While working on a Mac, suddenly finding out about missing emails can be very frustrating, as they may contain important data. To counter this problem, one can enable the retrieval of deleted messages by adjusting built-in features in email settings on your Mac. For starters, you should follow the path “`~/Library/MailData/” to discover the saved emails and save yourself from unnecessary hassle.
This adjustment enables easy retrievals, but what if the data is not available there as well? This article will explore the other methods to follow on “How to recover a deleted email on Mac,” including accessing the Mail App, iCloud, and Gmail trash. You will also be introduced to a file recovery tool that could potentially be the best way to recover your deleted emails.
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Table of Contents
Part 1. Why Do Emails Get Deleted on Mac?
Before we delve into various ways for “deleted email recovery,” go through the given common reasons for deleted emails on Mac:
- Hardware Damage: Email loss could be a direct result of some hardware damage to your Mac device. This could be a failing hard drive, physical damage, or a damaged component of the disk.
- Deletion by Accident: Accidentally deleting your emails is the most common cause of email loss on Mac. You might have deleted the mail or enabled some filter settings that automatically delete emails.
- Viruses: It is possible that some malware got into your email account and caused the loss of your email. These viruses are programmed to send malicious emails or control the account to delete messages.
- Compromised Account: You could have your system and email account hacked and be unaware of it. This access to the emails enables the hacker to manipulate the emails, including deletion.
- Email Cleaner Tools: Some email cleaning tools and apps installed on your computer could be behind your lost emails. These apps can mistake an important email for a junk file or an unnecessary message.
Part 2. Recover Deleted Email on Mac: From Trash
As the first method to recover your lost emails, you can use the Apple Mail app and retrieve the messages by accessing the trash folder. The trash folder allows you to recover deleted email on Mac for around 30 days, acting as a fuss-free backup for unwanted files. You can go through the following basic steps to recover your deleted emails from the trash on Mac:
Instructions. Enter the “Mail” app and select the “Bin” option from the side menu. Find the email you want recovered. From the “Move to” drop-down menu, choose the “Inbox” option for your restored email.

Part 3. Recover Deleted Email on Mac: Using iCloud
Deleted emails from Apple Mail can be easily recovered through iCloud if they are still found in your storage. iCloud allows seamless syncing of your data with all your other devices, making the recovered emails instantly accessible on your phone as well. Through the given steps, learn “how to find deleted email on Mac” by accessing your iCloud storage:
Step 1. Go to www.icloud.com and sign in using your Apple ID. Select the “Mail” icon to view the emails in your iCloud account. Here, shift to the “Bin” section from the left side and click on the “three-dots” to select the “Move Message” button.

Step 2. From the “Move Message” pop-up dialog box, select the “Inbox” folder and hit the “Move” button to recover the missing file.

Part 4. For Gmail Users: Recover Deleted Email on Mac
Most of the service providers offer email recovery, and Gmail, being the most commonly used email service, is no different. Gmail allows recovery of deleted emails within a window of 30 days until it permanently deletes its files. Google Vault is also available specifically for organizations that enables data recovery, including deleted email recovery. Follow the given steps to ensure safe recovery of your deleted emails while using Gmail:
Instructions. Access your Gmail account and locate the “Bin” folder on the left side menu. Then “Tick” the checkbox of the recovered. Click on the “Move To” icon and pick the desired folder from the drop down menu to restore the email.

Part 5. How to Recover Deleted Email on Mac Using Wondershare Recoverit: The Best Method to Try
While you’re trying to figure out “how to find deleted email on Mac,” Wondershare Recoverit, a data recovery tool, can be a perfect solution. It has a 95.99% success rate with file recovery, including photo content, and other files. There is also a batch recovery feature that lets you recover multiple files. With its dedicated data safety protocols, it ensures complete security, also being 100% virus-free.
This data recovery solution works on both Windows and Mac with the same level of effectiveness. Additionally, besides email, while retrieving the Word documents, it will ensure the recovery of the file with all the formatting intact. This tool also promises file recovery in over 1000 different file formats, including videos, photos, and other media files. It can recover lost files due to anything like hardware issues, human error, or system corruption.
Key Features
- Preview Option: A preview option is available to ensure that the recovered file is not missing anything and to ensure satisfactory results.
- Deep Scanning: The tool has a built-in intelligent scanning feature to identify and recover even hidden files.
- Filter Availability: There is a filter option available for narrowing down the scanning process to speed up the recovery, allowing search by name, type, or tag of file.
A Comprehensive Guide on Recovering Emails Using Wondershare Recoverit
Having gone through other methods, learn to recover emails using Wondershare Recoverit with the following steps:
Step 1. Choose the Location For Email Recovery
Launch the recovery and choose “Hard Drives and Locations,” and specify the location of the lost email files. Deep scanning will automatically start after this to identify your lost files.

Step 2. Specify the File Type in Filters
Toggle between ways to filter file search, including type, size, and time, or type keywords of your files in an upper-right box. The search will be narrowed to find your emails this way, and will be faster.

Step 3. Preview and Recover Lost Emails
After the scanning is complete, the recovered files will be displayed on the screen. Mark the needed email files and click on “Recover” to import them back to your system.

Part 6. Use Time Machine Backup: Another Resort For Mail Recovery
It is possible to recover deleted emails on Mac using the Time Machine feature of your device. While we’ve discussed the location of the saved emails across the Mac, the Time Machine feature can turn out beneficial in helping retrieve the files. The loss of emails resulting from deletion, disk crash, or disk repair can be mitigated with this tool if the backup was enabled following the given steps:
Instructions. Launch the macOS Time Machine on your Mac and select the folder containing your deleted emails. Now, after previewing the files, hit “Restore” to recover the chosen deleted emails.

Conclusion
In conclusion, retrieving deleted emails is perfectly possible by employing different methods. This article has delved into how to recover a deleted email on Mac, exploring ways to recover them in Gmail, Apple App, or iCloud. In addition, we have uncovered a data recovery tool, Wondershare Recoverit, that lets you recover the emails that seem permanently lost.
FAQ
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How can I recover permanently deleted files from Mac?
If you need to recover deleted emails, you can use software like Wondershare Recoverit. This tool scans your device to locate lost data, allowing you to preview and retrieve files before recovery. -
Can I find deleted email files on my Mac?
Deleted email files are typically moved to the trash folder within the email app. Accidentally deleted files remain recoverable there for up to 30 days. -
Why are my emails missing on Mac?
Emails may go missing due to accidental deletion, app glitches, or system issues like malware or viruses.