Frequently Asked Questions

We have pre-determined flat fees: $300, $400, and $500 (this doesn’t include the cost of a Transfer Drive, shipping, or a Donor Drive, if applicable).

We highly recommend that all customers submit our Chances Form prior to sending in or dropping off their device. Our response to this form includes a price quote and the estimated cost of a donor drive, along with the likelihood that we’ll be able to recover your data (and a lot more useful information).

We do not provide shipping labels. The customer is responsible for shipping their device to us after submitting our Mail-In Form.

Return shipping costs $20 (within the USA). International shipping is determined once the recovery is finished (we charge you whatever USPS charges). Customers may provide a return shipping label.

*Multi-drive recoveries, RAIDs, servers, or shipping an entire computer instead of the bare hard drive may incur additional fees due to size/weight. 

Besides the four exceptions noted below, you will pay nothing until we recover your data and you approve the file listing we send you.

Note: if producing a “file listing” is not possible due to partition corruption or platter damage/bad heads, you will pay after approving the percentage of sectors we were able to recover.

1. Cover Opened Fee
   If the hard drive’s “COVER” (not “enclosure”) has been opened, there is a $100 up-front, non-refundable fee.
2. Priority (“Rush”) Service
   Our Priority Service requires a $50 up-front, non-refundable fee.
3. Deleted Files / Format Recovery
   We charge our full fee up-front for “deleted files recovery” and “format recovery” devices. We’ll refund the recovery cost (minus a $100 labor fee) if no working files can be recovered. Read more details here.
4. Donor parts
   In some cases, we may need to replace damaged parts inside your device (i.e., “heads”). If so, we’ll tell you the cost of the donor parts we need to purchase (and send a link to the exact part we need), and you can decide if it’s worth the cost. You’ll pay the actual price of the donor drive as listed on eBay or donordrives.com (the two main sources we buy from). Payment for a “donor drive” is due BEFORE we order it, and this cost is non-refundable.

   You can get an estimate on the cost of a donor drive for your model by submitting our Chances Form. You may also provide a donor drive if you already have an identical drive available.

   Note: we do not charge an “attempt fee” for performing a “head swap” or “platter swap.”

Yes. But, we may send them at different times throughout the recovery process.

If we recover less than 99% of the files, we send a file listing of the good/bad files before we start moving the data. This way, you can determine if you want to proceed (for our full rate) or cancel the recovery (for a $100 labor fee).

If we recover 99% of the files or more, we still send a file listing, but after the moving stage to ensure there are no missing files. We require your approval of the file listing before we accept payment.

The only reason we wouldn’t be able to send a file listing is in cases of extreme partition corruption (usually due to platter damage). In these cases, we’ll let you know the percentage of sectors recovered, and you can decide to proceed or not. And, upon request, we can recover all possible “raw” files (these files are recovered based on their unique file signature; organized by filetypes, without original folder structure and filenames) and send a file listing detailing the number and sizes of these files.

If you cannot afford to pay all at once, we can accept payment plans on a per-customer basis. We will exclude all storage fees if you pay at least a small amount on a recurring basis. However, we only send back the recovered data once we’ve been paid in full.

If you need a “buy now, pay later” option so you get your data back ASAP, consider the Affirm Virtual Card.

We accept cash, credit/debit cards (including American Express), Bitcoin/Ethereum, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App.

Yes, there is a $100 non-refundable up-front payment required.

This fee is due to the increased diagnosis/repair time required after the cover has been opened. Opening the cover can create several other problems, separate from the original problem, which makes repairing the drive more difficult and time-consuming.

The $100 is put towards the recovery fee if your recovery is successful.

Note: the “cover” is not the same as the “enclosure.” If you have an external hard drive and just removed the plastic enclosure (e.g., to find the drive’s model number), there is no extra fee. If you removed the “cover” of the hard drive, you would have seen the platters inside the drive; see below.

