The New Stellar Mac Data Recovery: Review

Have you ever lost any precious photos? Ever accidentally deleted a file and instantly regretted your decision? Well, if that’s, you then don’t worry. We have the perfect tool for you. Use Stellar Data Recovery and get your files back.

Stellar Data Recovery is, as the name implies, a data recovery software available both for Windows and Macs. However, we’ll be looking at the Mac version today and will check out all the new features and data recovery functionality it has to offer.

Overall the app seemed easy to work with and provided great results in our tests. Though you can recover old deleted data, you can still get some recently deleted files back quickly. It was fast in the recovery process and has a smooth experience all around the UI. So, let’s take a look at the app and see how you, too, can recover your data.

Note: Stellar Data Recovery has five different versions, but we’ll be using the “Free” version, which is limited to 1GB of data recovery.

Stellar Data Recovery: what’s new

Recovery of data from APFS Encrypted Drive

Stellar Data Recovery now supports recovering data from APFS Encrypted drives, makings it easy for users to get through the defenses of password-protected hard drives and recover files from the primary storage space for macOS. Simply launch the software and plug-in your APFS encrypted hard drive to the Mac; you will be prompted to key in the decryption password for the drive and once you’re through, recovering lost data from it will be as easy as 1..2..3.

APFS Time Machine Support (For Big Sur 11.0)

Have you lost a complete drive and can’t use Time Machine to help recover the files? Well, Stellar Data Recovery can now look for lost partitions and drives and scan the data through them to help recover all your files. However, this is only available for premium users.

Create Recovery Drive Support is added (For Mac OS Big Sur 11.0)

The final significant improvement that you can find in the new Stellar Mac Data Recovery tool is the “Create Recovery Drive” option that can help you create a recovery drive that can be used on other macOS devices to help recover data.

Other minor upgrades

The new Stellar Data recovery tool has some other minor updates that help recover your Mac data much more seamlessly. These under the hood improvements makes the process a lot smoother and faster for the end-user. Here is the complete list of the updates:

• Recovery of data from APFS File Vault (Encrypted) is added.
• For Large Sector 4K/2K Drive, support is added for all file systems APFS, HFS+, FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT.
• For Large Sector 4K/2K Drive, support to search for lost partitions and create image options are added.
• Recovery of data from APFS Fusion Drive (Inbuilt in iMac, Non-encrypted) is added.

Stellar Data Recovery: how to use?

Now that you’re sure that you like the app and want to recover your lost photo or video file, then here’s an easy to learn guide to get you started.

Step 1: Install the app

The first step to any process is to install the app, and it’s no different from Stellar Data Recovery. You would need to install the app, and we recommend you download the free version as that is what we’ll be using. Not to mention that the free version is perfect for people with lost data under 1GB and people looking for an accessible data recovery service for zero costs.

Note: You would be asked to enter an activation code, and you can skip it for the free version or enter in an activation license key for the premium versions.

Step 2: Select the files for scanning

Next, you will reach the home screen of the app. Select all the files you want to scan for and then click on the “Scan” button as shown in the screenshot above. Once you click the “Next” button, you will reach a screen where you must select your drive with the lost data.

Step 3: Select the storage disk and allow the extension

Once you have selected the storage disk where you lost the file, you must enable a few permissions and extensions on your Mac. Click on the “Next” button and follow the steps and instructions below.

Step 4: Enter your Mac Password

Now, select the setting to enable the extension, enter your Mac password, click on the blue “Unlock” button, and follow the instructions below.

Step 5: Allow the extension

Finally, you need to select the checkboxes as shown above in the screenshot and click on the “Allow” button to save the settings. This will enable the Stellar Data Recovery extension here, and you shouldn’t have any other problems.

Step 6: Scan for missing files

Next, you need to click on the “Scan” button and let the scanning process complete. This will show you all the folders and deleted files on your storage device.

Note: Do remember to keep your expectations grounded as you can recover older files or folders.

