1. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac

Among all 5 reviewed free file recovery apps, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac perform better than the others. It can not only meet the common needs of Mac data recovery, but also recover data when Mac won't turn on.

• Pros:
• 1 GB free data recovery for Mac
• Support Apple T2 chip encrypted Mac
• Work with new M1-based Mac
• Unbootable Macintosh HD data recovery
• Allow Preview before Mac data recovery
• Scanning session can be saved and resumed
• Support macOS Big Sur 11 - OS X 10.7 Lion

• Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is a data recovery tool that enables you to restore deleted files on your Mac computer. It can help you recover many types of files, including photos, documents, and videos from accidental deletion or a mistakenly formatted HDD.
• AnyRecover is a comprehensive do-it-yourself Mac data recovery software. Regular updates are made to keep the software running optimally. Start AnyRecover for Mac and select a location from which to retrieve lost data.

• Cons
• No corrupt photo & video repair features
• No phone support

How to use iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery for Mac?

IBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is the best free Mac data recovery software, making a good balance between functionality and user experience. Its enhanced features like quick scan and deep scan, real-time scanning, advanced scanning results filter, and preview before recovery would make Mac data recovery easy for both the ordinary and the professional.

• 1. Free download this free Mac data recovery software and install it on your Mac.
• 2. Restart your Mac and then launch this data recovery app.
• 3. Select the disk or volume and scan for lost data.
• 4. Preview the desired files and then recover them.

Overall experience

Testing it on several mainstream hard drives like WD and Seagate (APFS, APFS encrypted, HFS+, exFAT, and FAT32 formatted), we get all files retrieved on Mac, including photos, images, notes, documents, spreadsheets, videos, and music files.

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Being able to Undelete data that was moved to or emptied from Mac Trash, Macintosh HD, external hard drives, SSD, USB flash thumb drives, SD cards, CF cards, Memory card, and more. This app works well in a wide range of Mac operating systems (from macOS 11 Big Sur beta to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion) with a high data recovery rate.

Specifically, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac can get files back after hard drives are formatted (no disk unformat tool is needed), unreadable, unmountable, and unrecognized. Also, it recovers data from Mac that is introduced in 2018 and later whose startup disk is protected by T2 chip. What highlights this app is to recover data from unbootable Mac, especially when booting from external USB recovery drive is not allowed.

iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is the best free Mac data recovery software, making a good balance between functionality and user experience. Its enhanced features like quick scan and deep scan, real-time scanning, advanced scanning results filter, and preview before recovery would make Mac data recovery easy for both the ordinary and the professional.

2. PhotoRec for Mac

When it comes to free file recovery software for Mac, PhotoRec should be on the list though it's not so good for ordinary users. This free software is an open source for restoring data lost after deletion, disk formatting, file system corruption, etc.

• Pros:
• Completely free mac data recovery software
• Powerful file carving technology
• Advanced corrupted hard drive data recovery

• Cons:
• Unfriendly command-line interface
• Slow data scanning and recovery speed
• No technical support or service

Overall experience

PhotoRec is mainly aimed at photo recovery and people those who own DSLR cameras. But this completely free recovery software for Mac still supports a large number of devices, like external hard drives, CD-ROM, Memory cards, and USB drive, and Mac computers.

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Locating data by block and cluster size contained in superblock (ext2/ext3/ext4) or MBR, this Mac data recovery open source is able to calculate the block or cluster size with the first 10 files found, and then recover lost data from Mac.

We took use of this Mac data recovery freeware and successfully recovered JPEG pictures, MP3 audio files, and Microsoft Office files.

However, it should be made clear that using PhotoRec to get files back from Mac requires knowledge on command lines, as its user interface is like Terminal (Command Prompt on Mac), not a user-friensly modern graphical interface.

Although it may not be compatible with the new Mac operating systems like macOS Big Sur and Catalina, PhotoRec would be recommended to recover lost data on Mac if users master in command prompt. For newbies who want a simple while effective freeware, this is not a good option.