Many more "open cover" examples below:

Yes. We still charge this fee because the time associated with recovering large drives often depends on the amount of space used. For example, we often need to clone the entire drive before actually recovering any files.

Here’s how our rate works (for a “My Passport” drive; excluding “Element” models which do not have Smartware encryption):

– If we recover 99-100% of your data, you’ll pay our $500 fee. Note — this total includes our $100 “USB PCB” fee (because the USB port is soldered onto the PCB) and our $100 “Encryption” fee (because your drive contains WD’s “Smartware” encryption).

– If we recover less than 99% of your data, you have the option to pay our $500 fee or pay a $100 labor fee and decline the recovery.

– If we can’t recover any data, there is no charge (assuming the cover of your drive wasn’t opened, as this incurs a $100 up-front non-refundable fee).

Prices do not include a Transfer Drive, Donor Drive, or shipping, if applicable.

Typically, we don’t offer any refunds. However, if you canceled a recovery that required an up-front payment, credit card processing fees are no longer refundable due to a change from our credit card processor, Square. You can read more about their new refund policy here.

Your Data's Safety

Privacy Policy

Only Brian (Lead Technician), Nathan (Lead Technician) and Edgar (Moving Technician) will see any files on the drive. We only spot-check a few recovered files to confirm the recovery is as expected (meaning: 100% recovered files open correctly). Our data recovery tools can recognize valid “file headers” (displayed with a green dot). This allows us to quickly verify thousands of files without opening them. See an example of the "file headers" on the right side of this page.

Terms & Conditions

See Our Abilities page. Or, even better, submit a Chances Form, and we’ll write back with a detailed and realistic estimate of your chances for a successful recovery.

Our average turnaround time is 7-14 days for standard service. If you need your data back as fast as possible, consider our Priority Service.

• If we cannot recover your hard drive, we may refer you to another company for a second opinion (just as you’d probably visit several doctors for a serious medical issue to confirm the diagnosis). In these cases, we will send the drive to them for you, but you will deal with them directly for the remainder of the recovery. However, 97% of the time, if we cannot recover the data, no one can.
• If we can’t recover your flash/SSD device, we may offer to send your device to a flash/SSD specialist (we have special agreements with a few companies for our customers). If they can recover your data, the price is usually around $500-$600 (+shipping). In these cases, we will send the device to them for you, but you will deal with them directly for the remainder of the recovery.
• If we can’t recover your iPhone, we may offer to send your iPhone to an iPhone logic board specialist. If they can recover your phone, the cost is $600 for all iPhones except iPhone 15 which cost $800 (+shipping). In these cases, we send your device to the specialist and work with them directly on your behalf.
• If we can’t recover your Mac with a soldered SSD, we may offer to send your Mac to a logic board repair specialist. If they can recover your data, the cost is $800 (+shipping). In these cases, we send your device to the specialist and work with them directly on your behalf.

Understanding Data Recovery Success Rates: Separating Fact from Fiction

“Transfer Drive” is our term for the drive we move the recovered data onto. Learn more about Transfer Drives on our rates page.

A donor drive is necessary in cases where the heads have failed, the motor is bad, or the spindle is stuck/bent. In such cases, we replace parts in the bad drive with “good” donor parts (or move parts from the bad drive into the donor drive).

1) The drive must be EMPTY. Your Transfer Drive will be formatted (all your data will be permanently deleted) before we start moving the recovered data.

2) If your drive is too small or defective (i.e. contains bad sectors, un-mounts itself while moving data, etc), we will move your data to the smallest drive we have for sale.

3) The drive must be an external USB external drive or a bare SATA drive.

4) Your Transfer Drive cannot be a NAS drive (with an ethernet connection), PCIe/NVMe/M.2 devices (unless in a USB enclosure),  or a USB Flash Drive (unless the bad drive is also a flash drive; we strongly advise against using a USB Flash Drive because they are less reliable than a hard drive or SSD).

