Mac Data Recovery Guru
Mac Data Recovery Guru is a free macOS utility that scans storage media for recoverable files and previews results before restoration.
What Mac Data Recovery Guru is
Mac Data Recovery Guru is a free macOS utility that scans storage media for recoverable files and previews results before restoration. It supports APFS and HFS+ drives, ExFAT and FAT32 media, camera cards, USB media, disk images, and folders. Scans can target a volume, an entire device, a disk image, or one folder. The app opens source media read-only and does not write to the damaged volume. During scanning, it can show thumbnails and text recovery in a Finder-style column view. The scanner recognizes structures including ProRes, CinemaDNG, Office documents, and Lightroom libraries. Users can recover selected files or a complete folder to another destination drive. Block-level scanning may find files after reformatting or partial overwriting. It requires macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later, supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and uses Rosetta for its scan engine on Apple silicon. No signup is needed to scan and preview.
Good
- Read-only source scanning
- Previews files before recovery
- Supports many storage formats
- Scans folders and disk images
- No signup for scanning
Watch out
- Requires macOS 10.13 or later
- Apple silicon scan engine uses Rosetta
- Recovery targets need another destination drive
Who it suits
It suits Mac users checking supported drives, cards, USB media, images, or folders for recoverable files. It is intended for systems running macOS 10.13 or later.
Verdict
Mac Data Recovery Guru focuses on cautious, preview-first recovery across common Mac media and file systems. Its free plan lets users scan and inspect results without writing to the source.
Plans and prices
From Mac Data Recovery Guru's own pricing page, checked 21 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Read-only drive scanning · Preview recoverable files before recovery |
The facts
Each one read from Mac Data Recovery Guru's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Exports
- Users can select individual files or recover a whole folder to a destination drive.checked 11 Oct 2026
- File preview
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- File types
- The scanner recognizes file structures for formats including ProRes, CinemaDNG, Office documents, and Lightroom libraries.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The maker provides a ZIP download and says to uninstall by dragging the app to the Trash; it has no background services or extensions.checked 11 Oct 2026
- License limit
- MacDaddy's terms allow unlimited copies for personal or commercial work, subject to restrictions against resale and misrepresenting the software's source.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Live previews
- The app shows thumbnails and text recovery while a scan is running, with recovered items in a Finder-style column view.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Memory card recovery
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Operating systems
- macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or laterchecked 21 Sep 2026
- Pricing access
- The product page says no signup is needed to scan a drive and preview recoverable files before committing to anything.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Mac Data Recovery Guru scans Mac-friendly drives block by block and previews recoverable files before restoration.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Read-only scanning
- The product says it opens source media read-only and does not write to the damaged volume.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Recovery scope
- The maker says block-level scanning may find files after reformatting or partial overwriting.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Recovery sources
- APFS drives,HFS+ drives,ExFAT media,FAT32 media,camera cards,USB media,disk images,folderschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Requirements
- It requires macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later and supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs; the scan engine uses Rosetta on Apple silicon.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Scan targets
- Users can scan a volume, a whole device, a disk image, or a single folder.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- MacDaddy says it aims to respond to support requests within one business day and gives urgent recovery cases priority.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Supported media
- It scans APFS, HFS+, ExFAT, FAT32, camera cards, and USB media.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support privacy
- The support page says submissions are encrypted in transit, handled directly by MacDaddy, and not posted publicly.checked 11 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
The company
- Maker
- MacDaddy says developer Benedict Slaney writes and supports its apps himself.checked 11 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Mac Data Recovery Guru
- 1
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
Free planAndroidiOSmacOSWindows9.0Free plan - 2
Disk Drill
Free planmacOSWindows8.4From $89 a year - 3
MiniTool Power Data Recovery
Free planmacOSWindows8.2From $89 a year - 4
DoYourData Recovery
Free planiOSmacOSWindows8.2From $69 a year - 5
AOMEI FastRecovery
Free planWindows8.1Free plan - 6
Hetman Partition Recovery
LinuxmacOSWindows7.9$97.95 one-time