3. Wondershare Recoverit Mac Data Recovery

Recoverit Mac Data Recovery from Wondersahre is one of free Mac data recovery tools we have reviewed, and it also returns with satisfying result when referring to retrieve files from Mac computers.

• Pros:
• 100 MB free Mac data recovery
• Macintosh HD data recovery from crashed Mac
• Advanced video recovery and repair on Mac
• Thumbnails and preview before recovery
• Support macOS 11 - OS X 10.10

• Cons:
• Not ready for T2 chip Mac data recovery
• No support for M1-based Mac
• No premium consulting services

Overall experience

Recoverit for Mac claims a 96% rate of data recovery from Mac hard drive and external hard drive and over 1000 formats of file recovery. But we should know that there is no guaranteed result for any data recovery software.

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For review, we try to delete files (within 100 MB) from Trash bin, external hard drives, and pen drives, SSD, USB, and Memory cards, and Recoverit Mac Data Recovery gets most of them back in a short time. What's more, this free Mac file recovery software has the following features.

We took use of this Mac data recovery freeware and successfully recovered JPEG pictures, MP3 audio files, and Microsoft Office files.

Wondersahre Recoverit for Mac can recover deleted or lost graphic photos, videos, office documents, email files, etc. And its Advanced Video Recovery Technology exclusive to Wondershare Recoverit also win a vote for this Mac data recovery software.

Recoverit Mac Data Recovery only allows us to recover lost data from Mac for free in 100 MB, which is not enough most of the time. But if we accidentally delete some little pieces of photos or documents, this app could be a solution. For lost videos or files with large size and advanced corrupted video repair and recovery, subscriptions are required.

4. Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery

Another file recovery way for Mac is Stellar Data Recovery software, which claims to be the beacon of hope in data recovery. It works with LaCie® USB-C HDD, SSD, portable HDD, etc., allowing file recovery from Mac built-in apps like Photos, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, TextEdit, Mail.

• Pros:
• Regular deleted & lost data recovery on Mac
• Restores data from non-booting Mac
• Drive Health Monitoring and Cloning
• Preview before Mac data recovery
• Support macOS 11 - OS X 10.7

• Cons:
• Free download only for data scan and preview
• Not ready for T2 chip Mac data recovery
• No support for M1-based Mac

Overall experience

Stellar Mac Data Recovery be can free downloaded to scan and preview lost or deleted data. But for undeleting or recovering files that are lost from SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, jump drive, or USB-C portable HDD, we need to pay for the professional version.

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It's a comprehensive Mac file recovery tool (if you can pay $79.99 for one-year professional edition) that works with MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, & other models.

What highlights this software is its ability to repair corrupted photos and videos, which is essential for pro users who work with Logic Pro, InDesign, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and other Mac apps.

Unfortunately, the free trial version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac only can preview on lost or deleted files, so it could be a solution when you need to monitor the health of the lost files and hard disk. But it offers no real option for free Mac file recovery from MacBook Pro, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini unless you pay.

5. Disk Drill for Mac

Disk Drill for Mac is another free Mac file recovery tool for Mac OS X and later. Meanwhile, to recover, manage, clean up Mac data, it's also packed with useful disk toolsfor all subscribed users out of the box.

• Pros:
• 500 MB completely Mac free data recovery
• Recovery Vault & Guaranteed Data Recovery
• S.M.A.R.T. disk health monitoring
• Preview before recovery
• Support macOS 11 - OS X 10.5

• Cons:
• Free download only data preview
• Not ready for T2 chip Mac data recovery
• No support for M1-based Mac

Overall experience

Except for recovering deleted files on Mac, the built-in Recovery Vault feature and Guaranteed Recovery of Disk Dril prevent accidental data loss from failing hard drives, backing up Mac files like Time Machine on Mac in case users need to undelete those files from Trash.

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It is available in macOS, iOS, and Andriod devices for data recovery, which means it can recover data from hard Drive, USB flash Drive, iPhones, Digital Cameras, Andriod Phone, and Memory cards.