5) The drive must arrive in the same box as the bad drive (you cannot send in a Transfer Drive after we receive your bad drive). If you fail to include a Transfer Drive with your bad drive, we will move your data to the smallest drive we have for sale. For “Drop Off” customers, you must provide the Transfer Drive when dropping off the bad device.

6) The drive should be equal to or greater in size than the bad drive (you could send a smaller drive, but if it’s not big enough to store all your data, we will move your data to the smallest drive we have for sale).

7) If you fail to include a Transfer Drive with your bad drive, you must buy one from us.

We always try to recover the original folder structure, as it appeared before the device failed (including all folder names, file names, file extensions, and metadata/dates). Retaining the original structure/names is possible in ~95% of all cases. However, recovering the folder structure/file names is impossible if the MFT or Catalog file is unrecoverable or corrupt. This can happen in cases with severe media damage (e.g., scratched platters), partition corruption (e.g., “FSCK” or “CHKDSK” damage), or if the drive was formatted/overwritten (even in these cases, we can often recover at least some structure/names).

We do not need USB cables (not for the Transfer Drive or the “bad” drive). But, if your Transfer Drive uses an AC adapter (that is: you don’t have a “portable” drive powered from the USB cable), you must include this AC adapter. We don’t need the AC adapter for your “bad” drive (if it used one).

All our Transfer Drives are brand new, name brand (Toshiba, Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, or Samsung), and backed with at least a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

PORTABLE USB 3 HARD DRIVES (these drives are powered from your computer using a USB cable):

• 1TB: $75
• 2TB: $105

DESKTOP USB 3 HARD DRIVES (these drives are powered using a power adapter/wall outlet):

• 4TB: $150
• 6TB: $170
• 8TB: $200
• 12TB: $300
• 16TB: $350

Larger drives are available upon request. 

Transfer Drive prices do not include sales tax (for CA residents only).

Yes. However, we will only work on one recovery at a time. Once the first recovery is finished and moved to the Transfer Drive, we’ll start on the next drive. If the Transfer Drive you provide is not large enough to store all the recovered data, you’ll need to buy a Transfer Drive from us.

Note: you must submit one form for each device you need recovered. This way, we have the necessary information we need to recover each device.

You may ship multiple devices in the same box. Just be sure to write all the ticket numbers on the outside of the box.

We don’t recommend any specific drive. Instead, we recommend buying two or three and always keeping at least one backup. No matter the model, you never know when a drive will fail, so this is the only safe option.

That said, there are a few things to consider:

• The smaller the drive, the less likely it is to fail, in theory. So, don’t get a large-capacity drive if you don’t need one.
• SSDs are less likely to fail if they are dropped or jolted, so if you need a “portable” drive (one that travels with you), buying an SSD may be a safer option than a typical “spinning” hard drive. However, SSDs are less likely to be recoverable if they fail. So, if you don’t need a “portable” drive, consider buying a hard drive.
• Buy a name-brand drive (Western Digital, Hitachi, Samsung, Toshiba, Seagate, Sandisk, Lacie, etc.).
• “Refurbished” or “White Label” drives should be avoided at all costs.

“Donor Drive” is a data recovery term for a fully working hard drive with as many matching characteristics as possible to the “bad” drive. The most compatible donor drive is one that matches all specs from the bad drive. Besides the information visible on the hard drive’s label, several other variables can only be accessed using our data recovery tools, such as the number of heads in the drive, order of heads in the drive, and version of the head-stack preamplifier, head micro jog values, etc.

A donor drive is necessary in cases where the heads have failed, the motor is bad, or the spindle is stuck/bent. In such cases, we replace parts in the bad drive with “good” donor parts (or move parts from the bad drive into the donor drive).

Note: “Transfer Drive” is our term for the drive we move the recovered data onto. Learn more about Transfer Drives on our rates page.

