[Free] TestDisk for Mac - File Recovery Software Review

Proper data storage is crucial to your work, and that might involve having to recover lost files. Thus, in addition to relying on backups to protect your system, there are many data retrieval tools that can help with this. TestDisk for Mac is a leading data recovery software available online for free.

No matter how compact and efficient Mac storage devices get, they can still fail and cause data loss. But with TestDisk for Mac, you can effectively recover vital files from a damaged drive on your MacBook.

Being a totally open-source tool, TestDisk gets constant updates and modifications to make it run better. However, if you have no experience with data recovery and command lines, this open-source data recovery software for Mac might not be easy to use. In that case, we recommend an alternative to TestDisk for those who find it difficult – tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Why Choose Alternatives to TestDisk for Mac

While TestDisk for Mac is a free and open-source utility, it can be quite challenging for beginners to navigate. Its intricate and time-intensive nature might hinder the data recovery process, especially in pressing circumstances. A more advisable choice would be a reliable Mac Data Recovery tool – a user-friendly software suitable for all skill levels, allowing users to restore permanently erased files on Mac effortlessly.

Here are the main reasons to choose alternatives to TestDisk for Mac:

Please provide the English content you want translated, and I'll do my best to translate it into Chinese.

In short:

If you're comfortable with the command line, have some time to spare, and are feeling adventurous, you can try using TestDisk to recover your lost files. This article will also walk you through downloading TestDisk for free on your Mac.

Please provide the English content you want to translate, and I'll translate it into Chinese for you as soon as possible.

TestDisk Review - Is TestDisk Safe to Use?

TestDisk is a file data recovery software designed to restore lost files from hard drives, including videos, documents, archives, and missing photos. Learn More >>

Download TestDisk for Mac Free [With Complete Steps]

Unlike most other data recovery apps, TestDisk does not have a graphical interface. Before you download TestDisk for Mac, keep in mind that:

• Subscribe to the testdisk-announce list to be notified of new releases. • PhotoRec and TestDisk are portable applications that extract into a working application and files. There is no need to run an installer. • These programs can also be found on LiveCDs.

✅TestDisk 7.2 (February 22, 2024) Data Recovery

For TestDisk 7.2, you'll need to select your operating system, macOS, to download the current version of the TestDisk recovery tool. Here are the steps to install TestDisk on macOS:

Step 1: Download TestDisk for your macOS. Click the big green button that says “TestDisk 7.1,” and a file called “testdisk-7.1-WIP.mac_intel.tar.bz2” will download to your Downloads folder.

Step 2. Extract the contents of the file to create a folder named "testdisk-7.1-WIP". Open the folder and you'll see a bunch of files, including the executable for both PhotoRec for Mac and TestDisk.

If you're short on time and don't have experience with data recovery, you may want to use a more straightforward, user-friendly tool so that you don't miss the window for retrieving your lost information.

Please share this article on social media to help others learn how to download TestDisk for Mac to recover lost files.

How to Use TestDisk for Mac to Recover Lost Partitions

After downloading and unzipping TestDisk for Mac, you'll see a folder called "testdisk." To use the program, simply navigate to this folder and double-click it to open. No further installation is necessary. Follow these steps:

Since TestDisk is from an untrusted developer, you can't open it. Instead, you'll need to go into your Mac's System Preferences to allow TestDisk to run.

Step 2: Click the Apple menu and choose System Preferences > Security & Privacy.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on “Security,” then toggle “App Store and Identified Developers” to On, and tap “Always” in the top-right corner.

Allow TestDisk full disk access

In order for TestDisk to be able to see all the disks on your Mac, you must grant TestDisk Full Disk Access. Without it, TestDisk won't be able to recover lost partitions. Here's how:

1. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences” > “Privacy & Security.”

Step 2: Scroll down and find “Full Disk Access.”

Step 3: Click the lock icon and enter your administrator password to apply the changes.

Step 4: Click on the "+" button to add TestDisk.

Begin testing disk partition recovery

With the preparation done, you can start using TestDisk to recover your partition. Follow these steps:

1. Open the "TestDisk" program from your folder.

Step 2. Select "[Create] Create new log file" and press "Enter" to allow data to be added to the log. TestDisk will then generate a file named "testdisk.log" in the latest directory.

Step 3: Use the up or down arrow keys on your keyboard to select the hard drive that contains the missing portion. Then, press the "Enter" key to continue.

If TestDisk fails to detect and list your hard drive, especially those formatted in macOS with FAT32, APFS, or exFAT, and you're using a macOS version 10.05 or above, with a non-Apple disk partition map, then you'll need to turn to the top alternative to TestDisk, the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool.

Select the new HDD partition table type that TestDisk listed by default, then press “Enter.”

Step 5: Select Analyze and press Enter to let TestDisk find and list the most recent partition table.

Click the “Analyze” button to view the disk structure.

If any of the partitions on the selected disk are damaged or have corrupt partition entries, you may see details about the problems here.

Step 6: TestDisk will display all the partitions on the selected hard disk.

If you still don't see the volume you want, choose Deep Scan. A deep scan can take a very long time—hours, in some cases—to find missing volumes. During the scan, if your display is on, make sure your Mac doesn't go to sleep.

Step 7. Use the arrow keys to select the lost partition you want to recover.

Don't forget to check the partition size and list the contents to confirm. For unmounted partitions, you must check that the lost partition is not marked as deleted.

Now we analyze the partitions. After checking the partition table, type Y to confirm and write the changes.

Restart your Mac and check if the deleted partition has been restored. If TestDisk for Mac couldn't recover your lost partition, consider installing and launching a data recovery software to salvage your lost data:

Step 1: Search for the missing file

Select the disk location where you want to search for lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SDD or an external hard drive). Click on the “Search for lost files” button.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar and create a backup of your HDD/SSD to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the disk image, and you can use your HDD or SSD again.

Step 2: Check the scan results

The software immediately scans the disk volume you select and shows images, files, audio, video, and email on the left.

Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

Click on the data to preview it, then hit the "Restore" button to get it back.

Conclusions

As we've seen, Testdisk can help you recover deleted information, and most importantly, it's free. There are, however, some limitations. Testdisk does not have a graphical user interface. Because of the choices that may be confusing to a casual user and the complete lack of “hand-holding,” this tool is best suited for intermediate to advanced users.

In short, TestDisk gets the job done. However, most users will find more modern, user-friendly solutions like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to be more beneficial.

TestDisk for Mac FAQ

Here are some of the most important questions to consider:

1. How do I download TestDisk on a Mac?

To install TestDisk, you need to run the following command in the macOS Terminal: `sudo port install TestDisk copy`. Next, to check the installed files for TestDisk, run: `port contents TestDisk copy`. Lastly, to update the tool later, run: `sudo port selfupdate && sudo port upgrade testdisk copy`.

Is TestDisk completely free?

TestDisk is a free and open-source data recovery tool that helps users recover lost partitions or fix damaged file systems.

How do I run TestDisk in a terminal?

In your terminal, simply type `testdisk` to launch the tool, and you'll be presented with a prompt. From there, you can select the hard drive from which you want to recover files. If it's your first time running the tool, you'll be given an option to create a log file on the welcome screen.