Here’s a clear guide on how to upgrade Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition for Mac to the higher Standard/ Professional or Premium edition, with steps and what to watch out for.

What You Should Know Before Upgrading

  • The free version lets you scan & preview, and recover up to 1 GB of data (with 100MB file-size limits per file).

  • The higher paid editions removes many of those limits, adds file-type options & recovery from lost volume, etc.

How to Upgrade from Free → Standard/ Professional or Premium edition

Here are the step by step instructions:

  1. Launch Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition on your Mac.

  2. Click on Unlock to Full version option.


  3. After purchase, you’ll receive the activation key via email. Copy that key.

  4. Back in the software, enter the key.


  5. Once successfully upgraded, the UI (header or title bar) should display “Professional” edition (or any other edition you purchased) instead of “Free”. 

Important Tips & Considerations

  • Save your data — Make sure you don’t overwrite something important while performing upgrades or installations.

  • Internet connection — Required for verification of the license key.

  • Check update notes / feature comparison so you know exactly what extra features you get in Professional or other paid edition vs Free.