How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is specially designed for Mac owners to recover a wide range of lost data files, which can be accidentally deleted, or disappeared because they formatted or corrupted their Mac hard drive. The advantages of using software to retrieve files not in the trash bin anymore are basically as follows.

  • Super easy, fast, and full automation
  • Powerful enough due to advanced technology in scanning and reconstructing data
  • Nothing is required for users but a simple click of download and install the software on their MacBook or iMac

Speaking of the disadvantages? The free offer is file size limited, and you must upgrade to a pro version for full file recovery. Nonetheless, everyone can start with the free program for a full preview of found pictures, documents, or videos before recovery. In case you'll change your mind after noticing the great advantages of using software to get data back on Mac, we demonstrate a simple user guide here for you.

Recover Deleted Files Using Mac Terminal. Enter the “cd.Trash” command to navigate to the Trash folder. Enter the “ls” command to list all files in the Trash folder. Type “mv xxx.xxx /Desktop/” to move a file to the Desktop folder. Make sure to replace xxx.xxx with the actual name of the file. How to recover deleted files on Mac OS XHi! Did you ever lose your files? Deleted important files on hard drive.

Step 1. Select the location where your important data & files were deleted and click the 'Scan' button.

Step 2. The software will run both quick scan and deep scan and work hard to find as many deleted files as possible on the selected volume.

Step 3. The scan results will be displayed in the left pane. Just select the file(s) and click the 'Recover' button to get them back.

Without Software Solutions: How Do You Recover Deleted Files on Mac?

Though Mac data recovery software is available to recover deleted files on HDD, external USB drive, SD card, or fusion drive on a MacBook and iMac device, it is still good to command the knowledge of how to recover deleted files on Mac without software.

Solution 1. Recover Deleted Files from Mac Trash Bin

Good for: Undo recently deleted files; Simple and temporary deletion

The Trash Bin, or simply Trash or Bin, contains all deleted items you removed, including drag and drop a file onto the Trash icon on the Dock, Control-click a file and then choose Move to Trash, or select a file and press Command (⌘) and Delete keys. Any of the three methods send your files and folders to the Trash Bin.

Trash Bin keeps the deleted items for a short period of time, usually 30 days, after then the files are automatically removed. Therefore, try to retrieve files from Mac Trash as soon as possible.

Step 1. Locate the Trash icon and open it.

Mac

Step 2. To filter specific files or folders you want to recover, you can manually look for the files by names or directly use the Search feature with either a file name or a certain file extension.

Step 3. Press and hold the Command key and click on the target file, and use the Put Back option to recover the files to their original locations.

Solution 2. Recover Deleted Files Using Mac Terminal

Good for: Experienced users; Recover deleted files temporarily and permanently

The operation of the macOS Terminal is based on a variety of command lines. What command line is used to retrieve deleted files? Look at the following steps.

Step 1. Follow the path to open the Terminal application on your Mac: Applications >Utilities >Terminal.

Step 2. In the command line, you'll need to enter the command lines each by each:

  • cd.Trash: this command is for changing the directory to the hidden Trash folder
  • ls: This command is to list all files in the Trash folder
  • mv../: This is to move the specified file to the home directory. So, replace the filename with your own deleted file's filename

Step 3. Return to the home directory so you can check the restored files through Terminal.

What Else Can You Do to Recover Mac Deleted Files?

Regarding the topic 'How to recover deleted files on Mac without software', we basically demonstrate two ways with a step-by-step guide, including restoring from the Trash Bin and using the Terminal method. Both solutions are good to deal with the recently deleted files on all the major macOS versions, like Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave and so on.

As a matter of fact, there are other solutions to deleted file recovery on Mac. For example, restore from the Time Machine backup as long as you create timely backups of essential data files through Time Machine. Of cause, if all the manual ways failed to help you recover the lost files, do not hesitate the try the all-around EaseUS Mac data recovery software, which can tackle 100+ cases of data loss scenarios and disasters even though you cannot boot the Mac operating system at all. The sooner you try, the less pain you'll suffer.

By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: June 16, 2020

The Downloads folder can mean a lot to many users. It’s where most files go when you download something from the internet. And we all know that this folder is built-in, meaning it is already there before you even got your Mac.

Despite being built-in to the Mac computer, it is still as vulnerable to data loss as other folders on your Mac. In fact, quite a few users have already been complaining about losing their Downloads folder out of the blue.

This article will talk about how you can restore deleted Downloads folder Mac so you may also restore the files contained within the folder. Let’s start with what I consider the best solution.

