Data repair · Hills District workshop

MacBook Data Recovery in Sydney's Hills District

TL;DR

From $199. For Macs that are dead, wet, dropped or won't start.
On 2018+ and M1-and-newer Macs, your files are locked to the main board. The board has to work again to get them out.
So don't let anyone swap the board first. A new board means your files are gone for good.
Stop using the Mac now. Don't run recovery apps on a failing drive.
Most jobs take 1 to 3 days.

Signs you need this repair

The Mac won't start, or starts to a folder with a question mark.
It was dropped, wet or has died.
Files have gone missing, or the drive was erased by mistake.
An iMac Fusion Drive has failed.

What it costs

Data recovery, our workshop	From $199
Board repair needed to reach the files	From $249
Hands-on check	$150, free if you go ahead

We tell you what is possible and what it costs before we start.

Where your files live, and how we get them out

Your Mac	Where the files are	How we recover them
MacBook Air 2013 to 2017, MacBook Pro 2013 to 2015, most iMacs to 2019	A removable drive	We take the drive out and read it in another machine.
MacBook Air and Pro with a T2 chip (2018 to 2020)	Chips soldered to the board, encrypted by the T2 chip	The board must work. We fix it enough to start, then copy the files.
Any Mac with M1 or newer	Chips soldered to the board, encrypted by the M chip	Same: we repair the board enough to start, then copy the files.
iMac with a Fusion Drive	A hard drive and a small SSD that work as one	We need both parts to read the files.

Why the board matters: on Macs with Apple silicon or a T2 chip, the storage is always encrypted, and the key is held by the chip on that board. Swap the board and the old files can't be read. Source: Apple Platform Security.

What to do now

Stop using the Mac. Every start-up of a failing drive can make it worse.
Don't install recovery apps on the same drive.
Know your Mac login password. With FileVault on, we need it to unlock the files.
Don't agree to a new main board until you have your files.

What's included

A check of the drive, or of the board on newer Macs
A safe copy of the drive first, so we work on the copy
Board repair if that is what it takes to reach the files
Your files copied to an external drive

Turnaround1 to 3 days for most jobs

Warranty12 months on new parts, 30 days on used or aftermarket parts

WhereDrop-off at our Hills District workshop. Ring first.

Models we fix

Real jobs from our workshop

Case studyMacBook Air M1: dead after rain, files saved in 2 days for $450Read the job → Case studyMacBook Pro 13" 2019: stuck after an update, fixed for $350, files savedRead the job → Case studyiMac 27" 2019: failed Fusion Drive, data recovered, SSD fittedRead the job →

Questions people ask

Can files be recovered from a dead Mac?

Often, yes. On older Macs we read the removable drive. On 2018+ and M1-and-newer Macs we repair the board enough for it to start, then copy the files.

I erased my Mac's drive by mistake. Can you get the files back?

Sometimes, but SSDs clear deleted data quickly, so the chances are lower than with old hard drives. Stop using the Mac straight away and call us.

How do I get files off a Mac with a broken screen?

If the Mac still runs, we can use an external display or connect it to another Mac and copy the files. A broken screen does not mean lost files.

Does Apple recover data?

Apple fixes hardware. It may replace the board or storage, and that erases your files on newer Macs. Get your files out first.

How much does data recovery cost?

From $199. If the board needs repair to reach your files, board repair starts from $249. We give you the price before we start.

Get a price in one call

Have your Mac's model ready. It is under the Apple menu, in About This Mac.

Call 02 4509 9248 Book this repair