5 Ways to Recover Deleted Notes on Mac (Even if Emptied Trash)

Good news: it is possible to recover deleted notes on Mac. In fact, there are a few ways to do it. Below, we have laid out 5 methods for successful Mac Notes recovery. They cover the most common scenarios, from moving files to Trash by accident to permanent deletion.

Why Did My Notes Disappear on Mac?

• Accidental Deletion: Deleted notes stay in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before permanent removal.
• iCloud Sync Conflicts: If Notes syncing is enabled, a sync failure may remove notes from Mac or replace local notes with cloud versions.
• macOS Update Issues: Many users report notes disappearing after upgrading macOS (iCloud sign-out, indexing failures).
• Corrupted Notes Database: Apple Notes stores data in SQLite databases that can become corrupted.
• Storage Cleanup / Third-Party Apps: Aggressive cleaning tools may accidentally remove Notes-related files.

Let's get down to business. Here's how to recover deleted notes on a Mac:

Method 1. Recover Recently Deleted Notes from the Trash Bin

Even if you can't remember deleting or dragging Notes to the Trash can, it's still worth looking there. If you don't find your missing Notes there, they've likely been permanently deleted. MacOS keeps deleted files in the Trash can for up to 30 days, so that's always a possibility.

If you want to learn how to undo deleted Notes on a Mac, follow these steps:

Note: MacOS keeps deleted files in the Trash for up to 30 days. Restore your Note before this window closes, or it may be permanently erased.

1. First, open the Trash can. You can find it in the Dock on your desktop.

   

2. Find the Notes you want to recover and drag and drop them to the desktop.
3. Another way to recover deleted notes on a Mac is to right-click the icon and select Put Back. That will restore your Notes to their original location.

   

You may also be interested in: How to Recover Deleted Notes in Outlook 365? 

Method 2: Get Back Deleted Notes on Mac From iCloud

Note: Do not immediately overwrite local Notes data. If iCloud sync is corrupted, syncing may permanently replace recoverable local files. Turn off Notes sync as soon as you notice the notes disappearing.

1. Turn off iCloud syncing for Notes (System Preferences > iCloud > uncheck Notes).

   

2. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Open Notes.
3. Look under Notes in the left sidebar — your Notes might still be there. If not, open the Recently Deleted folder.

   

4. Locate the Notes you want back and click Recover to restore them safely.

   

Method 3: Restore Deleted Mac Notes Using Time Machine

Can you still recover deleted Notes on Mac even if you don't find them in the Trash can or iCloud? Fortunately, the answer is yes. You can recover accidentally deleted Notes on a Mac using the Time Machine backup — under the condition that this option was enabled before.

1. Launch Time Machine from Spotlight or find it in System Preferences.

   

2. In the left sidebar, select a location to narrow down your search, and use the arrows to find permanently deleted files by date.

   

3. When you find your deleted Notes, click the icon to preview the file.
4. Select all the Notes you want to recover and click the Restore button.

   

Still can't find your notes? If the 'Recently Deleted' folder is empty and you have no Time Machine backup, the database file itself might be corrupted or deleted. In this case, a raw disk scan is your last resort. Wondershare Recoverit can scan the deep sectors of your Mac's drive to find the NoteStore fragments.

Method 4: Recover Mac Notes from All Lost Scenarios Using Recoverit

Although MacOS offers several backup and restore utilities, there are situations where deleted files can't be restored using native tools. In these cases, the best Mac Notes restore option is third-party data recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit.

With a 99.5% success rate, Wondershare Recoverit can help you retrieve lost data from an emptied Trash Bin, Time Machine, accidental or permanent deletion, formatting, computer corruption, or any other causes, allowing you to recover unlimited files from macOS X to macOS 14 Sonoma in just three simple steps.

Recoverit can also automatically identify and repair corrupt pictures and document files, and provide you with the repaired results while previewing them.

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1. Download, install, and launch Wondershare Recoverit for Mac.
2. Select a location to start recovery. If you're confident your Notes were deleted, scroll down to the Quick Access locations and choose Trash.

   

3. Recoverit will initiate a quick scan mode that takes a few minutes. Track the progress and see files located from your computer's deep storage in real-time.

   

4. If none of your missing Notes show up, click the Deep Recovery button to start an all-around scan.
5. When the scan is completed, search for deleted Notes by File Type, Time, and File Size, or use the search bar for a keyword.

   

6. Once you find your Notes, double-click each file to preview it.

   

7. Select all the Notes you want to save and click the Recover button.

   

8. Choose a safe location to store recovered Notes and click Save.

   

9. If you don't want to proceed right now, click the icon at the top right corner and save the scan results for another time.

   

Method 5: Use Temporary Data to Recover Deleted Mac Notes

Mac creates temporary .storedata files in your Library folder while you use the Notes app. If your notes disappeared, browse these files to find missing content.

1. Open Finder and press Cmd + Shift + G, then paste ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.notes/Data/Library/Notes/ and press Enter.
2. Look for files such as NotesV1.storedata-wal. Copy them to a safe location.

   

3. Rename the copied files' extension from .storedata to .html and open them in a web browser.
4. Search within the page to find and copy the note text, saving it from permanent loss.

Where Does Mac Store My Notes?

The easiest way to access Notes on a Mac is by opening the Notes App. But what if you need to find raw Notes? If you want to copy, back up, or recover your Notes, you need access to a location folder containing raw files. So, where should you look for your Notes on a Mac?

Note: On macOS Ventura and Sonoma, the default Notes path is ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/. Locating this folder is a good way to restore missing Notes, presuming they weren't permanently erased.

By default, MacOS stores Notes in the folder Group Containers in the Finder. The exact location folder varies depending on the type of Notes: for example, text-based Notes are kept in a separate folder from graphic Notes and media-rich Notes. Follow these steps to find them:

1. Open Finder.
2. In the top menu bar, click on Go > Go to Folder…
3. Enter the following path into the search bar: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/

Locating the destination folder is another good way to restore missing Notes on a Mac, presuming they weren't permanently erased or deleted. In this location, you'll find both Notes that have been cached locally and Notes that have been synced to your iCloud account.

Conclusion

When it comes to data backup and recovery, MacOS takes good care of its users. That makes data loss accidents, such as deleted Notes, less stressful. When important Notes disappear from your Mac, you can find them in Trash, iCloud, Time Machine, or temporary files.

However, native Mac Notes recovery isn't always possible. If you can't locate your notes in any of these locations, you need a more capable solution. Professional data recovery software such as Wondershare Recoverit can find long-lost and permanently erased Notes.