#How to recover a lost file on mac how to

Once you’ve done so, follow these steps to get your files back. The sooner you stop using your Mac, the better.

This is what makes it possible to recover deleted files from your Mac, even after you’ve emptied the Trash. Your Mac keeps this data behind the scenes until it needs to reclaim the space for new files, at which point it finally writes over the data, deleting it forever. When a file is deleted from the Trash, your Mac stops showing it to you, but it still keeps that data written on the hard disk. Usually, deleted files get moved to the Trash folder where they stay until you choose to empty it - you might have set up your Mac to automatically empty the Trash every 30 days - but even emptying the Trash doesn’t truly delete a file from your Mac. This is because deleting a file on your Mac doesn’t actually delete it. Not using your Mac will reduce the risk of it overwriting the deleted file to make space for new data. How is it possible to restore deleted files on a Mac?įor the best chance of data recovery, you need to stop using your Mac as soon as possible after deleting an important file. Not only will this scan turn up any malware infecting your Mac, but you can also use it to free up more storage by deleting junk files clogging up your computer. Malware comes in all shapes and sizes, and it’s possible to get malware on a Mac just like it is on a Windows PC.ĭownload MacKeeper to scan your Mac for free. If lots of files keep going missing, and you’re sure you didn’t delete them yourself, there might be some malware infecting your Mac.

#How to recover a lost file on mac how to

We’ll show you how to recover deleted files on your Mac, starting with the easiest method and working up to the trickier - but more effective options. In fact, there are a few ways to restore deleted files from your Mac - you can even recover some files after emptying the Trash. But, luckily, when you delete a file from your Mac, it’s rarely gone forever. We’ve all deleted important files by mistake.