Is it possible to recover data from an SSD drive?
Yes, in some cases, you can recover all deleted or lost data from an SSD using data recovery software like Disk Drill. It all depends on the SSD TRIM command, which, when enabled, informs the SSD that unused data can be wiped internally, making them impossible to recover. Because it’s up to the operating system to send the TRIM command, trimming typically doesn’t happen after a power failure, software error, file system corruption, and other common causes of data loss.
How to Perform SSD Data Recovery?
Regardless of whether the TRIM command is enabled or not, you can perform SSD file recovery with the same data recovery software you would use to recover files from a traditional hard drive.
Disk Drill is an excellent choice because it runs on Windows and macOS, is exceptionally easy to use, and supports all commonly used file systems and file formats.
To recover files from an SSD on Windows PC:
- Download and launch Disk Drill for Windows.
- Select your SSD and click Search for lost data.
- Narrow down the scan results using the file format filters on the left until you find the files you’re looking for.
- Click the checkbox next to each file you want to recover and then click the blue Recover button at the bottom.
- Specify the recovery folder and click OK.
To recover an SSD hard drive on Mac:
- Download and launch Disk Drill for Mac.
- Click the Recover button next to your SSD drive.
- Look inside the recovery folders and select the files you want to recover using the preview feature.
- Specify the recovery destination and click the Recover button.
Keep in mind that you should always recover to a folder located on a different hard drive than where the deleted files were originally located.
SSD vs. HDD: What Are the Differences Between Them?
Solid-state drives (SSD) and hard-disk drives (HDD) are the two main types of storage devices for desktop computers and laptops. Each of them has different strengths and weaknesses, and you need to be aware of them when making a purchase decision.
 | Cost per GBAt the time of writing this article, you can buy a 1 TB SSD for around $100. For the same amount of money, you can easily buy an HDD with a capacity of 4 TB. Clearly, the venerable HDD is a clear winner when it comes to cost per GB, making it an easy choice for long-term file archiving. |
 | SpeedA typical 7200 RPM HDD has a read/write speed of 80-160 MB/s. A modern SSD can push up to 550 MB/s through the same connector. And if your motherboard has an M.2 connector and support for NVMe-based SSDs, you can enjoy write speeds as high as 3500 MB/s. |
 | LifespanTraditional spinning hard drives contain extremely precise moving parts, which can break without warning. On the other hand, SSDs don’t contain any moving parts whatsoever, which is one reason why their MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) is 2.0 million hours, but the MTBF of HDDs is just 1.5 million hours. There’s also the fact that SSDs are not affected by magnetism, making them far more reliable in certain industrial applications. |
 | Power ConsumptionOn average, HDDs draw 6–7 watts, while SSDs draw just 2–3 watts. While you might not care about a few watts if you have a desktop computer that draws over 300 watts under load, every watt saved can result in a substantial boost to the time you can use your laptop on battery power. |
 | Other ConsiderationsBecause SSDs don’t contain any moving parts, they don’t produce noise or vibrations. For this reason alone, SSDs are a much better choice than HDDs for laptops and home theater PCs. |
Did You Know?
Even though the TRIM command is usually written in all caps, it’s not an acronym. It’s likely that hard drive manufacturers and researchers have been capitalizing it to maintain visual unity with other storage-related terms, such as SSD, NTFS, EXT4, HDD, and so on. This would also explain why the DEALLOCATE operation in NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) PCIe-based SSDs is sometimes capitalized as well.
Conclusion
While not as straightforward as HDD data recovery, SSD data recovery is still possible under the right condition and with a modern SSD data recovery software application like Disk Drill. By following the instructions provided in this article, you should be able to restore data from your SSD drive quickly and without any expert knowledge.
FAQ
The way SSDs store data is fundamentally different from traditional spinning hard drives, which rely on a series of spinning magnetic disks, also known as platters. When you open an SSD, you’ll find multiple NAND flash memory chips. These chips consist of a large number of floating-gate transistors, which can be electrically erased and reprogrammed.
Because floating-gate transistors are electronically isolated from other components, they retain an electrical charge even without a steady supply of power, which is why you can store data on an external SSD for years without any loss of information.
Even though HDDs and SSDs rely on two completely different storage technologies, you can easily transfer data between them because your operating system takes care of all the technical stuff that happens under the hood for you.
That said, it’s a good idea to use a data migration software application when transferring a lot of data from one drive to another, such as Samsung’s Data Migration software, WD SmartWare, or Intel Data Migration Software.
Without the use of the TRIM command, which allows the operating system to inform an SSD that certain data stored on the drive are no longer needed, the performance of SSDs degrades noticeably with use. While modern operating systems like Windows 10 enable TRIM by default, older operating systems don’t support this command at all.
The good news is that SSDs support a feature called Secure Erase, which marks all storage space as empty to restore any SSD to factory condition. Most major SSD manufacturers provide a free software utility with support for Secure Erase, including Samsung, Western Digital, and Seagate.
Unless your SSD is suffering from a soft issue that can be fixed by formatting or upgrading the drive’s firmware, you most likely won’t be able to recover data from it on your own, using data recovery software like Disk Drill. A data recovery laboratory might be able to extract data directly from the memory chips inside the SSD or fix a controller board problem, but even they won’t be able to guarantee success.
To recover pictures from an SSD with missing master boot record (MBR), you need to perform MBR repair by running the bootrec.exe utility using Command Prompt:
- Insert a USB bootable media with Windows 10.
- Select the Repair your computer option on the first installation screen.
- Click the Troubleshoot button.
- Click the Advanced options button.
- Click the Command Prompt button.
- Type the following command and press Enter: bootrec.exe /fixmbr
- Restart your computer.
