Show
There are many ways to delete files on Mac, and we, thankfully, also have several methods to recover deleted files. To help you find the most suitable method for your situation, we’ve put together this easy-to-follow guide in which we compare multiple ways of restoring deleted files and provide step-by-step instructions for each one.
How to Choose the Right Way of Recovering Mac Files?When deciding how to recover deleted files on Mac, you need to take into consideration the following factors:
Use the following comparison table of different recovery methods to pick the right one for you. As you can see, you have quite a few options when it comes to recovering deleted files on Mac. Regardless of which option you pick, you should always make data recovery your top priority and avoid writing new data to the storage device on which the deleted files were located. Step-by-Step Instructions for Each Recovery MethodNow that you’ve picked the most suitable recovery method, it’s time we take a closer look at each one and provide you with detailed step-by-step instructions that you can easily follow to restore deleted files on Mac. Option 1: Use Undo Command on Mac
When you delete the wrong file on Mac and notice your mistake right away, you can instantly recover it using the Undo command. As its name suggests, this command reverses the last completed action, and there are several ways to invoke it. Step 1. Highlight the application that was used to delete the file (such as Finder). Step 2. Open the Edit menu in the menu bar. Step 3. Click Undo Move of “filename”. Alternatively, you can press Command + Z on your keyboard to invoke the Undo command straight away. Just keep in mind that the correct application must be in focus for the Undo command to do what you intend it to do. Pros:
Cons:
Option 2: Recover Files from Trash on Mac
When you delete a file on Mac, it usually (not always!) ends up in a special folder called Trash, where it stays until you manually/automatically empty Trash. While the file is in Trash, you can recover it to its original folder with a few simple clicks and know that the recovery will be 100% successful. Step 1. Click the Trash icon in the Dock. Step 2. Select your files (you can use the search bar if you remember the name of the file you want to recover). Step 3. Right-click on any of the selected files and choose the Put Back option. If you don’t want to recover the deleted files to their original folders, you can drag and drop them to any folder you wish. Pros:
Cons:
Option 3: Recover Deleted Files Using Terminal
On Mac, there are always several ways to accomplish the same thing, and you can use whichever you like the most. If you’ve always loved Macintosh computers because of their Unix roots and powerful command-line interface, you may like the idea of using Terminal to recover your files from Trash. Step 1. Launch Terminal from /Applications/Utilities or using Spotlight. Step 2. Enter cd .Trash to navigate to the Trash folder. Step 3. Enter ls -al ~/.Trash to view the content of the Trash folder. Step 4. Enter mv filename ../ to move a specific file to your home folder (replace filename with the name of the file you want to recover). Since Terminal commands are really just alternatives to the graphical user interface of Trash, they won’t help you recover Trash that you or your Mac has emptied. Pros:
Cons:
Option 4: Recover Files from Backups
There are multiple categories of backup tools that can be used to reliably recover deleted files on Mac. All Macs with macOS 10.5 or newer are equipped with an incremental backup tool called Time Machine, which allows users to restore the entire operating system or specific files from a local backup stored on a dedicated backup drive. Starting from macOS 11 Big Sur Time Machine is able to make “faster, more compact, and more reliable backups”. This is how you can restore deleted files from a Time Machine backup: Step 1. Open the folder that contained the deleted files using Finder. Step 2. Click the Time Machine icon located in the Menu Bar and choose Enter Time Machine. Step 3. Select the files you want to recover. Use the timeline on the right edge of the screen to find the most recent version of your files. Step 4. Click Restore to restore the selected files. Some Mac users may prefer the convenience of cloud backup solutions like Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox, whose biggest advantage is the fact that you can access them from anywhere. Regardless of which backup tool you prefer, you will be able to recover your lost files with it only if you had created a backup beforehand. If you don’t have an up-to-date backup to recover from, you need to try some other method. Pros:
Cons:
Option 5: Try Mac Data Recovery Software
