How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac

Recovery chances also depend on the storage type and what happened after deletion. Data on an HDD may remain recoverable until it is overwritten, while TRIM on modern Mac SSDs can make permanently deleted files unavailable much sooner. If the files are no longer in Trash or a backup, minimize new writes to the affected storage. For an external drive or memory card, stop using the device until recovery is complete. Below, we’ll cover the available methods and help you choose the right one for your situation.

Can Permanently Deleted Files Be Recovered on Mac?

Sometimes. If a file is still in the Trash, it isn’t permanently deleted and you can normally restore it using Put Back. You may also be able to undo a recent deletion with Command+Z if you haven’t performed other actions since.

Once the Trash has been emptied, recovery depends on whether another copy of the file still exists or its data remains accessible. Check Time Machine, iCloud Drive recovery, and other backups first. Time Machine local snapshots may also provide another recovery option even when your backup disk isn’t connected. When automatic Time Machine backups are enabled, macOS can store local snapshots on APFS disks, typically keeping them for about 24 hours or until the space is needed.

If no backup is available, data recovery software may help recover permanently deleted files from an HDD, USB drive, or memory card if the underlying data hasn’t been overwritten. Recovery from the internal SSD of a modern Mac is much less predictable. TRIM and modern storage encryption can make deleted data inaccessible, and neither recovery software nor a professional service can restore data that the SSD has already discarded.

What to Do Before Recovering Deleted Files on Mac

Before you start, determine whether you can restore the deleted file from an existing copy. Check the Trash, Time Machine, available local snapshots, iCloud, and any other backups first. If the file is still in the Trash, don’t empty it.

The precautions below become important when no backup is available and you need to recover deleted files by scanning the original storage device. New data can overwrite recoverable data on an HDD or removable storage, while SSD behavior can make recovery even less predictable.

If the files were permanently deleted from an external HDD, USB drive, or memory card, stop using the device. Don’t copy new files to it, format or erase it, or run First Aid before recovery. Prepare another physical storage device for the recovered files, and never save them back to the same drive or memory card you’re scanning.

For files deleted from your Mac’s internal storage, minimize downloads, unnecessary app installations, and large file transfers while preparing for recovery.

Finally, make sure you’re dealing with file deletion rather than a failing storage device. If a drive repeatedly disconnects, produces I/O errors, becomes extremely slow, or makes abnormal mechanical noises, continued scanning may make matters worse. Create a byte-to-byte image first if it can be done safely, or stop DIY recovery and consider a professional data recovery service.

How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac

Here are the top 5 best methods to help you recover files even if they currently seem to be lost forever. Please apply them in the order they are listed below.

Method 1: Recover Permanently Deleted Files With Disk Drill

If your files are no longer available in the Trash, Time Machine, iCloud, or another backup, data recovery software is the next option. We’re starting with this method because time and new writes to the affected storage can reduce your recovery chances, while a backup remains available regardless of when you check it.

For this method, we’ll use Disk Drill for Mac. In Pandora Recovery’s testing, it received a score of 4.84/5, ranked No. 1 among tested macOS data recovery solutions, and achieved 96% recovery performance. It runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs with M1 through M5 chips and supports APFS, HFS/HFS+, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, EXT, ReFS, and other file systems.

Disk Drill can scan both internal and external storage, but it is generally more useful for deleted files on external HDDs, USB flash drives, memory cards, and other removable devices. Modern Macs use internal SSDs, where TRIM can quickly discard blocks that contained deleted data, making ordinary recovery much less predictable. With external storage, recovery may still be possible when the deleted data remains accessible and hasn’t been overwritten. Disk Drill can also work with recoverable APFS/HFS+ data and search for data from lost or deleted partitions.

If the external disk is unstable, frequently disconnects, or produces read errors, don’t scan it directly. Disk Drill includes a free Byte-to-byte Backup feature that can create a byte-to-byte image of the device, which you can then scan instead. If you need step-by-step instructions for creating and using an image, see our guide on how to recover data from a corrupted SD card.

