How to recover data from an encrypted hard drive on a Mac?

Data Recovery
1

I have a Mac hard drive that’s encrypted, and I need to recover important data from it. The drive isn’t showing up properly and I’m worried about losing my files. Has anyone been through this and successfully recovered their data? Any solutions or tools you recommend?

2

It sounds like you’re in a tricky spot with that encrypted hard drive. I’ve been there, and I know it can be stressful. Here are a few steps you could try to recover your data:

  1. Check Connections and Visibility:
    Make sure the drive is connected properly. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a loose cable. Try different USB ports on your Mac; you might even consider using a different cable.

  2. Disk Utility:
    Open Disk Utility (you can find it using Spotlight search). If your drive shows up there, even if it’s not mounting properly, you’re in luck. Select the drive and click “Mount.” If it asks for a password, enter the encryption password.

  3. First Aid in Disk Utility:
    While in Disk Utility, use the “First Aid” tool to repair the drive. This can fix minor issues that might be preventing it from mounting.

  4. Third-Party Tools:
    If Disk Utility fails, a third-party tool might do the trick. I once used Disk Drill, which has a good reputation for data recovery, especially with encrypted drives. You can download Disk Drill here. Install it like any other software, and follow on-screen instructions to scan your drive. You’ll need to input the encryption password when prompted.

  5. Terminal Command:
    If you’re comfortable with Terminal, you can try to mount the drive manually. Open Terminal and type:

    diskutil list

    Find your drive in the list. Then type:

    diskutil mountDisk /dev/diskX

    Replace diskX with your drive’s identifier (something like disk2s1).

  6. Data Recovery Services:
    If all else fails, consider professional data recovery services. It’s costly, but if the data is crucial, it might be worth it.

Before you try any of these, make sure you’ve got at least one piece of the encryption information—password or recovery key. Without that, it’s pretty much impossible to access the encrypted data. And always, always have a backup next time to avoid these situations! Good luck!

3

Jeez, really hope you didn’t just lose all your data, but let’s be real here – a lot of those steps from @codecrafter are hit or miss. I’ve seen Disk Utility fail more times than I can count, so don’t bank on it completely. Sure, it’s worth a shot, but I’ve actually had more luck skipping straight to third-party tools.

Now, Disk Drill isn’t too bad; I’ve used it, and it does a decent job with encrypted drives, but you should know it’s not a magic wand. Keep in mind, it can be a bit heavy on the wallet, especially if you’re unlocking premium features. And remember, it’s not foolproof – there’s always the risk that it won’t recover everything.

If you don’t want to dive into your pockets immediately, you might wanna try TestDisk. It’s open-source and a lot less shiny, but it’s pulled me out of a few tight spots before. One downside – it’s not the most user-friendly, so you’ll need some patience.

Also, don’t get your hopes up with Terminal commands because they only work if the drive’s not too far gone. Disk Utility’s First Aid sounds good on paper, but it’s pretty basic and might not resolve severe issues.

Bottom line, before splurging on any tool, weigh your options. And to be blunt, if your drive’s totally borked, even the priciest software might not save your bacon.

4

If you’re dealing with an encrypted Mac hard drive that’s not showing up properly, there’s definitely a lot to consider. Here’s my take, diverging a bit from what’s already been discussed:

First things first, if your drive isn’t showing up at all, no amount of software is gonna help you. You have to make sure it’s physically connected and recognized by macOS at some level. Check cables, try different ports, even different computers if you can.

1. Reboot in Safe Mode:
Before diving into third-party software, try rebooting your Mac in Safe Mode. Sometimes, Safe Mode can work wonders by disabling non-essential extensions and performing basic system checks. To enter Safe Mode, restart your Mac and hold the Shift key as it boots up. Give it a shot to see if the drive becomes visible.

2. Encrypted Drive Visibility Issues:
Some times the encrypted drive won’t show up because macOS has issues mounting it automatically. You can tweak a bit with the Terminal:

sudo diskutil coreStorage list

This command spits out info about any encrypted volumes. If you can see your drive here, look for the Logical Volume Family UUID and use:

sudo diskutil coreStorage unlockVolume <UUID> -stdinpassphrase

Input your password when prompted (during Ultmission).

3. Target Disk Mode (if you have access to another Mac):
You can put your troubled Mac in Target Disk Mode and access the drive from another Mac. Connect both Macs with a Thunderbolt or FireWire cable, restart the problem Mac while holding the ‘T’ key until a Thunderbolt or FireWire icon appears on screen. The drive will show as an external hard drive on the working Mac.

4. Recovery Software:
Maybe Disk Drill, like others have recommended, but I’d also like to give props to Data Rescue. I’ve had my fair share of successes with Data Rescue, especially when dealing with encrypted drives. You can find it here: Disk Drill. A heads-up, though: be prepared to pay for the full recovery—worth it if your data is super critical.

5. Time Machine Backups:
If you’ve been using Time Machine, see if you can restore the data to another drive. Connect an external drive, open Time Machine, and navigate back to a point before the issues started. Might save you heaps of trouble if the backup is recent.

6. File Vault Considerations:
If you use File Vault, things get trickier but not impossible. As mentioned by others, without your password or recovery key, you’re out of luck. But if it’s just mounting issues due to stability factors, once your drive appears in Disk Utility you can go to File → Mount Image and input your password.

7. Bootable Recovery:
In a worst-case scenario, you can create a bootable recovery disk using another Mac. Boot from this to try and access/repair the disk.

However, I do slightly disagree with the over-reliance on Disk Utility and commercial recovery apps straightaway. If Disk Utility’s First Aid fails, which it often does with encrypted drives, don’t waste too much time there. And yeah, TestDisk might be harder to use, but it’s actually saved me more often than the shiny, costly tools. If you’re comfortable with CLI, give it a go before spending cash on commercial solutions.

Don’t forget to try the Terminal just to see if there’s some hope for manual mounting - diskutil mountDisk works but remember to replace diskX with your actual disk identifier displayed from diskutil list. But like @codecrafter mentioned, if manually tweaking doesn’t recognize anything, then seriously consider data recovery services.

To bluntly put, if the hardware itself is borked, (which it could be if the drive doesn’t even spin and make noise), software solutions may fall short and you’ll need to pull out the big buck for professional hands-on recovery. Consider shops that specialize in Mac services.

Backup regularly and consider cloud services as redundancy for crucial data. Good luck, hope you salvage everything needed from your encrypted drive!