Feb 22, 2021 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

Disk Drill is the most versatile, most user-friendly, and most feature-complete data recovery solution on the market, which is why it’s at the very top of our list. If you have Disk Drill, you don’t really need any other software tool to recover data from your external hard drive. No matter what type of storage device you’ve lost data from, only if you can connect it to your Mac and view the contents, Disk Drill can scan it. Even if you’re currently having trouble accessing your hard drive or external device, there’s a good chance Disk Drill will be able to rescue data from it.

Is Disk Drill a free data recovery program? What does Disk Drill do? How to use disk drill recover deleted files? There are many questions like these about Disk Drill when you are hoping to restore your precious files with the program. This post will explain all the questions aboutDisk Drill free data recovery softwarefor Windows and Mac.

Part 1. What's Disk Drill？

Disk Drill is a freeware fordata recoverythat possesses a clean and easy to understand user interface, coupled with an efficient data recovery algorithm. This provides an easy way for users to scan the PC for lost, damaged, or corrupted files and preview them before undergoing the recovery process.

• It helpsretrieve lost files from partitionsthat have been formatted or have failed to mount.
• It can scanhard drives,partitionsthat have been deleted or lost. External memory devices such as flash drives and SD cards can also be run through the Disk Drill for scanning and data recovery.
• Disk Drill is also able to pull out data from hard drives that have crashed.
• There are different scan options and scan capabilities that Disk Drill can do. For scan options,quick and deep scanscan be made to look for lost, deleted, corrupted, or damaged files.
• Sorting and scanning by file type are also possible with Disk Drill.

Disk Drill is offered in 2 versions: Mac and Windows. These 2 versions are slightly different in data recovery.

Cd External Disk Drive

Disk Drill for Windows

Like Disk Drill for Mac, the Windows version supports data scanning from various file systems, including NTFS/NTFS5, HFS/HFS+/HFSX, FAT/FAT32/exFAT, EXT3/EXT4 and more. It can recover data from formatted drive, too. However, Forensic features are missing in Disk Drill for Windows. Moreover, Disk Drill 4 for Windows allows users to recover up to 500MB data for free.

Disk Drill for Mac

Disk Drill for Mac can preview and recover protected data with all recovery methods. The deleted files can be labeled by metadata and previewed by thumbnails. iOS & Android Data Recovery are also supported in the Mac versions. However, in Deep Scan, only 300 file signatures can be scanned out, while 400 file signatures can be scanned in the Windows version.

Part 2. Is Disk Drill Safe?

So many features are listed to show what Disk Drill Data Recovery is. But the most important question should be 'Is it a safe program to use?' Yes, Disk Drill can be used torecover deleted or lost files on computer safely. We tested the Disk Drill on 3 computers, respectively Windows 10, Windows 7, and MacBook Pro. When running the software on the computers, it works normally without causing any harm to them and hard drive data.

During the test, we also checked the computer condition, especially in the virus and malware infection. And the anti-virus software told that everything went normally.

Aside from this, the software has a Recovery Fault feature that protects partitions and consequently the files saved from within these parts. This feature makes it easier to recover data should they become corrupted or deleted.

Part 3. Is Disk Drill Really Free

Disk Drill Free Data Recovery claims that it is free for all the users to get data back. However, is it free? The answer is no. Both available for Mac and Windows, Disk Drill Data Recovery has 3 pricing plans, namely basic, pro, and enterprise.

Disk Drill Basic

Usually, Disk Drill Basic is regarded as Disk Drill Free Data Recovery. It has different recovery limitations for Windows and Mac users. Disk Drill Free Data Recovery only supports Mac users toscan and preview files for free. What if you want to recover data on a Mac computer? You have no other choice but to purchase Disk Drill Pro for Mac.

However, Windows users of Disk Drill Basic can not only free scan and preview files but recover up to 500 MB data for free on a Windows computer.

Disk Drill Pro

Disk Drill Pro is the paid version of Disk Drill Basic. By purchasing the Pro version, you can remove the limits of data recovery in the free version and unlock more features, such as rebuilding HFS+, searching lost partitions.

How much does Disk Drill Pro for Mac cost? It is $89 for 1 user up to 3 Macs according to the Disk Drill website. You can also further upgrade it to the lifetime license by paying an extra 29 dollars.

Disk Drill Enterprise

The Enterprise version is the premium version of Disk Drill for business uses. It supports data recovery for up to 10 devices.

Part 4. Disk Drill Review After Test

After learning what Disk Drill is, let's have a snapshot of its advantages and disadvantages.

