How to Recover Data from Apple Fusion Drive

Apple has set itself apart by introducing unique irritations to existing technology and making it better for daily use. However, that has often led to complications, which makes it difficult for people to solve issues with Apple devices. One of the most discussed issues that Mac users have talked about is data loss in Apple’s Fusion Drives. What exactly is a Fusion Drive and how to recover files from an apple fusion drive? That is the question we will be answering for you in this article, so keep reading to find out more.

1. What is Apple Fusion Drive?

Before we can talk about how to recover deleted fusion 360 files, you need to understand what exactly a Fusion Drive is. Revealed by Apple in 2012, the Fusion Drive was a technology that allowed Apple to combine solid-state flash memory with conventional mechanical hard drives. You could say it is quite similar to what an SSHD is but only in concept. The technology is completely proprietary, and Apple introduced it in two of its Mac products, the Mac Mini and iMac. The discrete nature of the drive means that many users do not even know if their Macs have a fusion drive or not.

It is best to check if you have it installed in your system before attempting to recover fusion drive data. To check this, you need to go to the "About This Mac" section and go into the "Storage" tab. It will show you the drive installed in your system and if it is a Fusion Drive, you will see it titled "Hard Drive + Flash Storage".

2. Possible Reasons for Data Loss in Fusion Drives

Given the hybrid nature of the Fusion Drive, i.e., mechanical and electronic, you can say that it is vulnerable. The possibility of data loss is therefore much higher and the chances of you needing to perform a fusion drive data recovery are not exactly low. However, it is not necessary that you end up having a problem and your system could keep on working fine for a long time. It is still good to know potential causes of data loss though, so you may get them fixed quickly and even avoid them if possible. The most common causes of data loss in Fusion Drives are as follows:

• Accidental deletion or formatting of your drive can also be a reason for data loss. It is also one of the most common types of data recovery fusion drive users need to go through. Typically, this problem occurs when the user is performing deletion of data in a hurry, not paying proper attention, or in many cases, is simply not aware of how the system works.
• Virus attacks are a common cause of Fusion Drive failure as they are for any other type of drive. Using too many external storage drives, especially ones that are also used on other computers, can lead to virus transfer. Similarly, not using the internet carefully can also lead to viruses being downloaded on the computer. Among other problems, these viruses can also end up deleting your data or causing other storage-related issues.
• Hardware issues can also lead to data loss which would cause you to need data recovery from fusion drive. Do not forget that one part of the Fusion Drive is still mechanical and over time, it can become more and more prone to failure of some kind, as all mechanical devices do. The result can be the drive becoming unreadable or corrupted, thereby causing potential data loss.
• There are also cases where the Fusion Drive starts showing as two separate drives instead of one. The SSD and HDD components are separate for some reason, and you need to recover data from split fusion drive. This can happen due to the installation of bad software and even some viruses can cause this issue.

3. How to Recover Deleted/Lost Files from Fusion Drive?

Now that we have established that there can be many reasons you may need to recover data from split fusion drive, let us talk about how you can do it. There are two ways to go about performing fusion drive recovery and we will be sharing the details of both methods with you here.

Method #1. Fusion Drive Recovery Using Time Machine Backup

Apple provides Mac users with a built-in app called Time Machine which they can use to create backups of their computers. It is a versatile system that can do anything from individual file recovery to complete system restores. The app utilizes external storage as the backup medium so you can connect it to your computer and recover fusion drive files easily. If you have lost your Fusion Drive data and set up a Time Machine backup, you can find them on your Mac using the steps shared below.

The following steps are to be used if you want to get specific files or folders back from your Time Machine backup.

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive to your Mac.
2. Click on the Apple logo on the top-left corner of your computer.
3. In the dropdown menu, select the "System Preferences" option.
4. In the window that opens, you will see a bunch of apps installed on your computer. Here, you will also see the icon for Time Machine which will be denoted by an anti-clockwise curved arrow with clock needles in the middle. The icon will also have Time Machine written under the icon so you can easily identify it. Click on the icon.
5. In the next window, click on the checkbox saying, "Show Time Machine in the menu bar". The menu bar on top should have the same icon appearing now.
6. Click on the icon and select the "Enter Time Machine" option.
7. Select the files or folders that you want to get back and then click on the "Restore" button at the bottom of the window.