1. Connect another storage device. You’ll need a separate physical drive for the recovered files. Don’t recover files back to the disk, USB drive, or memory card you’re scanning.
2. Download and launch Disk Drill for Mac. If you’re recovering files from the internal system drive, minimize downloads, installations, and other unnecessary writes while you prepare for recovery.
3. Grant Full Disk Access if required. Open System Settings, select Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access, and allow access for Disk Drill.
4. Select the affected disk or volume. Find the storage device from which the files were deleted in Disk Drill’s device list.
5. Click Search for lost data. If you’re recovering files from an external HDD, USB drive, memory card, or other external storage device, select Universal Scan to run Disk Drill’s available recovery methods.
6. Review the scan results. Check the Deleted, Existing, and Reconstructed results. You can search and filter them by filename, file type, size, date, and recovery chance to narrow down the list.
7. Preview the files. Preview important files where possible to check whether Disk Drill has located the data you need.
8. Recover your files. Select the required files, click Recover, and save them to the separate physical storage device you connected earlier.

Method 2: Restore Files From Trash or Undo the Deletion

If you recently deleted a file in Finder, open Trash from the Dock first. Files moved there remain in Trash until you empty it, although macOS can automatically remove items that have been there for 30 days if this option is enabled.

To find and restore a deleted file:

1. Open Trash and search for the file by name, file type, or date.
2. Select the file you want to restore.
3. Control-click it and select Put Back. The file will return to its original location. Alternatively, drag it from Trash to the desktop or another folder.

If deleting the file was your most recent Finder action, you can also try Edit > Undo or press Command+Z. Whether this works depends on whether Finder still retains the deletion as an undoable action, so it’s best to try it soon after the file was removed.

If the file is no longer available in Trash and the deletion can’t be undone, move on to the backup recovery methods below.

Method 3: Restore Files With Time Machine

If Time Machine was configured before the file was deleted, check it for an earlier copy. Time Machine backs up files according to the configured schedule and may also create local snapshots on the Mac’s APFS startup disk when automatic backups are enabled. These hourly local snapshots are normally retained for approximately 24 hours or until macOS needs the storage space, so they may be available even when your Time Machine backup drive isn’t connected.

Follow these steps to recover deleted files from a Time Machine:

1. Open the folder where the deleted file was previously located in Finder.
2. Open Time Machine using Spotlight or the Time Machine menu.
3. Browse through the available backups or snapshots until you find a version of the folder that contains the deleted file.
4. Select the file you want to recover.
5. Click Restore. Time Machine will normally return the file to its original location.

If you use an external Time Machine backup disk, connect it to access the larger history of backups stored there. If the file isn’t available in Time Machine or Time Machine wasn’t configured before the deletion, check iCloud and any other backups you use before moving on to other recovery options.

Method 4: Recover Deleted Files From iCloud Drive

This method applies only if the deleted file was stored in iCloud Drive or an application that syncs its data through iCloud. Keep in mind that iCloud Drive is primarily a synchronization service, not a separate backup of everything on your Mac. When you delete a synced file, that deletion is also synced to iCloud and your other devices.

First, check Trash on your Mac. If the file isn’t there, you can check iCloud’s recovery options:

1. Sign in to iCloud.com.
2. Open iCloud Drive and select Recently Deleted.
3. Select the file you want to restore and click Recover.
4. If the file isn’t listed there, open Data Recovery > Restore Files at iCloud.com/recovery and check whether it is still available for recovery.

If you use iCloud Data Recovery, avoid making changes to files in iCloud Drive while the recovery process is running. Apple warns that additional changes may interrupt the recovery.

Method 5: Restore an Earlier Version of a Document

Sometimes the file isn’t deleted at all, but important content inside it has been overwritten or changed. In this case, you may be able to restore an earlier version instead of using data recovery software.

