device configuration that acts as one volume). When recovering from a failed disk or hardware issue we require a 50% payment upfront, therefore in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Yes on the majority of recoveries. When performing recoveries from failed disks or when undertaking repairs we require a 50% deposit before beginning. Therefore if we fail to recover your data you are not liable to pay the remaining balance, i.e. you will not be charged the full amount. In cases of soldered Macs, where it may not be possible to recover your data then there are no costs beyond the free initial diagnostic.
All Macs and MacBooks (i.e. MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro) regardless of their year of production or type of processor (Intel or Apple Silicon); and all Macs and MacBooks running SATA and/or Fusion Drives. The only variable is the year produced and how bad the failure is, which determines what recovery techniques we use.
Yes, when you provide either of the two items (the login password or the FileVault recovery key) we use your provided item (login password or the FileVault recovery key) to unlock your encrypted volume and retrieve the lost files from your encrypted volume, provided the drive can be read. However, if neither the login password nor the recovery key are available then no one, including our company, will be able to bypass the FileVault encryption that protects your data.
Turn it off and do not turn it back on, do not plug in the charger and do not attempt to dry out the MacBook with rice. If you have an old MacBook model where the drive is removable then the drive should be good and we can get data from it. If you have one of the newer models which has soldered drives then we cannot help you with this at the board level as part of our service offering.
Most logical recoveries: deleted files, corrupt volumes and Macs that are unbootable with a readable drive. These types of recoveries generally require 2 to 3 business days. Failing drives and Fusion Drives that require additional time typically take 3 to 4 business days. Typically, the free diagnostic takes less than 48 hours.
Simply drop the drive off at our Newcastle office Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Or send it to us by post. Please insure the item properly. Include your name, street address, telephone number and e-mail address, and your FileVault recovery key if the Mac is encrypted, so we may contact you to confirm receipt of the item and provide you a quote prior to starting any work on your file.
Free diagnostics, fixed £300 plus VAT on all MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Pros, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. Start your Mac recovery now.