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26 April 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Learn how to recover lost data from a formatted Mac hard drive with a simple and effective method. Find the solution in this authoritative article.



Table of contents

table iconI. About hard disk formatting
table iconII. How to recover formatted hard drive data on a Mac computer?
table iconIII. Suggestions to Prevent Mac Hard Drive Data Loss
recover formatted hard drive mac

I. About hard disk formatting

1. The concept of hard disk formatting

Hard disk formatting includes both high-level and low-level formatting. High-level formatting, typically executed through the operating system, is often referred to as logical formatting. This essential procedure readies the drive for data storage by purging all existing data on the partition and establishing a fresh file system. It encompasses eradicating the hard disk data, generating boot sector information, initializing the FAT table, and pinpointing logical bad sectors. Consequently, following the formatting process, all files on the disk are irreversibly erased and are not recoverable via the system’s “recycle bin.”
Low-level formatting (Low-Leve, l Formatting), also known as low-level formatting or physical formatting, is a job before high-level formatting. Formatting a hard drive is usually referred to as an advanced format, unless otherwise specified.

2. After the Mac erases (formats) the hard drive, can the data be recovered?

Before formatting your Mac’s hard drive using Disk Utility’s Erase function, back up your data. Erasing will permanently delete all data on the drive, an irreversible action. Data recovery after formatting may be possible depending on the Security Options selected during the Erase process.
Mac erases the hard drive
There are four security levels for options. By default, without manual configuration, it sets to the ‘fastest’ level, which is similar to the ‘quick format’ option found in Windows during disk formatting. As a result, data on a hard disk that has been erased without a thorough format could potentially be recoverable.
Description of security options:

  • Fastest: Files are not securely erased and may be recoverable by disk recovery software.
  • Quick: Random data is written once, followed by zero-filling. Data is overwritten twice, enhancing file access erasure.
  • Safety: Complies with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 3-pass secure erase. Random data is written twice, followed by one pass of known data overwriting.
  • Most Secure: Meets the Department of Defense (DOD) 5220.22-M standards for secure magnetic media erasure. Overwrites data seven times, ensuring thorough file access erasure.
Security Options in Disk Utility
If you haven’t altered the security settings while formatting your hard disk, data recovery is possible. However, selecting the last three security levels—fast, safe, or safest—significantly reduces the likelihood of data retrieval. Below are instructions for recovering data from a formatted Mac hard drive.

II. How to recover formatted hard drive data on a Mac computer?

Before attempting data recovery, immediately cease using the hard drive to prevent new data from overwriting deleted files. Utilize a reliable tool such as Renee Undeleter, compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, to scan and retrieve lost data.

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is engineered for the restoration of a wide range of data files. If you’ve inadvertently deleted files, emptied the recycle bin, or formatted a disk/storage device, this software provides a robust solution with four key features: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, to tackle various data loss scenarios effectively.
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2. How to use Renee Undeleter to recover formatted hard disk data?

Step 1: Download, install, and run Renee Undeleter on a Mac computer, and select the (Whole Partition Scan) option on the main interface.
Note : In order to avoid data overwriting, please do not install Renee Undeleter on the disk with lost data. To recover data from the internal hard drive in a Mac computer, you can install the software on an external hard drive or a USB flash drive.
select whole partition scan in renee undeleter on mac
Data recovery function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
  • Image Creation – You can create a mirror image for a partition to back up the current partition state.
Step 2: Select the hard drive partition where you want to recover data. After the selection is complete, click (Next).
click to select a target drive in whole partition scan in renee undeleter on mac
Step 3: Await the completion of the scan, which may take time depending on the size of your hard disk partition. While the scan is in progress, you can preview files by double-clicking on them. If you find the file you’re looking for, select it and click Recover to stop the scan and begin the recovery process. Alternatively, once the scan is complete, pick the files you wish to restore from the results and click Recover to save them to a different partition.
click to recover files in whole partition in renee undeleter on mac
If you cannot recover the data through the above steps, the lost data may be overwritten by other data, or the hard disk may be damaged. Please refer to the Mac hard disk repair method to repair it.

III. Suggestions to Prevent Mac Hard Drive Data Loss

Data loss from hard disks can occur due to accidental formatting, deletion, virus infection, impact, aging, and other issues. To prevent this, frequent data backup is advisable. There are three primary backup methods: uploading to cloud services like iCloud, Baidu Netdisk, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive; copying to other internal or external hard drives; and using the time machine in the Mac computer to back up important data.
Table of contents