How to Recover Deleted Files and Folders on Mac | Top 3 Solutions

Sue Wayne

Jan 31, 2023 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

How do I recover a deleted folder on my Mac?

Is It Possible to Recover Deleted Files on Mac?

Yes, the chances are the files and folders deleted from Mac will be recovered. For a recently deleted file or folder, you can check the Mac Trash at the beginning to restore files from Trash. Nothing you want can be found on the Trash? If you have made the backup of the folder with Time Machine, you can recover deleted folders from Time Machine. If you haven’t, you don’t have to be too worried too. Indeed, the deleted folder will be marked as inaccessible data on your Mac. So, as long as the deleted folder has not been overwritten by new data on your Mac, you can manage to restore deleted files on Mac using Recoverit Mac File Recovery software.

Part 1. A Complete Solution to Recover Deleted Files on Mac

Deleting files and folders by mistake can happen every day around the world. How do you recover permanently deleted files? A permanently deleted file or folder refers to the data that can't be restored from the Trash. It will become something inaccessible and invisible on the Mac computer. To recover permanently deleted files and folders, all you need is the ultimate solution, that's the powerful deleted files recovery software for Mac.

Recoverit - The Best Software to Recover My Files on Mac

Recoverit Data Recovery Mac is such a folder recovery program that you can use it to recover the deleted folder and files in 3 steps and a few minutes.

Recoverit is a complete and ultimate solution for most users. It supports all the data loss and deletion scenarios, including accidental deletion, permanent deletion, emptying the Trash, system crash, virus attack, hard drive formatting, etc. With the help of the data rescue program, you can easily recover at least 1000 file types from your lost Mac folder, including photos, audio files, videos, document files, archive files, and more. Currently, this data recovery tool is fully compatible with Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, etc.

Video: How to Restore Deleted Files on Mac

The next video tutorial will show you how to restore deleted files from emptied Mac trash. Also, you can check the specific steps to recover deleted folders on Part 2.

Recent Videos from Recoverit

View More >

How to Recover Deleted Folder and Files on Mac Even from Emptied Trash

Download and install Recoverit Mac Undelete software on your Mac computer. Please do not install the app on partition/volume that your folder is deleted from on your Mac. If you are working on a Windows computer, you can check the guide and learn how to recover the deleted folder in Windows.

Step 1 Select a Location for Deleted Files

Launch Recoverit Data Recovery Software. To restore deleted files and folders on Mac, you need to select a location or hard disk where your data were deleted or lost.

Step 2 Scan the Partition or Disk

The deleted files recovery tool will start scanning the selected partition or hard drive to search for your deleted files and folders on Mac. During the scan, you can check the scanned files.

Step 3 Preview and Recover Deleted Folder from Mac

After the scanning, you can select deleted folders and preview some recoverable files like images, movies, music, and documents. Then you just need to mark the folder or files you want to recover and click "Recover" to save them back to your Mac.

Note: To avoid data being overwritten, please do not save the recovered folder or files back to the original partition or volume on your Mac.

Part 2. How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac Without Software

Besides the Mac data recovery software, we find 2 more native solutions on Mac, namely the Mac trash and Time Machine. Unlike Recoverit, they are not always workable and also time-consuming in the long run. But in some cases, they are really simple and prompt. Let's have a look at how they work and why they fail in recovering deleted files.

Solution 1. Recover Files from Trash on Mac

The simplest way for Mac deleted files recovery must be restoring the data from Trash, if the files are deleted by dragging to the Trash, using "Delete" or pressing "Command-Delete". Otherwise, Solution 1 is not a workable and feasible way to help you retrieve your permanently deleted files. Anyhow, you have three options to recover files from trash.

Following the steps, you can get back deleted files in a minute. How easy and simple it is, right? However, if you deleted files permanently and find the way unworkable, use Time Machine or Recoverit Mac Data Recovery.

Solution 2. Restore from Time Machine Backup

Time Machine is another inbuilt program on Mac for data backup and restoration. If you have regular backups of Mac files, you can always restore them from Time Machine, whatever makes your files deleted and lost.

Extra Information: Where Do Deleted Files Go on Mac?

The deleted files won't disappear from your Mac permanently. They will first go to the Mac Trash or start invisibly existing on your Mac. What decides the destination of deleted files and folders in the following situations.

Oftentimes, most of us will delete a file or folder on Mac by simply clicking "Delete" or moving it to the Trash. And the deleted file or folder usually goes to the Trash. If we don't configure the preference settings, the Trash can help us retain the data for a long time. That's why we can restore deleted files from Mac trash.

Besides, a few of us might keep backing up important files stored on Mac regularly, daily, weekly, or monthly. And the backup location is usually Time Machine. Once we want to get back a deleted file or folder, Time Machine can help us do that.

Nevertheless, most of us have no habit of taking regular data backups. If the files are erased due to the permanent deletion, virus attack, or system crash, it is impossible to find the deleted files on the Mac Trash or Time Machine. The deleted files are marked as inaccessible data. But you can resort to Recoverit Data Recovery to bring back the deleted items on Mac.

To Wrap Up

When you realized that the files or folders you want are deleted from your Mac or external device, you should first check the Trash or the Time Machine Backup, which can save you much time and effort. If the solutions don't work, turn to Recoverit Mac File Recovery immediately. It is your final resort to recover lost or deleted files on Mac. It supports Mac data recovery in all situations. Free download it now.