Generally speaking, the Genius Bar does well at determining that a drive has failed and they are going to tell you that. The next step is a repair — and a repair means the components that failed leave with the original parts. Which is why the order is more important than everything else here.
A successful repair is determined by whether or not the Mac works after the repair. Successful recovery is determined by whether or not all your files are returned. On a failing drive these goals pull in opposite directions and the order makes a difference.
Apple diagnoses and replaces hardware. None of which gives you back your files.
In general, the Genius Bar identifies a failing drive clearly and tells you as much. What happens next is a repair, and a repair means the bad part(s) go with the original parts. When finished, you have an operational Mac; but nothing of what was on it.
That's no knock against Apple. They're in the business of sending customers back functional products. That they do very well. Apple simply isn't a data recovery service, and the distinction is just never mentioned by an employee behind the counter.
Therefore, nothing else on this page matters as much as the order of events: recover first, repair second. Once you've secured all of your data, replacing the faulty storage device with a new one is the best option. In reverse, the customer gets their product returned, but the content goes along with the older hardware.
It takes thirty seconds and will determine whether or not there is any possibility of recovery based upon the information gathered prior to diagnosing any faults.
SATA drives and blade SSDs which are easily removed by unscrewing them. Then they can be imaged on separate equipment. Therefore, regardless of what may have happened to your machine (dead screen, dead logic board, etc.), nothing about those issues will matter.
iMacs with Fusion Drives have a small solid state drive (SSD) combined with a traditional hard disk. The two are shown as one volume, with files spread across both. The mechanical half fails first, and you need both disks to restore your original single volume.
The flash storage on all newer Macs is attached to the logic board via solder. It is encrypted by the security chip, and while the Mac runs, the data is available for extraction. This makes it impossible to recover anything after the logic board dies because when the board goes down, so does the key used for decryption.
A corrupted file system due to a bad macOS update. An APFS container which refuses to mount. Deleted files and volumes that simply vanish. These errors are recoverable if the Mac itself remains operational.
All three methods cost nothing and should be tried first.
A brief tap doesn't do anything to an unresponsive Mac. But holding the button down for ten seconds will shut the computer down. And that's often enough to get out of a freeze — the machine will boot back up as normal. Everything is still there.
Time Machine creates multiple backups quietly. It doesn't need to be set up by you. Also, Apple has created something called iCloud Drive. With iCloud Drive, when you delete files they go into a "Recently Deleted" folder where they remain for thirty days. The best part about these services is that they are free. And together, they can help solve a lot of problems.
The first thing you should check is if your disk drive is encrypted. On most modern Mac computers, it probably is. Without the password or recovery key, no program will open it. So, try checking your iCloud account; or contact your IT department on a company Mac. Don't pay anyone until you have done this. This could be the difference between recovering from a problem and losing everything.
Don't wait until tomorrow. When a Mac that was freezing now boots up properly, you don't know what will happen next time. That's why we recommend copying important files off right away.
Neither is hidden, and neither will be volunteered.
They will replace the drive, and the old one goes. If there is anything on it you want, say so before you authorise any repair. You would be wise to ask for your old drive back when you sign off on repairs. Policies will vary. It is generally easier to obtain the answer from Apple before they do the repairs rather than after.
They cannot recover a soldered Mac either. When you have a failed logic board on a T2 or Apple Silicon based machine, all data that was previously stored on that machine is lost forever. The data is gone. This is the design of Apple’s security model working properly, not a gap in service. If any company quotes four figures to recover your data, we would advise you to take their quote with a grain of salt.
Where the drive lifts out, Mac recovery in Manchester is from £300 +VAT after a free 48-hour diagnostic. Fusion Drives are £550 +VAT flat as it requires the imaging of two devices to rebuild into one volume that was presented by macOS.
No. When the Genius Bar replaces your defective internal drive in order for your Mac to work again, your original failed drive will leave with your original broken parts. A lot of times we get customers at this time.
Only after you have ensured your data is safe. First recover then repair. After your files are safely removed from the computer it is now okay to replace the damaged hard drive. This is the wrong sequence if you remove the damaged hard drive before recovering all your files because when you take the damaged hard drive out the computer can run but will be empty.
Policies vary, therefore ask specifically about their policies regarding any potential repair — it’s much simpler to make arrangements prior to having them perform any service than trying to get things worked out afterwards. If you have anything important stored on it, tell them as they process your transaction.
Only while it works. In newer models such as T2 and Apple Silicon computers the flash is soldered onto the logic board and secured via encryption through the security chip. Therefore, even Apple cannot retrieve your data once the logic board has failed. Therefore, be cautious of anybody who quotes a price to recover it.
Apple menu / About This Mac / note the model year. Up until around 2017 storage can be removed & recovery is standard regardless of what else your computer is doing. Storage cannot be removed from Macs made from 2018 onward as it is soldered.
From £300 + VAT to recover any Mac that allows you to remove the disk, and £550 + VAT flat for a Fusion Drive, which contains two disks that are both recovered and combined. A fixed price quote is issued in writing after completing a free 48-hour diagnostic test.