How your MacBook stores data
The age of your MacBook decides how we reach your files. Older models have a drive we can take out. Newer ones keep the data on chips soldered to the logic board, encrypted so that only that board can read them.
Drive can come out: we image it directlyStorage tied to the board: we repair the Mac first
- MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air up to 2012Standard 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD (mSATA-style blade in the 2010–2012 Air). We remove it and image it directly.
- MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 2013–2017 (without Touch Bar)Apple's own blade SSD. Removable with our Apple-specific adapters, so it can be read even if the MacBook is dead.
- 12-inch MacBook (2015–2017) and MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2016–2017)Storage soldered to the logic board. We repair the board, or move the storage chips to a working board, then copy the data.
- MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 2018–2020 (Intel, T2 chip)Soldered and encrypted by the T2 chip. The original board must work to unlock the data.
- MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 onward)Soldered and encrypted by the M-series chip. Board-level repair is the route to your files.
Liquid damage
Liquid is the most common reason a MacBook arrives at our lab. The spill itself rarely destroys the data. The damage comes afterwards, as corrosion spreads across the logic board and shorts out power circuits.
If you've just spilled something: shut the MacBook down, unplug it, and don't try to charge or switch it on again. Don't use rice or a hairdryer. Bring it to us as soon as you can.
We clean the board, replace damaged components and get it running long enough to copy your files. On older MacBooks we can usually skip the board entirely and read the drive directly.
Other faults we recover from
- MacBook won't power on, charge or show anything on screen
- Folder with a question mark, or a prohibitory sign at startup
- Stuck on the Apple logo or progress bar
- Failed macOS update or reinstall
- Dropped MacBook with a damaged drive
- Accidentally deleted files, or a disk erased in Disk Utility
What to bring
Bring the MacBook and its charger. On any MacBook with FileVault turned on, and on every T2 or Apple silicon model, we'll need your login password to unlock the data once the Mac is running. Without it the data can't be decrypted, by us or anyone else.