Summary:
Both Windows and Mac work on different file systems. While the Windows computers have the NTFS file system, Mac is known for its hierarchical file system. This article guides you on how to recover deleted, lost or formatted data from Mac’s HFS partition without any hassle.
HFS /HFS+ Partition
Even though apple updated their file system to APFS, still a major segment of users prefers HFS. since its introduction in 1985 later upgrading to HFS+ in 1997, HFS built to support all the latest Mac OS X versions.
Not only that, HFS is also compatible with both old IBM chipsets and latest Intel based processors. All these versatile features made user to continue using HFS format even after introduction of APFS which is better and advanced in various perspectives.
When partition is lost or becomes unreadable, the data saved on the drive becomes inaccessible. Although HFS partition /volume are less susceptible to virus intrusion, there are other factors which cause data loss from HFS.
Although HFS partition /volume are less susceptible to virus intrusion, there are other factors which cause data loss from HFS.
Reasons for HFS/HFS+ Partition Loss
Various reasons that results in HFS partition loss are analyzed as below:
- HFS file system damage
- Accidentally deleted HFS partition or deleted Macintosh HD in disk utility
- Improper System handling
- Drives got formatted intentionally or unintentionally.
- Virus intrusion and other logical errors on the drive can damage the partition and leads to data loss. In such situations, it is important to fix corrupt HFS partitions.
Irrespective of the causes, it is easy to recover data from Mac partitions with the Mac’s recovery mode option. Yes, you can consider recovering your precious data from the partition but only if the Recovery Mode is accessible.
Recover HFS/HFS+ Data from Mac Recovery Mode
Recovery Mode in macOS is a feature that provides easy access to useful recovery tools such as Time Machine, Apple’s backup software application. Make sure that you had enabled Time Machine prior to losing your data. if your time machine backup was not enabled before data loss, this method will not be helpful. You can use it to go back in time and recover files that are no longer present on your MacBook computer.
1. Reboot into Recovery by restarting your MacBook and holding down the Command + R until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe.
2. Select the Restore From Time Machine Backup option and click Continue.
3. Select the disk that contains your Time Machine backup and click Continue.
4. Select the Time Machine backup you want to restore and click Continue to begin the restore.
Note: Depending on the size of your hard drive, it may take some time for the recovery process to finish. By interrupting the recovery process, you might lose important data.
What if your Mac Recovery Mode is not working? How would you be able to recover data from the HFS partition?
With the help of the advanced and robust Partition recovery tool you can restore HFS data on your computer. SFWare Partition Recovery for Mac is all that you needed to perform HFS partition recovery. With its astounding search algorithm the software tracks each sector for the missing data and locate them without any hassle.
Key points to remember before initiating the recovery process:
- Stop using the drive immediately when you encounter data is missing from the partition. Overwriting on the drive will cause the permanent loss of existing data on drive.
- Do not Format the drive to other file system; this might cause interruption during recovery process and chances of data loss increase.
Steps to Recover Data From HFS/HFS+ Partitions
Download the SFWare Mac Partition recovery software on your computer and launch the application
- Select Recover Drives from the main screen. Next, recover Drive/ Partition Recovery option or Formatted Recovery option depending on the data loss crisis
- Next, the all the available drives are displayed on the screen. Select the HFS drive and click on Next option
- The software scans and shows recovered files either in Data View or File Type View
You can check each file by previewing them before saving. Later, select and save required files on your computer.
Features of SFWare Partition Recovery Tool for Mac
- Helps in restoring data from lost HFS volume in many instances including when Disk Utility fails to repair the disk, volume header corruption, catalog file corruption, operating system crash, virus attacks, sudden power failure, etc. on Mac computers
- Restore files from SATA, SCSI, IDE, etc.
- Easily recovers data when unreadable, inaccessible HFS partition and also from RAW partitions.
- You can also make use of this software when you do not recognize the external hard drive on Mac.
- Supports recovery from all the version of Mac OS including the new macOS Catalina, Mojave and others
- Ensures safe recovery from all the Mac file systems like APFS, Mac Extended, FAT or exFAT.