Many macOS applications that support Apple’s document versioning system automatically save versions as you edit a file. This includes Apple apps such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, TextEdit, and Preview. If the document was edited in a compatible application, try the following:

1. Open the existing document in the application you used to edit it.
2. Select File > Revert To > Browse All Versions.
3. Browse the available versions until you find the one containing the content you need.
4. Click Restore to replace the current document with that version. Where supported, you can use Restore a Copy instead to keep both versions.

This method is intended for files that still exist but were changed or overwritten. If the file itself was deleted, use Trash, Time Machine, iCloud, or the other deleted file recovery methods described above.

When to Use a Professional Data Recovery Service

A professional data recovery service is mainly worth considering when the deleted files were stored on a device that also shows signs of hardware failure. Stop DIY recovery if an external HDD clicks or grinds, repeatedly disconnects, isn’t detected reliably, causes your Mac to freeze while reading it, or has suffered liquid, impact, or electrical damage. Continued scanning in these situations can put additional stress on the device.

A recovery lab may be able to work with physically damaged storage using specialized equipment, but professional recovery doesn’t guarantee success. It also can’t necessarily recover permanently deleted files from a healthy modern Mac internal SSD after TRIM has made the deleted data inaccessible.

Before choosing a data recovery service, check whether the provider charges an evaluation fee, offers no-data/no-fee terms, how shipping is handled, and what privacy and security policies apply to your device and recovered data.

What Happens When You Delete a File on Mac?

What happens after you delete a file depends on whether it is still in Trash and what type of storage device it was deleted from.

File Moved to Trash

When you delete a file in Finder, macOS normally moves it to Trash. The file remains available there and can be restored to its original location with Put Back until it is permanently removed. Finder can also automatically remove items that have been in Trash for 30 days if this option is enabled.

After Trash Is Emptied

Once Trash is emptied or a file is otherwise permanently deleted, it is no longer available through the normal file system. Whether the underlying data can still be recovered depends on the file system, storage type, subsequent writes, TRIM, encryption, and whether another copy exists in a backup or snapshot.

HDDs and External Storage Devices

On traditional HDDs, deleted file data may remain readable until the storage locations containing it are reused. A similar situation applies to many external storage devices, including USB flash drives and SD/memory cards: recovery may be possible as long as the deleted data remains accessible and hasn’t been overwritten.

External SSDs require more caution. Some support TRIM or other mechanisms that can make deleted blocks unavailable, so recovery chances depend on the specific SSD, connection, operating system, and whether the deleted blocks are still accessible. This is why you should stop using an external drive, USB drive, or memory card as soon as you realize that important files were permanently deleted from it.

Modern Internal Mac SSDs

Modern Macs use internal SSD storage, where permanently deleted files are a different case. TRIM can cause deleted blocks to become unavailable to normal data recovery software much sooner than on a traditional HDD. Encryption can also affect whether any remaining data can be accessed.

As a result, data recovery software can’t guarantee recovery of permanently deleted files from a modern Mac internal SSD. Check Time Machine, local snapshots, iCloud, and other backups before relying on a storage scan.

How to Avoid Losing Deleted Files in the Future

The most reliable way to protect deleted files is to have another copy available before you need it. Enable Time Machine and connect your backup disk regularly so macOS can create normal backups. When automatic Time Machine backups are enabled, macOS can also create local snapshots on the APFS startup disk, which may provide another way to restore recently deleted files.

For files you want available across Apple devices, iCloud Drive adds cloud synchronization and a recovery window for eligible recently deleted files. However, it shouldn’t be your only backup because deletions are also synchronized. Keep an independent backup of important files, including data stored on external HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and memory cards, rather than relying on data recovery software after something is deleted.

Finally, don’t treat Trash as a backup. macOS can automatically delete items that have been there for 30 days if Remove items from the Trash after 30 days is enabled, so use this option only if you’re comfortable with those files being permanently removed automatically.