Quick overview
Cisdem Data Recovery is a free macOS utility built to retrieve files that have been accidentally deleted or lost from both internal and external storage. It supports a broad variety of file formats and offers an interface aimed at making the recovery workflow straightforward, so users can locate and restore missing items without a steep learning curve.
Files it can recover
- Video files (movies, clips, recordings)
- Photographs and image formats (raw files, JPEG, PNG)
- Documents (text files, spreadsheets, presentations)
- Audio tracks and recordings
- Compressed archives and miscellaneous file types
How the application works
The tool uses multiple scanning modes — from quick scans for recently deleted items to deep scans that search sector-by-sector — to increase the likelihood of successful recovery, including from drives that have been formatted or corrupted. Before performing any restoration, the software builds a list of recoverable files so you can inspect what’s available.
Preview and selective restoration
You can preview recoverable items before committing to a restore, which helps ensure you recover only the files you need. The interface groups results by type and location, simplifying the selection process and speeding up recovery.
Typical recovery steps
- Choose the drive or device you want to analyze.
- Run a scan (quick or deep depending on the situation).
- Preview the found files and select which ones to save back to a safe location.
Free alternative to consider
If you’d like another no-cost option, consider the free utility called J — it’s listed here as a recommended alternative for users seeking different interfaces or scanning approaches.
Technical
- Mac
- Free
