How to Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive to PC

Sue Wayne

Jan 31, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Can I recover data from a Mac hard drive to a PC

Yes, of course, you can. Now with new measures and software, it is possible to improve data from Mac hard drive to a PC. The Mac hard drive data recovery software available today serves the purpose and is more intuitive and friendlier.

However, two situations will determine different ways of restoring files from a Mac Hard drive to a PC.

1. You want to recover data from the failed but detected hard drive on Mac and then transfer the recovered files from Mac to PC.
2. You want to directly recover data from an undetected Mac hard drive on your Windows PC.

In the two cases, MacBook hard drive recovery software can fix your problem and help you in recovering your data from the hard drive without any hassle.

Part 1. How to Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive to PC?

The biggest hurdle you will face is a file system incompatibility problem. By default, Windows uses the NTFS file system and Mac hard drive is based on the HFS file system. Thus, you need to format Mac hard drive into a format that is fully compatible with Windows OS. Here are some steps which will help you in learning the easiest way to recover files from Mac hard drive to Windows PC.

Method 1. Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive to PC | Drive Not Detected

In case your Mac has crashed or is not booting, and you don't have an additional MacBook with you, there are software solutions that can help in recovering data from a non-functional Mac hard drive via Windows PC. Your Mac hard drive will be displayed on the PC as a removable hard drive, and you can simply recover data from it. In this case, the first thing you should confirm is that whether the Mac hard drive can be detected by the PC. If it can be recognized successfully, it would be much easier to recover data from Mac hard drive to PC.

And sometimes, your Mac hard drive can be detected and usually work on PC device, but you are still unable to access and find the Mac hard drive data. It might be due to that the files are seleted accidentally, get virus-attacked, or get damaged during the transferor writing. Luckily, Mac hard drive recovery software can help you in recovering data from the Mac hard drive in all data loss scenarios.

Recoverit - Safe Mac Hard Drive Recovery on Windows

• Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, and emails from a computer hard drive effectively and thoroughly.
• Supports data recovery from trash/recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, camcorders, etc.
• Supports recovery of data due to sudden or permanent deletion, hard drive failure, formatting, virus attack, system crash, etc.
• Support to create a WinPE bootable media and recover inaccessible data from a crashed or unbootable system on Windows computers.

Free Download | Win Free Download | Mac

Free download and install Recoverit Data Recovery, and then launch the software on your computer. For Mac hard drive recovery to PC, follow the steps below:

1. Connect the Mac hard drive to your PC. Click Cancel if it pops up and asks you to format the disk.
2. Download and install Recoverit on your PC, then launch the software. Find the Mac hard drive in the External Devices section. (If the Mac hard drive is not visible in Recoverit, please refer to method 2 for data recovery from Mac hard drive to PC.)

3. Click on the Mac hard drive, and Recoverit will begin scanning the drive to locate lost files.

4. Wait for the process to complete.
5. Review the list of found files and select the ones you want to recover. You can also use filters to quickly locate specific files.

6. Once you have chosen the important files, click the Recover button and select a destination to save the recovered data.
7. To complete the data recovery from the Mac hard drive to the PC, select a PC drive to save your files. Once the process is finished, the data from the Mac hard drive will have been successfully recovered to the PC.

Free Download | Win Windows Version Free Download | Mac Mac Version

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Method 2. Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive to PC | Drive Is Detected

For cases where the Mac hard drive cannot be detected on the PC, you may need to first recover the data from the Mac hard drive on a Mac and then transfer the data to the PC using an external hard drive. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Download Recoverit for Mac

Download and install Wondershare Recoverit data recovery for Mac on your computer.

Step 2: Scan the Drive

Launch Recoverit, locate the drive where the data was lost, and start scanning.

Step 3: Preview and Recovey

After the scanning process is complete, select the files you want to recover. You can preview the results by double-clicking on the files. If everything looks good, click the Recover button to retrieve the files.

Step 4: Select A Location

To recover data from the Mac hard drive to the PC, choose the external hard drive as the destination to save the recovered files.

Step 5. Transfer Files from Mac to PC

Now, the next step after recovering files from MacBook Pro hard drive is to transfer the files from Mac to PC. There are many ways to transfer data from Mac to PC, such as using cloud bases service, external hard drives, direct cable connection, and many more. However, the simplest way to move data from Mac to PC is using an external hard drive with enough storage space to hold the files and folders you want to migrate.

Here are the detailed steps for transferring files from Mac to PC using external hard drives.

1. Eject the media before unplugging it, and it is necessary. Otherwise, you will not see saved files in the media when you want to migrate to the PC.
2. Connect media to PC. Once your system can detect external media, you will see it on your system. Open it, and copy and paste or drag and drop recently saved files from media to your PC.

That's all how you can recover data from Mac hard drive to PC with the help of an external hard drive, and it is no more challenging to move data between two completely different operating systems.

This section only talks about recovering Mac's internal hard drive on Mac, and we also provide the solution for recovering data from the external hard drive on Mac. Please remind that the first step should still be the connection between the external hard drive and your computer.

Bonus How to Repair Mac Hard Drive and Restore Files

When your Mac hard drive gets damaged or corrupted, the chances are that the data inside it has been lost or inaccessible to you. How do you fix a failing hard drive on a Mac? How can you recover lost data from a damaged hard drive? All the solutions are offered in this section.

Option 1. Use Mac Disk Utility Tool

Your Mac computer usually contains a unique feature called "Disk Utility." It can help repair the failing, damaged, corrupted, or crashed hard drive or external device on Mac.

1. Restart Mac in Recovery Mode and choose "Disk Utility."
2. Select your failed Mac hard drive.
3. Run First Aid to repair the damaged hard drive on Mac.
4. Usually, your failing hard drive is repaired successfully.

Option 2. Use Mac FSCK Command

To repair the hard drive on Mac, you can also use the method of FSCK command. It is a complicated way to help you fix a damaged hard drive that Disk Utility can't handle/

Note: "hfs" refers to the filesystem of your hard drive, and [drive identifier] is the hard drive name.

Through the two ways, you can repair your Mac hard drive. After it, find data lost? Turn to

Bottom Line

Thus, this is a simple guide on how to recover a hard drive Mac. Today, it is common to face data loss situations with a Mac hard drive. By relying on Mac hard drive recovery software like Recoverit Data Recovery, you can quickly restore hard drive Mac data on the Windows-based or Mac-based system. However, it is always better to have a backup of your essential files to reduce the chances of permanent loss.