This Mac recovery software comes along with free S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring, Mac storage cleanup, duplicated content finder, recovery drive, data protection, and data backup.

What highlights this software is its ability to repair corrupted photos and videos, which is essential for pro users who work with Logic Pro, InDesign, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and other Mac apps.

Similar to iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, Disk Drill allows users to preview those detected files before users finally decide to recover them. As we tried, this software is able to find 190+ file types that we daily used, like photos and documents.

Disk Drill for Mac Basic is a free application to check the lost data condition, but users need to pay for real Mac data recovery. Also, it's a little difficult to navigate the main interface for the target feature. Anyway, it could be a commercial data recovery solution.

Comparison Checklist: Comepltely 5 Free Mac Data Recovery Tool

Data loss is more common than you think, while simple data recovery can cost way more than you can imagine. The best situation is that you don't need to pay any money and effort to get deleted or lost files back.

So, by comparing 5 welcomed Mac file recovery apps in this table, you'll draw an intuitive conclusion for the best.

How to select the best data recovery software for your Mac?

When picking the best Mac file recovery software for your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini, you need to check 6 things.

Can it recover data from my Mac machine?

If you are using a Mac machine after 2018, Mac data recovery software that can recover data from T2-secured computer is your first choice.

It becomes a more and more important factor to take into consideration, because the latest Mac machines are equipped with Arm-based M1 chip or Apple T2 security chip (iMac introduced in 2020, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro introduced in 2018 or later). This feature will prevent Mac booting from external USB and stop third-party software accessing data in the soldered encrypted Mac startup disk.

Is it compatible with my Mac operating system?

Make sure your target file recovery software supports your Mac operating system. For example, the latest macOS Big Sur though macOS 11 Big Sur may have many issues in 2020.

Surely you don't want to download or buy a software that won't work with your macOS or Mac OS X.

Does it work with storage devices that you frequently use?

Read the product specifications to make sure if the Mac data recovery software can recover files from the hard drives that you have.

Besides the Mac computer (actually the startup disk), most of us would save files to external hard drives, SSD, USB flash drives, SD cards, RAID drives, camera, and many other types of storage devices.

What disk format and file types it can recover?

The best Mac data recovery should be able to recover those types of data from the specifically formatted drives.

The mainstream disk format that Mac computers support are APFS, encrypted APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT which can be checked by right-clicking on the disk in the Finder. And common file types include JPG, TIF, PNG, and GIF (for Mac photo recovery), DOCX, HTML, PDF, CSV, TXT (for documents recovery), and MP4, M4V, F4V, M4R, MOV, 3GP (for video recovery), and many other file types.

Does it satisfy your special requirement for Mac data recovery?

You some times inevitably lose data from your Mac for uncommon reasons. For example, you can't access your data in the Macintosh HD because of a boot issue, or recover data from APFS encrypted volumes or RAID drives. In those cases, you need to pay more attention to that feature before downloading or purchasing.

Is the Mac file recovery app free or affordable?

All of us want to do the best with the least budget, which applies to data recovery as well. However, expensive or free Mac data recovery software is not necessarily the best. You should select a tool that provides the most attractive features with visible preview results while is free or affordable for you, for example, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

• How to recover data from an Apple Silicon M1 Mac

Dec 31, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

It is possible to recover permanently deleted files from Mac for free. This post offers reviews on the top 10 Free Mac Data Recovery software. Read on and pick up the most suitable one for you to rescue Mac data without paying anything. It is the best way to recover deleted files from Mac.

Top 10 Free Data Recovery Software for Mac

1. Recoverit Mac Data Recovery

When it comes to the free data recovery software for Mac, Recoverit Mac Data Recovery is reckoned to be the best one. With a 96% recovery rate, it enables you to recover lost or deleted data on Mac without any effort and knowledge. It is a 100% safe and reliable free Mac file recovery program to help you retrieve any data from Mac hard drive or any external device on Mac.