What We Like

• Disk Drill has a concise user interface that allows even beginners to use the program without hassle.
• It supports data recovery on multiple platforms — this means that Disk Drill is compatible with devices that run with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems.
• Support for multiple file types and file systems are available. Even obscure file types can be recognized by thisfile recovery software.
• Disk Drill has an impressive scanning speed. A partition with 500 GB can be run for only an hour using the deep scan function.
• Scans can be stopped, paused, and resumed at your convenience. The use of this software is flexible and easy because you take control of the scan time and schedule.
• The Recovery Vault, a very useful feature of Disk Drill, helps protect your data from total loss because it creates metadata that acts as an extended Recycle Bin for your device.
• It boasts more than file recovery — a full partition recovery is possible with Disk Drill.

What We Don't Like

• The file details aren’t effectively shown, so you do not get information about a file’s quality before recovery.
• Disk Drill only supports the preview and recovery of fewer than 400 types and formats of data, below the average.
• There is no portable version for Disk Drill. Installation of the software is required before you can run it and recover files. This increases the risk of file overwriting, thereby losing the data permanently.
• There is only a 500 MB of file limit for recovery in the free version. This means that you might not be able to retrieve all the files you need, especially if they come in a video format.
• Some users find bugs like difficulty startup of the software, and some incidences report app crashing.
• Some users also complained about staff support because it takes quite a while for them to respond to queries.

Part 5. How to Use Disk Drill Data Recovery?

To use Disk Drill, you would need to install the software first on your computer and run it accordingly, since there is no portable version of this. Here are the steps in recovering lost data using Disk Drill.

Step 1Download Disk Drill from their website and install the program by following the instructions.

Step 2Run Disk Drill once it finishes installing in your PC. This will show you all of the drives found in the computer system.

Step 3Choose the specific driver that contains the lost files and click the 'Recover' button.

Step 4After the scan is completed, the window will show all the recoverable files found in that drive.

Step 5Sort through them and review the files that you need to retrieve. You can also opt to recover all files by checking boxes to ensure that no lost or deleted file is missed.

Step 6Wait for the recovery task to finish!

There is no other way to see if Disk Drill works than to try it by yourself. To recover files and ensure that you don’t suffer from crippling data loss, avail of the services offered by Disk Drill. If you want another alternative software that does data recovery efficiently, you may also tryRecoverit Free Data Recovery, also available as a freeware and power-packed unlike most other data recovery software out there. What we most like is that Recoverit supports to recover more than 1000 types and formats of data from all devices.

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Top Recovery Freeware

Top Recovery Solutions

Get a data lifeguard for Mac

There’s nothing more important than keeping your vacation photos safe. Ok, maybe work files, too. To stop worrying about file safety, get a disk lifeguard, Disk Drill.

What is Disk Drill?

Disk Drill is a powerful data recovery solution that not only brings your precious files back, but also helps ensure your information is protected against any damage. The app can scan, protect, and recover virtually any kind of a storage device. From internal Mac hard drives to external disks, iPhones, cameras, Android devices, and Kindles.

What does Disk Drill do?

A professional recovery app, Disk Drill acts via a collection of tools — including quick and deep scanning, undeletion of protected files, smart monitoring, and more. Depending on what you need to do, Disk Drill adapts and adjusts. Here’s the short list of the app’s capabilities:

• Disk Drill recovers up to 200 different file formats.
• Equally powerful recovery on macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
• Advanced scanning algorithms that reach into the depths of your disk.
• Solves the lost partition issues, easily.

The app comes with a collection of free tools. Without paying anything, you can run S.M.A.R.T. scanning to monitor your disk for potential threats, recover up to 500MB of your data, and remove duplicates. For more comprehensive cleanups, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro Plan.

Is Disk Drill safe?

It’s just as safe as any built-in recovery utility. You have to be careful when formatting your drive — you’ll lose the files stored on this drive — but that’s always the rule. Other than that, Disk Drill is 100% safe to use.

How to install Disk Drill

To try Disk Drill you can download the free version from the official website — it will work just right for a minor cleanup.

Alternatively, you can get the complete functionality with Setapp subscription. The best option if you want an all-in-one toolkit — Setapp has over 150 useful utilities that solve all the pain points of a Mac user. Pricing starting at only $9.99 per month.

Is Disk Drill really free?

Disk Drill free version only scans and lists the lost files. If you want to recover them you must pay up for $89 to 'upgrade' to Disk Drill Pro on the official website.