We do not advise purchasing a donor drive at this time for several reasons:

1. We haven’t yet established the heads are damaged, and a head swap will be necessary.
2. We haven’t yet confirmed that the top platter is undamaged and the filter inside the drive is clean (to confirm a head swap could work).
3. If we determine a head swap is necessary, we will then find the most compatible donor available.
4. The most compatible donor is one that matches all specs from the bad drive. Besides the information visible on the hard drive’s label, several other variables can only be accessed using our data recovery tools, such as the number of heads in the drive, order of heads in the drive, and version of the head-stack preamplifier, micro jog values, etc.

We only recommend providing a donor drive if you already have an identical drive available (i.e., you bought two or more of the “bad” drive simultaneously). Buying a donor drive now means the drive may not be compatible and you would be potentially throwing away money.

If you already have an identical donor drive, you must include it when shipping/dropping off your bad drive. Be sure to write “DONOR” on its label. If we do not need the donor drive to recover your data, it will be returned to you in the condition it arrived. Keep in mind that we won’t know for sure if it’s compatible with your bad drive until we can test it (and determine the head preamp version, micro jog values, etc.).

We only accept donor drives without open covers. If your donor drive’s cover has been previously opened, we cannot use/accept it.

There are several reasons why we need to retain these drives after the recovery is finished:

1) The time spent re-assembling the “bad” drive and the “donor” drive means double the work for us. This extra time makes the recovery unfeasible to perform at our low rate.

2) We can only perform head swaps knowing that we can reuse the donor parts in future recoveries, keeping our costs down and low flat rates possible. To help preserve the donor parts, so we can reuse them in future recoveries, we don’t want to risk moving them any more than is necessary. Moving the heads back into the donor drive means they are more likely to become damaged (as any time they are moved, they are at risk).

3) Any time the cover is removed (and especially the “heads” or “platters” replaced), the drive is no longer reliable and will not work properly. It is only useful as parts for future data recovery purposes (it has no real-world value).

Donor drives are expensive because the companies that sell donor drives (and importantly, list all the necessary specifications we need to find a compatible donor drive) know how much most data recovery companies charge and price donor drives accordingly.

Finding a “compatible” donor drive means matching various aspects of the original/failed drive, such as the number of heads inside the drive, order of the heads in the drive, version of the head-stack preamplifier, head micro jog values, country hard drive was manufactured, date the drive was manufactured, and more. Only “donor drive” websites list all this information. Sites like Amazon and eBay typically do not list all these specifications, and therefore, we cannot always purchase donor drives from them because the drives would likely not be compatible.

To provide the best chances that a head swap will succeed (meaning: it will allow us to recover at least some data from your drive), we always use a new/fresh donor drive (one without an open cover and without the stress of already being used as a donor drive).

We may use one or more of our donor drives if the purchased donor drive fails (or is only partially successful), and we think subsequent head swaps will allow us to recover more data.

We always return the bad device unless we perform a “head swap” or "platter swap" and it’s successful. But, even in this case, you can opt to have us put back the original heads and return the original drive for an additional $50 fee.

Other devices like SSDs, MicroSD/SD cards, and Phones are always returned.

Yes, our data recovery processes will not void your device’s warranty. To ensure your warranty is honored without any issues, we recommend contacting the manufacturer before giving us your device. Inform them that you’ll be taking it to a data recovery company. This will prevent any problems after the recovery is complete, in case we need to open your device’s cover.

To find out the model of your hard drive, you need to look at the label on the bare hard drive. Use the example model numbers pictured on our Find Your Model page to help find your hard drive’s model number. You’ll need to remove the enclosure if you have an external drive. You can find video instructions on our Remove Your Enclosure page.

This is most often caused by spam filters. Learn how to set up a whitelist filter to ensure our emails are delivered.

Unless you have a RAID, you must submit one form for each device you need recovered. This way, we have the necessary information we need to recover each device.

You may ship multiple devices in the same box. Just be sure to write all the ticket numbers on the outside of the box.

We can use the same Transfer Drive for multiple recoveries, but we'll only work on one recovery at a time.