Sudden deletion of any file on your Mac, either accidentally or intentionally, can put you in trouble. Luckily, there are several manual methods and third-party free Mac data recovery software available online that you can use to restore your lost files. Whether you’re dealing with files removed from the Trash, lost due to system errors, or deleted from external drives, this guide will walk you through the steps to recover your data.
Go with the methods mentioned in this blog to learn how to recover deleted files on a Mac quickly and efficiently.
Prerequisites Before You Proceed For Data Recovery on Mac
Before you proceed with methods to recover deleted files on a Mac, preparing your system and ensuring optimal conditions for successful recovery is crucial. Here are some essential pre-requisites and precautions to take:
1: Stop Using the Drive Immediately
When you find any data deleted on your Mac, minimize further use of the drive (internal or external) where the file was earlier stored. This is critical because macOS does not immediately delete the data; instead, it marks the file’s storage space available for the new file. Continued usage can overwrite that space and make the data recovery on Mac quite complex or even impossible.
2: Check System and Disk Health
It’s important to ensure that your Mac’s storage drive is in good condition before proceeding with data recovery. A corrupted or failing drive can complicate the recovery process.
3: Ensure a Stable Power Supply
Data recovery on Mac might take time, especially if you’re scanning large drives. Make sure your Mac is connected to a power source or has stable power during the whole process. Interruptions due to power loss can corrupt files or cause system errors, complicating the recovery further.
4: Prepare an External Storage Device
Having an external hard drive is helpful in two ways:
- Data Storage: To save recovered files without risking overwriting the original data.
- Backup: Create a new backup of your current system state before proceeding with data recovery methods to help you in case something goes wrong.
5: Install Recovery Software on a Different Drive
If you want to use third-party recovery tools to restore your lost files, install them on a drive other than the one where your deleted files were earlier stored. Installing recovery software on the affected drive risks overwriting the very data you’re trying to restore.
Quick Methods to Recover Deleted Files on Mac
In this part of the blog, we’ve outlined some quick approaches to restore your lost files on Mac:
Method 1: Check the Trash Bin First
The Trash Bin is the first place that you should check when you accidentally delete a file. When any file gets deleted on your Mac, it goes to the Trash folder and remains there until the folder is emptied. To recover files from the Trash, you need to:
- Click the Trash icon located in the Dock.
- Go through the deleted files to find the one you need.
- Right-click on the file and select the Put Back option to restore the selected file to its original location.
Method 2: Recover Files from Time Machine Backup
If your deleted file is not present in the Trash folder, it might have been permanently deleted. In such cases, you can check any previously created backup to restore your lost files. macOS provides a built-in Time Machine backup utility which automatically creates backup of your important files when enabled on your Mac.
If you’ve been using Time Machine, you can follow the below steps to recover deleted files by using Time Machine backup:
- Firstly, connect the external drive containing the Time Machine backup to your Mac.
- Now, click the Time Machine icon from the menu bar and select Enter Time Machine.
- Use the timeline on the right to go back to a point when the file was still available.
- Select the file you want back and click Restore.
Method 3: Try iCloud Backup to Recover Deleted Files
For users to sync their Mac to iCloud, recovery is possible via the iCloud website or Finder. Here are quick steps to recover deleted files from iCloud drive:
- Visit iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID or go to the iCloud Drive app.
- Locate the Recently Deleted folder where your deleted files are stored for up to 30 days.
- Select the required files and click Recover.
Method 4: Restore Deleted Files from Mac’s Temporary Folder
Sometimes, the files are not deleted but moved to your Mac’s temporary storage and may appear missing. Follow the below steps to access temporary files:
- Firstly, go to Applications > Utilities, and then launch Terminal.
- Now, type the command $TMPDIR and press Enter.
- This will open the temporary files folder. Browse through the files to locate your required file.
Note: Temporary files may be overwritten quickly, so this method works best shortly after the deletion.
Method 5: Use Free Mac Data Recovery Software
If the aforementioned manual methods fail to restore your lost files, you can use a free Mac data recovery software to get your files back without any cost. Tools like Stellar Data Recovery Free completely scan your Mac’s storage drive, including the free space where deleted files might still reside. You can use this tool to restore deleted files of multiple types, including photos, videos, documents, etc. in no time.
The Stellar Data Recovery Free software allows you to restore deleted files up to 1 GB for free. To restore files of larger size, you can check and use their paid versions. The software is compatible with restoring deleted files from multiple storage devices, including hard drives, SSDs, USBs, and more.
3-steps to recover deleted files on a Mac using Stellar Data Recovery Free software:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Free software on your Mac. Launch the software, select the type of file you need to restore and click the Next button to continue.
Step 2: Select the folder location where your deleted file was earlier stored and click Scan. Wait till the scanning process is finished.
Step 3: Once the scan is done, preview the recoverable files and choose the file(s) you need to restore. Click the Recover button to save the selected file at the desired location on your Mac.
Prevent Future Data Loss on Mac
While recovering deleted files is possible using the aforementioned free Mac data recovery software and manual methods, prevention is always better than cure. Here are some tips to safeguard your data:
- Enable Time Machine Backups: Regular backups ensure you can recover files easily.
- Use Cloud Storage: Services like iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox provide additional layers of file protection.
- Create Redundant Backups: Keep multiple copies of important files on different storage devices.
- Be Cautious with Deletions: Double-check before deleting files and avoid using commands like “rm” in Terminal unless you’re sure.
Final Thoughts
When you encounter data loss on your Mac, don’t lose hope. All the above-mentioned Mac data recovery methods, including manual workarounds and third-party free Mac data recovery software, can help you restore deleted files without any stressful experience. By leveraging built-in tools like the Trash Bin, Time Machine, and iCloud, along with third-party recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Free, you can retrieve lost data with ease. Always remember to act quickly after data loss and prioritize setting up robust backup systems to prevent future mishaps.