Also, you can unlock free unlimited access to Disk Drill Pro for Mac with Setapp membership to get full access to the app updates, and new additions.

Get Disk Drill on Setapp

Restore deleted files, backup and recover disk drives, analyze disk space, and keep all your information protected with ease.

How to use Disk Drill to protect Mac disks and recover files

We'll show you how you can restore damaged or corrupted files, replace unintentionally deleted files, manage data backups, help you eliminate unnecessary files, and provide data protection for important documents with the Disk Drill app.

Plus, the app’s built in diagnostic tools, including a disk space analyzer and automatic risk alerts, can help you keep your Mac running at peak performance.

Data recovery tool

The app lets you scan any disk or partition to detect damaged or deleted data and recover lost files.

• Simply click the “Recover” button
• Select the disk you’d like to recover from. The app will scan for corrupted and deleted files, and a series of drop down menus let you customize the search range.
• Once you’ve selected the files you’d like to get back, specify where you’d like to recover them to and press “Recover” button.

Backup Mac disk drives

• To backup a disk or partition, click the “Backup” icon, and click “backup into DMG image.”
• Select the disk or partition that you’d like to save and click the “backup” button at the right of the window.
• You’ll then be prompted to select a destination for the backup; select a destination and click “save.”

This backup may take some time to complete.

Cleanup disk spaces

The app helps you remove unneeded files by giving you a visual map of your files and letting you narrow down the files you’d like to remove.

Creative input devices driver. To clean up a drive with Disk Drill app:

• Click the “Cleanup” button and select the drive.
• You’ll be shown a visual map, which you can refine by clicking the “Target” icon.
• You can then select files and folders you don’t need and click “Remove.”

Get data protection

When you first start up Disk Drill, you’ll be prompted to enable data protection. This will help the app keep your files primed for recovery at all times. Once it’s enabled, a small shield icon will appear next to all disks in the Disk Drill window.

• To turn on data protection, just click the shield. When you mouse over the disk, a small gear icon will appear at the far right of the window.
• Click it and select “Configure Data Protection” to adjust your settings as needed.

How to monitor SMART status (disk health)

If you enable S.M.A.R.T monitoring, the app will place an icon in your Menubar. The icon itself will display your drive temperature.

You can click the icon to see a breakdown of your selected disk’s vitals.

You can check disk temperature, see how much disk space you have left, and stay up to date on your disk’s uptime and power cycle count.

You can always access this information, не even if you don’t have Disk Drill active; it can let you know when your disk is due for a cleanup or backup.

With its extensive suite of tools, Disk Drill has everything you need to recover, backup, and protect your files. Plus, it gives you the power to diagnose, assess, and solve issues that may be slowing down your Mac by getting rid of unwanted and duplicate files. You’ll be resting easy and running faster than ever.

Questions and answers

How to use Disk Drill to recover deleted files?

To get back deleted files, you’ll need a PRO version of Disk Drill — it’s available on Setapp, too. Unless you have the Recovery Vault enabled, there are two ways to restore files from your internal drive: 1) By accessing your Mac in Target Disc Mode; 2) Via Disk Drill’s Portable Mode.

You can also connect external devices to run a recovery on, as well as choose the files to recover manually in Disk Drill.

How to preview deleted files before recovering?

You can preview files before running a recovery in the basic version of Disk Drill — not every file is recoverable, so having a preview can be really helpful. To check a preview, you need to click on the eye icon next to the file you want to recover. In some cases, you’ll need a Quick Look plugin to view previews.

How to use Recovery Vault in Disk Drill?

Recovery Vault is a useful feature that helps you avoid file loss in future. With Recovery Vault enabled, Disk Drill will remember and save metadata for all your deleted files. You can activate external disk protection by clicking on the shield icon next to it. On the next screen, set the Recovery Fault toggle to “on” and you’re all set.

What if recovered files won’t open?

Disk Drill is powerful, but it doesn’t recover everything. There are specific variables that can impact your recovery chances. If everything seems fine, but you still can’t open the files, try to use Disk Drill’s alternative recovery methods, change the file type, or try to recover an entire disk instead of a partition.

How to uninstall Disk Drill?

Open the app and navigate to Preferences > General. Select “Remove Disk Drill.”

How to remove Disk Drill’s S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring from my Mac?

If you remove Disk Drill by dragging it to Trash, its S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring feature will still be on your Mac. The easiest way to get rid of it would be to download Disk Drill installer once again and then uninstall the app, according to the recommendations from the official website.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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Disk Drill Data Recovery External Hard Drive