Disk Drill has been around a long time. Its job is to recover files from damaged disks such as hard drives and SD cards—pretty much anything that holds media files.
I used a previous version when an SD card gave up the ghost during a photo trip in southern Utah a few years ago, and losing that card would have been catastrophic. My routine had always been to back up at the end of the day, and the camera I was using did not have dual SD-card slots.
Disk Drill found and recovered my photos, and I was on my way, losing nothing. For years, Disk Drill has been the premier utility for both Mac and Windows media recovery.
Disk Drill 6
What's new in version 6?
Disk Drill 6 is the latest generation of CleverFiles’ industry-leading data-recovery software for Mac and Windows.
It builds upon the foundation of Disk Drill 5, introducing advanced features tailored for both everyday users and professional data-recovery technicians. From deeply fragmented video reconstruction to faster scans and smart format detection, Disk Drill 6 delivers cutting-edge solutions in an intuitive, user-friendly interface.
Disk Drill will also let you preview your files to make sure you're grabbing the right ones.
Whether recovering personal photos from a damaged memory card or salvaging corrupted professional footage from a drone, Disk Drill 6 should get you out of the weeds and back to shooting.
For the first time, truly fragmented videos can be reconstructed from GoPro, DJI, Canon, Panasonic, Insta360, Sony, Olympus, and other camera brands.
This latest version offers up to 25 % faster scan speeds, improved file-signature recognition, and smarter filtering. Users benefit from a smoother and more responsive recovery process. Plus, it now recovers up to 20 % more data from corrupted partitions—giving you better results than was possible before.
Disk Drill can recover files on Mac-formatted media on a Windows computer and, conversely, recover files from Windows media on a Mac.
Other features of interest are:
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RAID Recovery**: Mac & Windows support for software RAID.
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SSH Remote Recovery**: Connect to remote volumes via SSH.
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EXT3/EXT4 Enhancements**: Includes symbolic-link support.
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S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring**: Detect disk-health issues early.
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Clean Up & Duplicate Finder**: Quickly reclaim disk space.
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iOS Data Recovery** (macOS).
While I'm mainly interested in how Disk Drill can recover media images and files, it can also recover and save audio files in most formats and a host of document files.
I didn't have any damaged disks on hand to recover media from, but the interface is simple to use yet really powerful.
For photographers and videographers, it can save a day of shooting—or even a reputation.
There's more to the software than I can cover in this review, so I'd refer you to the Disk Drill web page for more.
Buying Disk Drill
The software comes in three flavors and works on Windows and Mac operating systems.
There is a free version as well. The free version will help you determine whether you can recover files from your damaged medium, but it won't do a lot other than that. A Pro version is $89.00, and an Enterprise version is $499.00. Pricing details are here.
