PhotoRec Is Blocked on Mac: How Can You Recover SD Card Photos for Free?
Yes. You do not need to disable macOS security just to recover the photos. In this r/datarecovery case, a MacBook user wanted a free way to recover deleted photos from an SD card, downloaded PhotoRec, but stopped because macOS did not trust the app. The safest choice depends on where PhotoRec came from and whether you are comfortable using Apple's one-time security override.
Protect the Photos First
Stop using the SD card and do not save recovered photos back to it. New writes can overwrite deleted photo data that may still be recoverable.
Is PhotoRec Unsafe Because macOS Blocks It?
Not necessarily. CGSecurity provides an official macOS build of TestDisk and PhotoRec, and describes the tools as portable applications that can be extracted and run without a traditional installer. Apple's warning means the app has not passed the normal identified-developer or notarization checks; it is not proof that the app is malware.
If PhotoRec was downloaded directly from CGSecurity's official download page, Apple says you may use System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway after first attempting to open the app, but only when you are certain the source is trustworthy and the file has not been tampered with. Do not disable Gatekeeper globally or approve a copy downloaded from an unknown mirror.
What If You Do Not Want to Override the Mac Warning?
Use DMDE Free Edition instead. DMDE officially supports macOS, and its free edition can recover up to 4,000 files from the currently opened directory in one operation, with unlimited repetitions. For a deleted-photo folder on a readable SD card, that may be enough without buying a license.
Choose the Free Path
- You downloaded PhotoRec from CGSecurity and trust the source: use Apple's one-time Open Anyway option, scan the SD card, and save recovered files to the Mac or another healthy drive.
- You do not want to override Gatekeeper: use DMDE Free on macOS and recover the photos folder by folder within its free limit.
- The SD card disconnects, reads extremely slowly, or reports the wrong capacity: stop repeated scans. The problem is no longer just which free Mac app to use.
For this Reddit scenario, there is no need to choose between “ignore macOS security” and “give up on free recovery.” Verify the PhotoRec source and use Apple's documented one-time exception, or switch to DMDE Free. For a broader comparison of Mac SD card photo-recovery options, see the free photo recovery software for Mac SD cards guide.