Recovering data from a MacBook or iMac that won’t start can be challenging, but it is often possible.
On a Mac, repeated attempts with Disk Utility can make the case worse. If the files matter, see Bot’s SSD data recovery, which starts with a free diagnosis.
In this article, we go through the main ways to recover data from different Mac models, from older machines to the latest ones with more advanced technology.
If your MacBook won’t start and you don’t have an iCloud or Time Machine backup, don’t panic: there are still options.
Losing data is frustrating, but recovering it from a MacBook or iMac that won’t start is often possible.
How hard it is, however, depends on the Mac model and the storage technology it uses.
That’s why this guide covers several ways to recover data from different Macs, including the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac mini.
Recovering data from a MacBook or MacBook Pro (models A1181, A1304, A1342, A1278, A1286, A1297)
If you have an older MacBook or MacBook Pro (made up to 2012) with a standard SATA hard drive or SSD, data recovery is relatively simple. Follow these steps:
- Shut down the Mac, disconnect the charger and use the right screwdriver to remove the bottom case.
- Unscrew the bracket that holds the hard drive or SSD.
- Disconnect the SATA cable and take the hard drive or SSD out of the Mac.
- If the drive works when connected to another computer through a USB adapter, copy your data. If it doesn’t, or if it makes unusual noises, start the process with us so we can assess the drive and give you a quote for the data recovery.
Recovering data from a MacBook Pro with Retina display (models A1425, A1502, A1398)
If you have a MacBook Pro with Retina display made between 2012 and 2015 that still powers on, you can use Target Disk Mode to recover your data. Follow these steps:
- Shut down the MacBook Pro.
- Turn it back on while holding down the T key until the Thunderbolt symbol appears on the screen.
- Connect the MacBook Pro to another working Mac with a Thunderbolt cable.
- The MacBook Pro’s drive will appear on the other Mac as an external drive: copy the data from each user’s home folder to it.
If the MacBook won’t power on at all, you can remove the SSD and install it in a compatible working Mac to recover the data. If that doesn’t work, start the process with us so we can assess the SSD and give you a quote for the data recovery.
Recovering data from a MacBook Pro without Touch Bar
The 13-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016 and 2017 without Touch Bar (model A1708) also have a removable SSD.
To recover data from these Macs, follow these steps:
- Remove the SSD from the faulty Mac.
- Install it in a compatible working Mac.
- Copy the data from the SSD to an external drive.
If the Mac still powers on, you can also use Target Disk Mode as described above.
Recovering data from a MacBook Pro (models A1707 and A1706)
The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar from 2016 and 2017 (A1706 and A1707) have their SSD soldered to the logic board, which makes recovery more difficult.
Recovering data from these models requires an advanced Apple and Mac data recovery lab.
Recovering data from a MacBook with a T2 security chip or Apple M1/M2 chip
The latest MacBooks, made from 2018 onwards with a T2 security chip or an Apple M1/M2 chip (models A1989, A1990, A2141, A2159, A2171, A2251, A2289, A2338, among others), are an even bigger challenge, because the data is encrypted in hardware and the keys are tied to the logic board itself.
On these models, the data can only be recovered by getting the original logic board working again, and only an advanced Apple and Mac data recovery lab can do that.
Recovering data from a MacBook Air
Older MacBook Air models (A1465 and A1466, up to 2017) have a removable SSD, so you can recover the data by following the steps above.
More recent models, such as the A1932, A2179 and A2337, have their SSD soldered to the board and use hardware encryption (T2 or Apple M1), so recovering data from them also requires repairing the logic board. Only specialized labs like Bot can do this.
Recovering data from an iMac
On older iMacs with a hard drive (21.5-inch and 27-inch models), the drive can be removed and connected to another working Mac to recover the data. If the drive is faulty or the data has been deleted, you will need a professional hard drive data recovery service.
Newer iMacs with an SSD soldered to the logic board pose the same challenges as recent MacBook Pros, and Bot can help you recover the data.
Recovering data from a Mac mini
On older Mac mini models (such as the A1283 and A1347), the drive can be removed and connected to another working Mac to recover the data. If the drive is faulty or the data has been deleted, you will also need a professional hard drive data recovery service.
Newer models, such as the 2018 Mac mini (A1993) and the Apple silicon models, have soldered SSDs and face the same challenges as other recent Macs; labs like Bot can handle these cases.
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Conclusion
Recovering data from a Mac that won’t start can be very different depending on the model and the storage technology it uses.
Older models are generally easier to deal with, while newer ones with soldered SSDs or hardware encryption are much harder.
With newer Macs, only highly specialized data recovery labs like Bot can do the job. Since 2016, Apple has been soldering the SSD directly to the logic board of most Macs, which means the drive can no longer simply be removed to recover the data.
To deal with this, Bot has developed specialized expertise in a highly complex process: repairing the original logic board or carefully transferring the essential chips (the storage together with the chip that holds the encryption keys) from the damaged board to a working one.
This approach allows Bot to work on every Mac model, whether it’s a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini or iMac.
Bot also uses state-of-the-art equipment and software to process the recovered data and filter out corrupted or irrelevant files that are created as a by-product of the recovery process.
The result: your recovered data is delivered clean and well organized, so you can get back to work with as little hassle as possible.
Trust a lab with more than two decades of experience and more than 200,000 cases: start your Mac data recovery with Bot now!