In case you want to resume your complete OS with a Time Machine Backup, you will need to use the following steps:

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive to your Mac.
2. Restart your computer and while it is turning on, press the "Command" key and "R" key on your keyboard simultaneously. This will take you to your Mac’s recovery mode.
3. Once the Apple logo appears, you can let go of the keys.
4. In the macOS utility menu that shows up, select the "Restore from Time Machine Backup" option.
5. You will see a new window titled "Select a Restore Source". Select the backup drive and click on the "Continue" arrow button. If you have encrypted your backup, you will be asked to enter your administrator password before you can start the restoration process.
6. A list of available backups will be shown, and you can select the latest (or relevant) one and select Continue again.
7. The utility will now ask you for a restore destination, at which point you will select your Fusion Drive.
8. Once the process is complete, you can restart your Mac. The disk fusion recovery time will depend on the size of recovery that needs to be restored.

Method #2. Recover Files from Fusion Drive Using Software

As you may have realized, the process needed to restore fusion drive data using Apple’s tools can be pretty extensive and tedious. Thankfully, third-party software like iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac can make your life much easier. This is a comprehensive tool that you can download and try for free and retrieve some files from your fusion drive. The software comes with a range of features including the specific type of data recovery, file preview, and support for any fusion drive that you may have. As for the recovery process, all you need to do is go through three simple steps to recover files from an SD card on Mac and get data back in SSD, HDD, flash drive, external disk, etc, and you are done! The steps are as follows:

1. Download the iBeesoft data recovery software for Mac.
2. Open the iBeesoft on your Mac and select the types of files that you want to find. You can either select all files or choose specific data that you may want to restore. This method would work great even for people asking how to recover fusion 360 files.
3. Depending on the drives connected to the computer, you will see a list of drives available for recovery. Since you are trying to recover data from fusion drive, that is what you would select. Click on the "Scan" button on the top left of the window and the software will start looking for all the files that it can recover.
4. The default option is set to Quick Scan and will show you all the data it can find with the option to preview before recovering. Once you have selected the data you want to recover, you can click on the "Recover" button on top of the window and save the data to your Mac.

In case you cannot find specific files or are unable to view them, you can click on the "Deep Scan" button. This may increase the disk fusion recovery time but will go through every single file available for recovery on your Fusion Drive.

4. How To Restore Data from Split Fusion Drive?

In case you have a Split Fusion Drive, you can still get files back from your drive easily using iBeesoft. The steps you will be following for the recovery process will be exactly as described above. However, before you can do that, you will need to disable System Integrity Protection on your Mac. The process for doing that is as follows:

1. Restart your Mac and while it is restarting, press and hold the "Command" and "R" keys simultaneously. Keep doing so until you see the Apple logo.
2. You will be taken to the macOS utility screen to select the "Utilities" tab on the top bar.
3. In the dropdown list that appears, select the "Terminal" option.
4. In the window that opens, enter the text "csrutil disable" and then press the Enter key.
5. Now click on the Apple logo in the top bar and restart your Mac.

Once the system restarts, you can follow the instructions given in the previous section to recover deleted files from Fusion Drive.

5. Frequently Asked Questions for Apple Fusion Drive Data Recovery

1. How do I recover data from Apple Fusion drive?

You can restore data from the Apple Fusion drive using your Time Machine backup or third-party recovery software like iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac.

2. Can a fusion drive be recovered?

Unless there is physical damage involved, it is possible to recover data from a fusion drive. You can check if a drive is working by connecting it to your Mac and seeing if it shows up as a storage media. It is even easier to confirm and get back it using this free data recovery software for Mac.

3. How do I restore my Fusion drive?

You can either find your Fusion drive using Apple’s Time Machine backup or using third-party software like iBeesoft data recovery software for Mac. The latter provides a much easier and quicker solution as compared to Apple’s default solution.

4. How do I get data off my old Apple hard drive?

Old Apple drives may contain useful data that you would want to recover, and you can do so using recovery tools. iBeesoft data recovery for Mac provides a great solution that lets you scan your old Apple drive and find all your data effortlessly. All you need to do is follow three simple steps and you can get your data recovered in no time.

5. Can Apple data be recovered?

In most cases, Apple data is stored in drives that are just like any other drive. Even when it is not, with the right tool, you can certainly retrieve your data from it as well. One tool that does this job incredibly well is iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac which lets you recover data from multiple sources including emptied trash cans, accidentally deleted files, formatted Mac drives, split Fusion drives, data loss from virus attacks, faulty OS updates, and much more.