Step 7: Select the files to recover

Once the scan completes, all you need to do is select the files you want to recover and click on the blue “Recover” button, as shown from the screenshot above. This will start the recovery process, and you would need to move out of the concern and let the app do its things.

Step 8: Save the recovered files

Finally, you would need to save the recovered files, and we recommend using the primary or secondary drive of your Mac. These will be the fastest options and would help you quickly transfer files on your device.

Stellar Data Recovery: pricing

Stellar Data Recovery comes in five different packages, each with its specific advantages and features. Here is the pricing on the apps:

Free – As the name suggests, it’s free to download and has a limited amount of data you can recover.

Standard – Same as Free but doesn’t have a limit on data. It costs $69 for a single license.

Professional – Has additional features such as HDD cloning, creating recovery drive, and much more. It costs $89.99 for 1 year.

Premium – Enables all the features and costs $99 for a single license.

Technician – Same as Premium but costs $149 for three licenses.

Stellar Data Recovery: pros and cons

Pros

• Easy to use recover data process
• Can work with older macOS releases
• It has an excellent premium version with fantastic features
• The recovery process and seamless, fast and smooth

Cons

• The UI needs an upgrade
• The free version is only limited to 1GB of data
• Cannot recover older lost data files

FAQs

Q: Is Stellar Data Recovery for Mac worth it?

Yes, Stellar Data Recovery is worth it as it does what it says. The free version is excellent at recovering lost files and has no problems other than the 1GB limitation. However, suppose you need extra features and zero data limitation. In that case, we recommend using the standard or professional build as they have nearly all the additional features and enable the user to recover any amount of data as needed.

Q: Is Stellar Mac data recovery free?

Yes, Stellar Mac data recovery has a free version, but it is only limited to 1GB of data recovery. If you need to recover something significant, you need to buy the other packages with no cap on the data and extra recovery features.

Q: Is Stellar Data Recovery safe?

Yes, Stellar Data Recovery is safe to use. We tried to scan for all the permissions required and scanned the files for malware or viruses, but we didn’t find any. So, it’s safe to assume that all your data would be secure, and you won’t end up breaking or corrupting anything.

Q: Time Machine vs. Stellar Data Recovery?

Time Machine is the official data recovery and backup software that is in-built on your Mac. It is excellent if you want to keep your data safe and is extremely helpful for all macOS users. However, it can’t recover lost data if you don’t have a backup made. This is where Stellar Data Recovery comes in. It solves a problem that is faced by many people and helps you recover your lost data that you thought you had lost forever.

In short, both the apps work wonders together. Where Time Machine helps you keep backups for all your data, Stellar Data Recovery enables you to recover old data that you lost, making the perfect complementary app for your Mac.

Q: How Stellar Data Recovery works?

Stellar Data Recovery has a straightforward process that uses the regular scan and recovery process for recently deleted data or files. It is perfect for users looking to recover a few files they recently deleted, and it has other features such as cloning HDDs for easier system integration.

Q: What is deep scan in Stellar Data Recovery?

Deep Scan is, as the name suggests, a complete in-depth scan of your drive. It helps scan for data that has been lost for a few days and can recover a lot of files. However, Deep Scan is only available to Premium users and is not available in the free version.

Final words

Losing your data can feel devastating, and recovering it can be challenging. However, if you follow our guide above and use Stellar Data Recovery, you would have an easier time recovering your data. The app isn’t perfect and has its flaws, but it still can help you out in a pinch.

Stellar Data Recovery cannot help you recover data lost months ago, but it can help recover files that you recently deleted accidentally. Hence, we suggest you give it a look and try out the free version to see if that works for you and then upgrade later on if needed. With that said, we have reached the end and hope you have an easy time recovering your lost files.

You may also want to take a peek at:

The Best Data Recovery Software for macOS
The Ultimate Guide to Mac Backup
Recover Your Data With These Free Recovery Tools
The Best Photo Recovery Software
Tools for Android Data Recovery (Paid and Free)
The Best iPhone Data Recovery Software (That Actually Work)

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