All the Best Ways to Recover Deleted Partitions on Mac

It may be upsetting to lose essential data, but losing a whole partition and everything stored there can be a terrifying experience, especially if you have never dealt with Mac partition recovery. This article looks at how you can get your files back if the partitions and data from there were damaged or lost. 

What Kind of Mac Partitions Types Are There?

Apple supports three different partition types: 

• Apple File System (APFS) is a default system used by macOS 10.13 or later. This is the default file system for macOS. It has improved flash drives and SSD storage optimizations focusing on security and encryption.
• Mac OS Extended, also known as HFS Plus or HFS +. It is a file system on macOS High Sierra and earlier. It is used on all mechanical and hybrid drives.
• ExFAT is a cross-platform option designed to work on Windows and macOS systems, used for external drives that may be connected to both OS types (Windows and macOS).

Causes for Partition Loss on Your Mac

Let’s see what are the main reasons why partitions may be lost or deleted.

1. Corrupted Partition Table

After partitioning the disk, a partition table is created, which helps the operating system recognize the disk. If the partition table (also called Master Boot Record (MBR) gets corrupted or lost, the partition will be lost. After that, you will be unable to write and read data from it.

2. Malware or Virus Issues

Some virus or malware attacks are particularly designed to corrupt disk drives. If your drive will be influenced by such a threat it may cause the loss of personal data and files. 

3. Hardware-Related Issues

Another reason is a damaged HD, for example, a fall or severe overheating. This can directly affect Mac’s performance. 

4. Incorrect Work with Disk Utilities

Accidental deletion of one partition led to the failure of the others. As a result, the logical volumes of the entire drive became inaccessible. During operations of expanding or merging partitions, electricity (power) was lost, or the operating system hung. As a consequence, the entire hard disk was inaccessible.

5. Power Loss or Unexpected System Shutdown

Suppose a power failure or emergency power failure occurs when writing information, partitioning, or formatting the drive. In this scenario, the hard drive may show errors. After corrections, only part of the information can be recorded. Therefore it will not be possible to “read” and normally use such files.

6. Accidental Deletion of a Partition

You also can not exclude the human factor. While solving one problem on your computer, you may not have read the pop-up window or instructions and accidentally deleted the disk volumes or files.

How to Recover Deleted Partitions on Your Mac

Solution 1: Restore a Disk Using Disk Utility

1. Open Disk Utility from the Spotlight.

2. Choose View > Show All Devices.

3. Select the volume you need to restore > click the Restore button.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions from the Restore pop-up menu to finish the process.

Solution 2: Restore files from Time Machine

Here is how to enter Time Machine:

1. Open the Time Machine from the Menu Bar.

2. Click Enter Time Machine.

3. Choose the backup folder and click on Restore.

Solution 3: Restore macOS from Time Machine in Recovery Mode

You may restore the whole macOS to retrieve the partitions and lost files. Please note that entering the Recovery Mode is different in Intel-based Macs and Macs with M1 Silicon

Here is how to restore your macOS on an Intel-based Mac:

1. Connect your Time Machine backup hard drive to your computer.

2. Restart your Mac.

3. Click and hold the Command + R keys.

4. Release the keys when the Apple logo appears on your screen. After that, you will see the disk utility menu. 

5. Choose Restore from Time Machine backup, and click Continue.

6. Select the Time Machine backup disk and click Continue.

7. Select a backup by date, then click Continue.

8. Choose the HD on your Mac and click Restore. 

9. Restart your Mac when all steps are done.

If you’re using Mac with Apple silicon, follow the next steps:

1. Restart your Mac. 

2. When it turns off, press and hold the Power button. 

3. You’ll see two options: a hard disk icon and a gear icon. Choose the Gear icon.

4. Click on Restore from Time Machine button and follow all the instructions.

Solution 4: Recover Partitions on Mac with Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Follow the steps below to recover data from lost partitions with Stellar Data Recovery Professional:

1. Download and install Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.

2. After installing, you will be prompted to select the data you want to recover (photos, videos, documents, etc.). You can choose specific or all suggested file types and click Next.

3. Choose Can’t Find Volume and click Next.

4. Click on the Lost Volume (always marked with a flag), choose the Deep Scan option on the bottom left, and Continue with the scan. 

5. When the scan is done look through the files and selects those you need to restore.

6. Click on Recover when you are done.

Conclusion

Now you know how to recover lost files in case the disk partitions were damaged or deleted. In case you were not able to deal with it on your own you can always contact the support guys to get professional help.

FAQ

How to Prevent Mac Partition Loss?

Now when you know how to recover deleted files if the disk partition was deleted or damaged, let’s talk about steps on how to prevent Mac partition loss.

• Make the backups of your data.
• Use an antivirus.
• Avoid using multiple operating systems on your Mac.

How to Create a New APFS?

If you’ve successfully restored your files, you can transfer them to a new partition disk. Follow these steps to create a new APFS volume:

1. Open Disk Utility from the Spotlight.
2. Choose View > Show All Devices.
3. Click on the +(plus) button to add a new volume.
4. Enter a name of a new volume and click Add.
5. When it is created you can move there the needed files.

Related reading: 

• Difference between HFS and APFS Data Recovery
• How to Fix “This Volume is Not Formatted as APFS” Error on Mac

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About The Author

Ruslana Lishchuk

Ruslana is a tech content writer whose true passion is finding out about everything Mac-related. She specializes in creating macOS guides and tips & tricks. In her spare time, you’ll find her doing yoga or discovering local coffee shops in search of the best filter coffee.