Data recovery for Mac can also be performed using specialized recovery software applications. Such applications cost anywhere from $0 to several hundred dollars, and they target casual home users and professionals alike. Unlike the methods we’ve described so far, recovery software applications can recover emptied Trash on Mac and get back permanently deleted files that were never in Trash in the first place. Some recovery software applications, especially those that cost money, include various file protection and backup features, which you can use to avoid data loss in the future. Let’s take a closer look at how to recover deleted files on Mac OS X and macOS with one free file recovery software application and one paid recovery software application. Disk Drill – paid solution to recover deleted files on MacAvailable for Mac OS X 10.11.6+ (Monterey included). Step 1. Download and install Disk Drill for Mac. Step 2. Launch Disk Drill and click the Recover button next to the drive you want to recover. Step 3. Wait for the scan to finish, select all files that you want to recover, and click the Recover button. Step 4. Specify the recovery destination and click Choose to begin the recovery process. PhotoRec – free solution to recover deleted files on MacAvailable for Mac OS X 10.14 or later. Here is an overview of the recovery process using PhotoRec. More detailed step-by-step instructions can be found at the tool’s website. Step 1. Start the program on your Mac. Step 2. Select the disk that contains lost data. Step 3. Select the proper partition for recovery. Step 4. Choose the options PhotoRec will use for the recovery. Step 5. Search the disk for recoverable files. Step 6. Select the items to be recovered. Step 7. Choose a location where recovered files will be written. Step 8. Perform the recovery. Pros:
Cons:
Option 6: Use App-Specific Recovery Features
Some macOS apps, like the Photo app, store recently deleted items in a specially designated folder to enable their quick recovery. Here are the steps you should follow to recover a lost file using this method.
Pros:
Cons:
Option 7: Apply to data recovery services
Using a data recovery service like the CleverFiles data recovery center can help you get back lost data when other options have failed. Professional data recovery experts will employ advanced hardware and software techniques to clone your damaged storage device and recover its files. Here is an overview describing how to engage a data recovery service. Step 1:Contact the service for an initial consultation and to obtain instructions on how to ship them your storage device. Step 2:Ship the storage device to the recovery center. Step 3:Upon receipt, the service will examine the device and provide the customer with a recovery price. Reliable sites will not charge you if they cannot recover your data. Step 4:Data will be recovered and shipped back to you on new storage media.
Pros:
Cons:
Which File Types Can Be Recovered on Mac?Using the above-described methods, you can recover just about any file type and file extension you encounter. Here are some common file types and file extensions Mac users often want to recover:
We’ve collected detailed guides on how to recover specific file types, and we encourage you to read them so that you understand the recovery process as much as possible: How to Increase the Chances of Successful Recovery?Unfortunately, not all attempts to recover files from Trash and other places have a good ending. Sometimes, the deleted files can’t be recovered because they’ve become overwritten, but there are also other factors that may jeopardize your recovery attempts, such as data corruption, physical damage, or user error. The good news is that there are certain things that you can do to significantly increase the chances of successful recovery:
With just these three simple tips, you should be able to get files from Trash or any other folder without much trouble. HELP: None of the Solutions Have Worked. Is There Anything Else I Can Do?With the solutions described in this article, you should be able to recover all deleted files from healthy storage devices, including traditional spinning hard drives, modern solid-state drives, USB flash drives, and memory cards.However, they can’t reliably recover files from storage devices that have suffered physical damage, which may occur when a storage device is exposed to extremely high or low temperatures, moisture, dust, or simply dropped on the floor. In such cases, there’s zero room for DIY solutions since most attempts to repair a damaged storage device at home do more harm than good. Instead, you should use a data recovery service and let professionals with state-of-the-art equipment recover your data for you. FAQMultiple solutions exist that allow you to recover deleted files on Mac without software. They either make use of previously created backup media or native macOS and application functionality. You can restore lost data without software in the following ways:
Your Mac’s Trash Bin is the first place you should look for deleted files. If the files are in the Trash, it is a quick and easy recovery process to get your data back. Follow these steps to recover deleted files from the Trash on Mac:
You have several options to attempt recovery of recently deleted files on Mac.
How do I find a document that disappeared?Checking the Recycle Bin. Double-click the Recycle Bin on the Desktop.. Search through the list of documents to see whether the deleted Word document is still there. ... . If you find the desired Word file, right-click the file name, and then select Restore to recover the file.. How do I find a lost Word document on my Mac?On the Word menu, click Preferences.. Under Authoring and Proofing Tools, click General .. Make sure that the Confirm conversion at Open check box is selected, and then click OK.. On the Standard toolbar, click Open .. On the Enable pop-up menu, click Recover Text from Any File.. Open the document.. |