Features:

Apple File System (APFS) is now the default file system for the latest macOS, coming with safer data storage, faster write-and-read speed, and larger space available. However, the encryption feature makes data recovery more difficult and even impossible on iMac and MacBook. Recoverit is the software for you to recover lost data from APFS-based Mac. Even more, it supports the Mac data recovery from other different file systems, like HFS, HFS+, FAT/exFAT, and NTFS.

Besides, it supports to recover data from various devices in different situations, such as accidental deletion, power failure, computer shutdown, damaged and corrupted hard disk drive, formatted hard drive, virus attack, lost partition or other data loss scenarios.

On top of that, the best free data recovery tool for Mac is capable of recovering data from a variety of data storage devices, for example, Mac hard drive, external hard disk, USB flash drive, SD card, media players, digital cameras, Drone cameras, camcorders, Android phone, etc. That's why you can be reassured no matter where you lost your Mac data.

Overall Reviews: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: all-around scan and deep scan; thumbnails and preview of lost files; recover 1000+ formats of files for free in all situations; intuitive interface.

Improvement: RAID hard drive recovery is not supported; recover 100 MB Mac files for free.

2. Ontrack EasyRecovery Home for Mac

Ontrack EasyRecovery is a user-friendly program for you to perform Mac file recovery precisely under different data loss scenarios, especially for accidentally deleted files. The free Mac file recovery version, with a 1 GB limit, supports you recovering lost data from Mac-based device or recovering deleted backup files from Apple Time Machine for free.

Features:

You can use the free version of this Mac data recovery tool to recover hundreds of file types on different macOS like macOS 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, and legacy OS. The quick scan and deep scan options search through the storage device more effectively, including internal hard disk, removable media, and RAID hard drive.

Moreover, the free Mac data recovery software claims that it can recover lost data from a hard drive that is encrypted or password protected. After the test, we find that it does sometimes. Like Recoverit Mac Data Recovery, EasyRecovery for Mac also provides the preview function of recoverable files and recovers files with the original file names.

Overall Reviews: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: hundreds of supported files, data preview function, a full version of the software available for use in the trial version.

Improvement: low success rate, time-consuming recovery process.

3. Mac Free Any Data Recovery

Mac Free Any Data Recovery can help you reclaim a variety of files from the depths of damaged drives. It is one of the first free data recovery software that provides free trials for users - this data recovery solution is one of the few that allows users to experience the full version of the software for free. This Mac data recovery software is easy to use and kept simple with two scanning modes: quick and deep.

Features:

The common files can be recovered with the free data recovery software for Mac, including photos, videos, music, emails, PDF documents, Office documents, RAR/ZIP files, game files, system data, and so on. It supports the Mac data recovery on Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later. So if you want to recover your lost data from Mac OS X 10.8, it is not the option for you.

Overall Reviews: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: very speedy scan, retrieve a wide range of files, preview files before Mac recovery.

Improvement: recover 20 files for free only, need to upgrade to the paid version for all features.

4. Cisdem Data Recovery

This Mac data recovery tool provides a free trial for you to scan and preview lost files due to hard drive crash or corruption, formatting, unintentional deletion, improper operation, factory reset, macOS upgrade, and virus attack. It provides five recovery options: Basic Data Recovery, Mac Trash Recovery, External Drive Recovery, Formatted Drive Recovery, and Advanced-Data Recovery. But, after our test, we think that you can directly use the option of 'Advanced-Data Recovery' to make sure your files will not be further damaged after the repeated scan.

Features:

It is an easy-to-use software that allows you to recover a wide range of files quickly. Like Recoverit, the well-recognized powerful data recovery software, it requires you to take 3 steps only for recovering lost data on Mac, that's choosing a data loss scenario, scan and preview recoverable files and finally choose the files to recover. The simple recovery process simplifies your job in Mac data rescue and does save much time.

Overall Reviews: ★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: intuitive design, easy-to-use, powerful recovery capacity, preview before recovery.

Improvement: free version only allows files scan and preview, not compatible with other types of operating systems, and has no filtering option for scanning.

