TechTool Pro 11
Hardware diagnostics and disk repair
Repairing permissions is a valuable trick for fixing wide‑ranging problems
TechTool Pro has really been the only comprehensive toolkit for diagnosing hardware problems over the last 30 years. And the latest version (we’ve tested 11.0.3 here) keeps pace with recent features like T2 chips, Apple’s new file system, and Mojave’s privacy protection. It’s even notarised for compatibility with macOS 10.15.
When you first open it, you’ll be prompted to give it Full Disk Access in your Security & Privacy pane. This adds the four necessary items, provided you follow its instructions.
Before running any tests, even its Check Computer, study its 35,000-word manual and set a configuration which you won’t regret later. By default, it will test volume structures on an internal boot SSD, which makes your Mac unresponsive: after 20 minutes with the clock and Finder frozen, we forced our iMac Pro to shut down as the only way out;
it’s impossible to tell whether it’s still testing or has ground to a halt.
Mighty Mac saver
In addition to extending existing tests to cover Mojave and the latest version of APFS, version 11 adds the repair of permissions in your Home folder. First recommended by Apple in Sierra, this remains a valuable trick for fixing wideranging problems such as preference files that don’t stick, but can take several hours.
There are still enforced gaps in some of its tools. It can verify and repair volumes in HFS+, APFS, FAT32 and ExFat, but defragmentation, much of its data recovery suite, and some storage protection can’t work on SSDs or boot volumes. This is mitigated by two invaluable features. eDrive volumes are customised Recovery partitions in which you can include TechTool Pro and other tools. Protogo complements those by building bespoke startup disks such as USB thumb drives for those little emergencies.
While specialist tools can give more detail on storage, there’s hardly any Mac hardware that TechTool Pro can’t inspect and test. Its coverage of the many sensors in your Mac is superb, and it’ll even do battery checks on tethered iOS devices.
This isn’t for the casual user, but at the right time, in the right hands, it’s a Mac saver. HOwaRd Oakley