MacBooks fail quietly — no clicks, no warnings, just a machine that won't charge or won't wake. Whether it's a spilled drink, a failed drive or a removable blade SSD, we recover data from MacBook Air and Pro models with removable storage for customers right across Staines and Surrey.
Free diagnostic on every apple macbook job. One fixed quote in writing before any work begins.
No fix, no fee all jobs except electronic and mechanical failures, chip level work, DVR and Forensic jobs. Full pricing is on the free diagnostic page.
Every apple macbook job starts by matching the symptoms to the fault — these twelve cover almost everything that reaches the bench.
The number-one MacBook killer — corrosion races across the logic board while the SSD data usually survives.
Dead board or charging circuit — where the drive or blade SSD can be removed, we image it directly, so a dead board doesn't stop recovery.
The internal drive or SSD has failed or lost its system — data-first extraction, then repair decisions.
Mid-update death leaves the Mac looping; documents are intact beneath the broken install.
Older MacBooks carry standard 2.5" drives that fail mechanically — clean-bench work.
Apple's proprietary SSD sticks die like any SSD; adapters and service-mode access recover them.
A wrong click in Disk Utility wipes the volume; on a removable drive it's recoverable while the freed space survives.
With your password or recovery key, encrypted volumes recover normally — have it ready when you call.
Recoverable while the space survives; stop using the Mac immediately.
Flexgate and panel failures strand your data behind dark glass — extraction is routine.
Apple's proprietary blade SSDs occasionally lose their controller mapping and disappear — read through blade adapters in service mode.
The delicate internal SATA/flex cable in older MacBooks wears and mimics a drive failure — the drive itself is usually fine once imaged.
Pre-2012 MacBooks use standard 2.5-inch drives and 2013–2017 models use Apple's proprietary blade SSDs — both can be removed and imaged, and both we recover. From 2018 onward the storage is soldered to the logic board and hardware-encrypted by the T2 chip or Apple Silicon: it can't be removed, and if the board or storage fails the data can't be lifted off. We don't offer recovery for soldered Mac storage — we stopped attempting board-level work on these machines two years ago because the success rate was too low to promise anyone. If you're unsure which your MacBook is, call before sending it.
Tea, coffee and water make a beeline for the logic board. The good news: on models with a removable drive or blade SSD, the data usually survives the spill and we image it directly. Don't charge it, don't 'wait and see' — corrosion spreads by the day. Get the machine to us fast and the odds swing firmly in your favour.
MacBook recovery centres on getting the removable drive or blade SSD onto an imaging rig:
12+16-pin and gumstick blade formats attach natively for imaging without the donor MacBook.
Pre-2012 MacBooks with mechanical 2.5-inch drives get the classic hard drive treatment.
Liquid-damaged removable blades and their connectors are cleaned and treated so the module can be read.
Native file-system parsing, snapshot recovery and FileVault handling with your password.
Lost APFS snapshots, deleted files and wiped volumes are carved back where the freed space survives.
Removable drives another lab returned unrecovered get a genuine second attempt on fresh hardware.
We recover MacBooks whose storage can be removed and imaged — the 2.5" SATA drives in pre-2012 models and Apple's proprietary blade SSDs from 2013–2017. Liquid spills that short the logic board usually leave a removable drive perfectly readable; older machines also suffer frayed internal SATA cables that mimic a drive failure; and blade SSDs occasionally lose their controller mapping and vanish. We don't recover storage soldered to the logic board — the T2 and Apple Silicon machines from 2018 onward.
Most customers post or courier their media to us.
Sending a drive from a computer, laptop, MacBook, iMac, CCTV / DVR or server? Please remove the internal hard drive or SSD and send us just the drive — we don't provide an internal drive-removal service. We don't recover storage soldered to a motherboard (e.g. Apple Silicon Macs and some thin laptops) — only drives that can be removed and sent to us.
↓ Print the booking-in & shipping form (PDF)
Mark the package for the attention of Guildford Data Recovery and we'll call you as soon as we diagnose your media.
Not sure what to send? Call 0800 689 0668 first or use the free online diagnostic.
Free diagnostic, fixed quote, no fix no fee — start now or call the freephone.