We all understand that the data on our devices should be treated with care and responsibility. It seems like everyone knows this. But cases when family photos or important documents suddenly disappear from our computers occur almost every day. Whether the files were deleted by accident or the disk was damaged, or the system broke down, the outcome is the same – the data is unavailable.
There’s no reason to panic just yet. Instead, stick to plan B – explore the ways to get your files back. Fortunately, deleting a file does not necessarily mean its complete disappearance from your device.
Deleted the file, now what?
After being deleted by a user, the data is extracted from the file catalog in the folders while actually staying on the hard drive. When opening the Trash Bin, you still can see your files intact because the removed data is at first transferred right there.
Like on any other computer, you can rescue lost files on a Mac by locating them in the Trash, right-clicking on it, and choosing the “Restore” option. All you need is just a button click. And voila, all data will be returned to its original folder in a blink of an eye.
Emptied the Trash, what to do?
But what if you have already rushed to empty the Trash? Does this mean you will never restore previously removed files? No, there is a macOS utility for that can help you get lost files back.
The built-in Time Machine program will help you in the process of data “reanimation.” What do you need to do? Follow these quite easy steps:
- Open the Time Machine utility. For this, click the Time Machine icon (find it in the menu bar).
- In the Finder window, select the folder, photo or document you are trying to repair. In the Finder window, the field Search can also be used.
- If a folder/file wasn’t created recently, you can select the earlier versions by using the buttons on the right of this window. To view the file, use the Quick View function, which can be activated by the Space key.
- Having decided on the version of the folder/file copy, click the “”
Yes, that simple!
Besides Time Machine, there is a massive amount of other methods to restore lost data. We’ve picked over the best software tools for Mac data recovery. These apps can easily be used even by beginners.
Real helpers in data restoring
There is as well a huge selection of third-party programs to recover files deleted from your Mac. These utilities will certainly help in restoring data already removed from the Trash. Many of users wonder whether it is possible? Yes, you can do this. Even after the Trash was completely cleared off, the data still remains in the system. The deleted files will be there until they are overwritten with the new data.
The following software tools can help to bring the lost data back to the life without contacting the service center.
Disk Drill
The free version of Disk Drill offers data protection technology – Recovery Vault. After activation of this function, the app starts to monitor deleted files placing service records in special “repository.” With these records, data recovery becomes a matter of just a few minutes. Disk Drill PRO offers two powerful file recovery methods: Quick Scan and Deep Scan.
Data Rescue
This program is entirely safe to use, and it does not attempt to restore data at any cost. Nevertheless, this application may be able to help you even if the data is not just deleted, but also the disk itself is damaged.
MiniTool Partition Recovery
You can use this app when you have formatted the disk. Also, this tool will help to restore files from the drive damaged by the virus. The app scans the hard drive and tries to bring pieces of deleted files together.
PhotoRec
This app specializes in restoring various kinds of deleted media files. The app is so powerful that makes a recovery possible even if the file system of such data is seriously damaged or formatted. The repaired files are recorded to the directory where PhotoRec is running.
Basically, all software recovery tools work similarly. Therefore, having mastered one utility, you can easily understand the operating principles of the rest. So, if you accidentally deleted some data and even emptied the Trash, do not panic. There are still chances that you can get the lost files back.
Tip: Before you clean up the Trash, carefully check it for important data. This allows avoiding the loss of crucial information.
Note: Deleted files are lost and completely replaced as soon as new data is written. It is better to stop using Mac if you want to increase the chances of recovering removed files.