5. Data Rescue 5

This Mac hard drive recovery software that allows you to search for and restore data that are lost from damaged drives and accidental deletion from the disk they are stored in. Its free version allows you to recover 2GB of data and it can perform a quick scan, deep scan, deleted files scan, and clone recovered file.

Features:

It comes with 4 options at the beginning to meet your different needs, namely, Start Recovering Files, View Previous Scan Results, Clone, and Create Recovery Drive. The data rescue software for Mac can recover data backups from Time Machine, recognize the duplicate files, and eliminate the recovery of duplications.

Overall Reviews: ★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: Intuitive interface, offers a low entry-level pricing plan (PaperByte?) for those who do not need to recover massive amounts of data.

Improvement: slow scanning and recovery speeds, need to fill in an application form to use the free version, only scan and preview available with the free version, only support 100+ file types.

6. Disk Drill

Disk Drill Mac is a great Mac data recovery software that does not only provide data recovery solutions but also data protection capabilities with its Recovery Vault feature. This will prevent accidental deletion and backup failing disks. Like most great data recovery software, it allows users to preview files to help you decide which files to recover.

Features:

The same as many other Mac data recovery tools, it provides a quick scan and deep scan options. With the quick scan, you can recover missing files on Mac in a quick way, while the deep scan technology can dive deeper into your device for lost data. Also, like Recoverit, it supports you recovering files from emptied Mac trash easily and quickly.

It works well with Mac 10.8 or later OS and allows you to filter files and recover data selectively. The drawback is that only 200 different file types are available for data rescue through the Mac file recovery software, including pictures, videos, and documents.

Overall Review: ★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: comes with a SMART disk to monitor your hardware's disk status, a preview of files, Recovery Vault feature.

Improvement: free version only allows files scan and preview, difficult to navigate, scan result does not show original file names and folder paths.

7. M3 Mac Data Recovery Free

This free Mac data recovery software is one of the many freeware available to recover deleted data and lost files on your Mac. You will be able to apply the tools to a wide range of file formats that have been compromised by a corrupted hard disk, virus attack, system error, power failure, etc. It can be used on non-Apple products as well.

Features:

It is the free undelete Mac software, compatible with Mac OS 10.7 through High Sierra. What makes it stand out from other Mac data recovery software is the Bitlocker Recovery feature. It allows you to recover Mac data from a deleted or lost Bitlocker encrypted partition. The drawback of the feature is that you have to offer the password for decrypting data.

Overall Review: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: high success rate, easy-to-use user interface, full version available for a free trial.

Improvement: slow scan speed, can only use a free trial for a limited amount of time.

8. Lazesoft Data Recovery

It is one of the truly free data recovery software out there that offers data recovery capabilities of the OS X operating system. You can scan and recover an unlimited amount of data using this tool.

Features:

You can recover data from resized partitions, formatted hard drives, memory cards, and iPods. You can also recover photos, videos, music, documents, and applications on Mac HFS/HFS+/FAT/NTFS file systems.

Overall Review: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: completely free, easy-to-use user interface.

Improvement: does not allow you to preview files, not support the newest Mac OS.

9. PhotoRec

PhotoRec Data Recovery is a free data recovery tool for your Mac. It can recover data that was lost due to a variety of reasons. It offers users 8 recovery modes for users to support you restoring Mac files lost due to deletion, formatting, lost partition, virus attack, and system crash.

Features:

Different types of data can be recovered on Mac, including photos, videos, audios, and emails. The recovered data remains intact in the original condition. The biggest drawback is that it is very hard for even an experienced person to use the Mac data recovery tool. Recovering Mac files with PhotoRec is a little like using the computer command line to perform the recovery process. And it is very easy to do wrong operations and cause further damage to your data.

Overall Reviews: ★★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: The ability to preview files before recovering data on Mac, free Mac data recovery without any limit.

Improvement: slower than average scan and recovery speeds, not user-friendly, need professional skill

10. Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery Software

The Mac data recovery tool is one of the best software users can use to get back deleted or lost files from your Mac machines. The name of this app is very significant as it equates to recovered files with a phoenix rising from the ashes!

