Hey everyone, I accidentally deleted some important files on my Mac and emptied the trash. Are there any ways to recover these permanently deleted files? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Losing important files can be a nightmare! Here are several methods you can try to recover permanently deleted files on your Mac.
First, check if you have Time Machine backups. Time Machine is a built-in backup feature on Mac that creates snapshots of your system at regular intervals. If you’ve set it up, you can restore deleted files easily.
- Using Time Machine:
- Connect the backup drive if you have one.
- Open the folder where the deleted files were.
- Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose ‘Enter Time Machine’.
- Browse through the timeline on the right side of the screen to find and select the files you want to restore.
- Click ‘Restore’.
If Time Machine does not help or isn’t set up, try software solutions like Disk Drill.
- Disk Drill for Mac:
- Download and install Disk Drill from here.
- Open Disk Drill and select the disk where your files were stored.
- Click ‘Search for lost data’ and let the program scan your drive.
- Once the scan is finished, browse through the results to find your deleted files.
- Select the files you want to recover and click ‘Recover’.
Disk Drill is effective and supports a wide range of file types. However, the sooner you run the recovery software after deletion, the higher your chances of successful recovery.
- Using Terminal Commands: This is more technical, but you can try using Terminal to recover files:
- Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
- Enter the command
sudo lsof | grep deleted. This command lists files that have been deleted but are still being used by some process. - If you find the file, you can try to copy it to a safe location.
Another method is to look into cloud storage solutions. If your files were synced with iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or any other cloud service, you might be able to recover previous versions or access the files from the cloud interface.
Preventive Measures:
To avoid this in the future, always make sure you have a strong backup strategy. Time Machine is great, but combining it with cloud storage and other backup solutions can provide an additional layer of safety for your important files.
Remember, the more you use your Mac after permanently deleting files, the higher the chance that new data will overwrite the space where your deleted files were stored, making recovery difficult or even impossible. If your files are really critical, it might be worth considering professional data recovery services. They can be expensive, but they might be your best bet for recovering important data.
Fingers crossed—you get your files back!
Man, that sucks! Been there, and it’s a nightmare. 
When you empty the trash, it’s usually game over. There are some software like Disk Drill for Mac that claim they can recover deleted files, but honestly, they’re hit or miss and sometimes just a waste of money. If the data’s super crucial, you might need a pro to look at it. Don’t get your hopes too high tho, it’s not guaranteed. Ugh, good luck! 
You might still be able to recover them, but it’s not guaranteed, especially since you emptied the trash. What you could try is a recovery tool like Disk Drill for Mac. It’s pretty user-friendly and has helped me a couple of times. Here’s a review for you to check out: Independent Disk Drill Review.
Remember not to save any new files to your Mac until you’ve tried the recovery; new files can overwrite the deleted data. Some people also recommend backups, but that’s more of a preventative measure and won’t help you now if you didn’t make one before. Give Disk Drill a shot, and good luck!