DIY Methods to Recover Lost Data from a Non-Booting Mac System

If your Mac refuses to boot, it can be really distressing – especially when you have important data stored on it. While it seems like your data is lost forever, there’s good news: there are several built-in data recovery tools and techniques available to recover data from a non-booting Mac. This article explores different DIY methods to recover lost data from a non-booting Mac system. Just go with these methods one-by-one to get your files back.

Why Your Mac Isn’t Booting?

Before you use any data recovery software for Mac or apply any manual methods to recover lost data from non-booting Macs, it is important to understand why your Mac isn’t booting. Here are some common reasons:

• Corrupted macOS system files
• Hardware failures
• File system damage
• Any problem with recent macOS updates
• Malware or incompatible software
• A failing hard drive or SSD

Whatever is the reason for boot failures on your Mac system, it is important to proceed with the data recovery workarounds immediately.

Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Files on Windows [Step-by-Step]

How do I Recover Lost Data from a Non-Booting Mac System?

In this part of the article, we’ve described various DIY methods to recover lost data from a non-booting Mac system:

Method 01: Mount the Drive and Use the Terminal to Recover Data

macOS built-in Terminal can help you extract files manually if your device doesn’t boot manually. All you have to do is:

• Access the Terminal application via the Utilities menu while in Recovery Mode.
• Now, type diskutil list (this will display available drives).
• Identify the drive in which you are facing the issue (e.g., /dev/disk2s1 or similar).
• Execute the subsequent command for mounting purposes.
  • mkdir /Volumes/MyDisk
  • sudo mount -t apfs /dev/diskXsY /Volumes/MyDisk
• Once successfully completed, connect the external drive and copy the files:
  • cp-R/Volumes/MyDisk/Users/YourUsername/Documents /Volumes/ExternalDrive/

Note: Replace YourUsername, MyDisk, and ExternalDrive with actual names.

Method 02: Use Time–Machine Backups to Recover Lost from a Non-Booting Mac System

If you regularly create backups of your important files either using the Mac built-in Time Machine backup utility or cloud storage services, such as Google Drive, iCloud, etc., recovery is often very easy. You just need to sync your Mac with the Time Machine utility to restore lost files using it.

Follow the below steps to recover data from a non-booting Mac using previously created Time Machine backups:

• Start the process by connecting the Time Machine backup drive to the non-booting Mac and boot into Recovery Mode.
• Now, select Restore from Time Machine Backup from the macOS Utilities window.
• Browse through available backups, select the one you want to restore and click Restore.

• After that, choose the destination drive where you want to save the restore data and again click Continue.

Method 03: Create Disk Image to Recover Data from Non-Booting Macs

When you have no Time Machine backup of your lost data, installing macOS on an external hard drive can help you easily recover lost data. After OS installation, boot from this drive and transfer your files. All you have to do is:

• Firstly, connect your non-booting Mac to the external drive and boot it into Recovery Mode.
• Access Disk Utility through the macOS Utilities window.
• Choose your external drive and tap the Erase button to format it using GUID Partition Map.
• Now, enter a name for your drive, and select the appropriate Format option (either APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) from the drop-down. Also, select GUID Partition Map as the Scheme and click Erase to continue.

• Close Disk Utility.
• Again launch the macOS Utilities window and select Reinstall macOS.
• Choose the external drive as the destination folder and go through the on-screen steps to install macOS to that external drive.
• Upon completion of the OS installation, perform the setup procedure and replicate every file from your Mac onto the fresh external OS.

Also Read: Permanently Erase Confidential Data: Windows 11 Secure Deletion Guide

Method 04: Use Data Recovery Software for Mac

If you are not a tech geek then the above methods to recover data from a non-booting Mac might be difficult for you. In such cases, you can use a third-party data recovery software for Mac such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to restore your lost files and folders. This professional data recovery software can help you recover data lost from any internal or external storage devices, emptied Trash folder, and crashed or non-booting Mac.

Key Features of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac:

• Allows you to recover deleted files of various types, including photos, videos, documents, etc.
• This data recovery software for Mac provides a ‘Pause and Resume’ feature to stop the scanning process in between.
• It supports recovery from the latest macOS Sequoia 15 and M4-powered Mac systems.
• The Preview functionality of this software allows you to preview the recoverable files before saving them on your device.
• The software is available in different versions varying in features and prices.

Conclusion

A non-booting Mac system doesn’t mean that your data is lost forever. You can easily go through the above-mentioned DIY methods to recover lost data from a Non-booting Mac system without professional intervention. However, if these DIY workarounds seem quite impossible, you can use 3rd party Mac data recovery software to bring your data back safely.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does a non-booting Mac mean?

When your Mac is non-booting, it means the system fails to start up properly. This could manifest several issues on your device, such as a blank screen, a loading bar that won’t complete, or an error message preventing macOS from loading.

Is it possible to recover data from a non-booting Mac?

Yes, you can often recover your data from your Mac even if it won’t boot. There are several methods available such as using Target Disk Mode, macOS Recovery Mode, or third-party data recovery software for Mac to restore lost files easily.

Are third-party data recovery software for Mac safe to recover lost data from a non-booting Mac system?

Yes, professional Mac data recovery software tools such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac, Disk Drill, etc. are 100% safe and secure. These tools allow you to recover data lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, virus or malware attacks, and any other reason.