Overall Review: ★★★ (5-star rating)

Advantages: fast, reliable, easy-to-use.

Improvement: no automated previewer, the free version is for scan and preview only.

Comparison of the Best Free Data Recovery Programs for Mac

Video Tutorial on How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac

FAQ About Free Data Recovery Software for Mac

How can I recover permanently deleted files from Mac without the software?

Although there is a free file recovery software for Mac, you may wonder if there is a way for you to recover deleted files on Mac without any software. To be honest, it is very nearly impossible to recover permanently deleted files without software. However, if your files are not permanently deleted from the Mac, you can try to restore the deleted files without software by using Terminal.

• Open Terminal;

• Enter cd.trash;

• Type mv xxx ../ and replace the xxx part with the name of the deleted file; Hit Enter;

• Now you can open Finder and search for the deleted files by name. The deleted file will appear.

Is there any completely free data recovery software for Mac?

You might have noticed that although there are lots of 'free' Macintosh file recovery programs, they are not completely free. Most of the free Mac data recovery programs offer the free version with limited features or provide a free trial of the full version with limits.

You can find some open-source data recovery tools that enable you to recover deleted files for Mac completely free, but open-source tools can be modified freely and are not supported by professional developing teams. Most of the completely free data recovery programs have been updated for years. Therefore, using completely free recovery tools is not safe and might fail to get back the files you need.

How does data recovery on Mac work?

Data recovery is trickier for Mac computers than Windows since SSDs are more commonly-used in MacBook and there is System Integrity Protection (SIP) on OS X El Capitan and later. With SIP enabled on your Mac, applications are unable to access the essential data in the system disk, which is a must for accessing the deleted files.

To use data recovery software on a Mac, you need to disable SIP first. Although SIP is disabled, it doesn't necessarily mean that the deleted files can be recovered. What a data recovery program does is to detect the bits of the deleted files from the hard drive and piece them back together. That's why the data recovery program usually takes hours or days to deeply scan the hard drive. Data Recovery is a time-consuming process.

How to select your Mac data recovery software?

After testing and reviewing the 10 best free Mac data recovery software, we can conclude all the key attributes that a piece of powerful Mac data recovery software should have.

• Support a wide range of files. There are so many types and formats of data we need and use every day. So Mac data recovery software needs to recover almost all kinds of data, at least photos, videos, music, audios, and Office documents.
• Support for Mac data recovery in all situations. Data loss can happen due to numerous factors, such as accidental deletion, virus attack, emptied Mac trash, hard drive corruption, formatting, and lost partitions.
• Support a variety of devices. We need different electronic devices to help us keep data preserved and protected, especially digital cameras, Mac computers, external hard drives, cell phones, flash drives, and so on.
• Straightforward interface. Not everyone is an expert in computer running algorithms or data recovery technology. So for an ideal Mac data recovery program, ease of use is necessary.
• Free Mac data recovery. As we can see, not all free Mac data recovery software can help you recover files on Mac free. If the software comes with only free scan and preview functions. It is not recognized as a free one.

Data Recovery Service For Mac Os

What is the best free data recovery software for Mac?

After viewing the above content, we think that everyone has their own choice. You can choose your software according to your own needs. For example, if you are a professional computing expert, you can choose PhotoRec Data Recovery. It needs professional skills and has a very complicated recovery process, but it can help you recover files on Mac for free. However, if you want to recover Mac data more quickly and easily, it might be not a good option.

In contrast, Recoverit can help you recover lost or deleted files on Mac in 3 steps. It requires no professional skills in computing and technology. It also enables you to preview different types and formats of data on Mac.

The Bottom Line:

All the free Mac data recovery software above mentioned can help you recover lost data on Mac. If you want an easier and effective way to recover your deleted or lost data, we recommend Recoverit Data Recovery software. It is a reliable and safe Mac data recovery program. Download and try it for free now

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