A Mac that won't boot, shows a flashing question mark, or won't mount its disk is frightening — but the data is usually still there. Macs bring their own quirks, from APFS and Fusion Drives to FileVault and soldered Apple Silicon storage, and we handle all of them in-house. We recover MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Pros of every era for Belfast and Northern Ireland.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/disk2 → Device: MacBook Pro (2015) · 512 GB SSD → Status: WILL NOT BOOT — question-mark folder → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Drive removed: imaged read-only → APFS container: rebuilt from image → FileVault: unlocked with your key $ bdr verify → ✓ documents — 31,200 files → ✓ photos — 18,400 files → ✓ Mac recovered — data back
If your Mac uses FileVault, the whole disk is encrypted — and we can only recover it with your login password or recovery key. There's no way around that; encryption without the key can't be broken. Before sending your Mac in, dig out the password or the recovery key you saved when FileVault was switched on.
Macs fail in their own particular ways, some hardware, some software, some tied to Apple's encryption and storage design. These are the ones we see most.
We recover every Mac, from the earliest Intel machines to the latest Apple Silicon, and every way they store data.
MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro of every generation — Intel, T2 and Apple Silicon (M1 to M4) — across APFS, HFS+, Fusion Drive and Core Storage, with FileVault handled where you hold the password or key.
Recovering a Mac means working with Apple's file systems, storage design and encryption, not against them. We separate the data from the fault, read the drive or its chips, and rebuild your files from a copy — and we're upfront about the limits on soldered Apple Silicon storage.
We establish whether the fault is macOS, the drive, a Fusion split or encryption — and whether the storage is removable — then send a written quote.
Where the drive is removable, we read it on our own equipment; on soldered Macs we work at the board or chip level as far as the design allows.
A healthy drive is imaged read-only; a failing SSD or hard drive is repaired first, and a split Fusion Drive is recombined into a single volume.
We reconstruct Apple's file system from the image — and where FileVault is in play, unlock it with your key — so your files come back organised and named.
Recovered files are checked to confirm they open and are intact, and we can show you what's come back before anything is returned.
Your files come back on fresh media, or via our free download service for up to 75GB — whichever suits you.
From a MacBook that won't boot to a split Fusion Drive, a liquid-damaged Air or an erased iMac, we recover Macs of every era — working with APFS, HFS+ and FileVault, and always from a copy of your data.
Give us a few details about what went wrong and an engineer will come back to you, usually inside one working day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
A free diagnostic first, then a fixed written quote before any work begins. Recovering a single Mac or drive is £300 + VAT, with two-drive Fusion systems from £550, and no fix, no fee on most jobs — where physical repair is needed, a 50% deposit covers parts and bench time, with the balance only on success.
A representative selection of Macs we've recovered across different models and faults — device types and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
The APFS structures were damaged but the PCIe SSD was healthy. We imaged it, rebuilt the file system, and recovered everything.
The hard-drive half had failed, splitting the volume. We repaired it, recombined the two halves, and rebuilt the data as one.
The board was corroded but the blade SSD survived. We read it on a matching adapter and recovered the user's files in full.
The heads had failed. A matched donor head swap in clean-air conditions let us image the drive and recover the data.
The erase had cleared the index, not the data. We imaged the drive and rebuilt the APFS volume, recovering most of the files.
Caught early on a Fusion-era drive before TRIM cleared it. A scan of a read-only image brought the folder back intact.
Post or drop in your device for a free diagnostic, with a note on what happened — an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
First step: get the device onto our Belfast bench. Wrap it well, tuck your contact details in the box, and post it over — the diagnostic costs nothing, and you’ll have a firm written price to approve before we touch a single sector.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is best. Dropping it off instead? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still pack the device as above.
Not ready to send anything yet? Use the form to describe the fault in your own words and one of the engineers will come back with a quote tailored to your situation.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
The questions we're asked most about Mac and MacBook recovery.
Usually, yes. A flashing question mark, a hang on the logo or a disk that won't mount most often means damaged macOS structures or a failing drive — your files are still on the disk. We recover them from the drive itself, outside the broken system.
Sometimes, and we'll always be honest about the odds. On T2 and Apple Silicon Macs the storage is soldered to the board and tied to the machine and its Secure Enclave, so recovery is limited and depends on the exact fault. If the board can be revived, the outlook improves; if not, options are narrow. We assess each case individually.
Yes. When Disk Utility greys a disk out or calls it ‘not readable’, the APFS or HFS+ structures have usually been damaged — the files themselves are normally still on the platters or flash. We take an image and reconstruct the file system from it. Whatever you do, decline Disk Utility’s offers to erase or ‘repair’ the disk.
It depends on the drive. On a Fusion or hard drive they usually survive until overwritten. On a modern APFS SSD, TRIM often erases them within seconds, so recovery is less certain — but not always impossible. Either way, stop using the Mac immediately.
Recovering one Mac or one drive costs £300 + VAT; Fusion Drive systems, being two devices, start at £550. The diagnostic is always free, most jobs are no fix, no fee, and physical repairs carry a 50% deposit for parts and bench time with the balance only on success.
On most jobs, yes — no recovery, no fee. The exception is physical repair needing parts, where a deposit covers those parts and the bench time; the balance is still only charged on success. We're clear about which applies before any work begins.
All of them — MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro, from the earliest Intel models through T2 to Apple Silicon. We work with APFS, HFS+, Fusion Drives and FileVault.
Yes — but only with your login password or recovery key. FileVault encrypts the entire disk, and there's no way to break that encryption without the key. If you have it, we can unlock and recover your data; if it's truly lost, unfortunately the data can't be reached.
Shut it down and stop trying to power it on — that's what causes further short-circuit damage. Don't dry it with heat. The logic board may be harmed, but the storage often survives, and we can recover the data from the drive or its chips. The sooner it reaches us, the better.
A logical recovery is often done in 1 to 3 working days; a Fusion rebuild or physical repair typically takes 4 to 7. The diagnostic itself is usually finished within 48 hours, and urgent cases can normally be prioritised.
Weekday drop-offs at Cromac Square run 9am to 5:30pm, or use insured post. Send either the complete Mac or, if it’s removable and you’re happy to take it out, just the drive. Put your contact details in the box — plus your FileVault recovery key if the machine is encrypted — and we’ll log it, diagnose it free and quote in writing.
A free diagnostic, a fixed £300 + VAT per Mac or drive, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every Mac from Intel to Apple Silicon recovered in-house, right here in Belfast. FileVault on? Have your key ready and send it in.