Deleted

Part 1: Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac with Mac Data Recovery

Our very first entry involves a third-party tool that specializes in file recovery. File recovery software is known to have the capability of recovering files and even folders altogether. As such, a data recovery tool is a must, and for that, I recommend FoneDog Data Recovery.

FoneDog Data Recovery is a tool that is capable of restoring files from their original state. It supports all kinds of files and can even include folders. Since it supports Mac, it is the perfect tool for the job. Here’s how you can restore deleted Downloads folder Mac with this tool:

Data RecoveryRecover deleted image, document, audio and more files.Get deleted data back from computer (including Recycle Bin) and hard drives.Recover loss data caused by disk accident, operation system crushes and other reasons.

How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free Version

Step 1: Choose File Type and Storage Drive

Open the FoneDog Data Recovery software on your computer. Now on the main page, there will be a selection of file types and storage drives. For the file type, I suggest selecting the Check all file types option since the Downloads folders are likely to have all kinds of files. For the storage drive, select the drive where the Downloads folder is located, which is most likely to be the C: drive.

How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free Online

Step 2: Scan for Files

Once you have configured the settings on the first page, click on the Scan button. This will initiate a Quick Scan by default. However, you may continue with Deep Scan if you want to get more results.

Step 3: Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac

The scanning will start after you click on the Scan button. At that point, you will get a list of files on the next page. However, all you have to do is look for the Downloads folder and click on its box. Then, click on the Recover button.

It should be very easy to restore deleted Downloads folder Macwith this tool. However, some people may find it very difficult to trust a tool that they haven’t heard of before. If that’s you, then this solution may not be the most suitable option for you. So you may want to look elsewhere for the best solution.

Part 2: Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac from Trash

The keyboard of Mac is the same as of Windows’. They both have the Delete key that is used to delete items on your computer. That’s why if Windows users can unintentionally delete folders in their computer, Mac users can also do the same. If your case is an unintentional deletion, there is a high chance that you will be able to restore deleted Downloads folder Mac.

This is pretty common since there are two ways to send files and folders to the trash. The first one would be by pressing the Command + Delete, and the second one is selecting Move to Trash. Files and folders that go through this process will always be sent to the Trash, but since it is common, a solution was made immediately.

If that’s the case, you can restore deleted Downloads folder Mac by first opening the Trash by clicking on its icon on the Mac Dock. Once you are in the Trash, you can restore deleted Downloads folder Macin several ways:

  • Select the Downloads folder and press Command + Delete. This will return the selected files or folder into its original location.
  • Drag back the Downloads folder outside. This of course will not return the folder into its original location, but into the place where you drag it into.

This is a very quick solution since it won’t take long even if the Downloads folder is filled with files. However, there are many occasions where you won’t be able to use this method. You now have the Downloads folder again. Now, what if you can’t find the Downloads folder in the trash? How will you restore deleted Downloads folder Mac then?

Part 3: Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac from Home

Although most files that are lost get sent to the Trash, sometimes you just need to look harder since it was probably sent somewhere else and not deleted. This is the problem with some users. They often assume immediately that the files are deleted just because they can’t find it the same way they did before.

Fortunately, there is a way to automatically go to where the Downloads folder is located and possibly put it into the Dock once again. This is so you can restore deleted Downloads folder Maceasily. Here are the steps to do put the Downloads folder into your Dock again:

How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free Download

  1. Open a session of Finder on your Mac.
  2. On the menu bar of Finder, click on Go.
  3. From the resulting dropdown menu, select Home.
  4. Now you will see a list of folders inside the Home directory. You can now find the Downloads folder here.
  5. Simply click and drag the Downloads folder and drop it into the Dock.

How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free Software

The Downloads folder is now on the Dock once again. With this, you can restore deleted Downloads folder Mac by simply finding it and not recovering it from deletion. However, there are actually two possible reasons why you can’t find the Downloads folder in the Trash. The first one would be because it wasn’t deleted in the first place, which is that case you can solve it with this method.

The second reason would be if it was permanently deleted, thus explaining why it wasn’t sent to the Trash. This is often the case when the user presses Shift + Delete instead of the Delete key only.

How to recover deleted files on mac free online

Part 4: Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac with Time Machine

How do I restore my Downloads folder? If your case involves deleting the Downloads folder permanently, there is only one solution left, and that would be to revert your whole computer altogether into its original state. In other words, you have to turn back time on your computer, which will return the Downloads folder along with other files and folders.

Altogether it is quite extreme; there is an easy way to do this. And it involves a function that is literally named “Time Machine”, and you can probably guess what this function can do.

Time Machine is a built-in function in all Mac devices that allows users to turn back time on their computers. It is often used to solve any issues that may be related to the operating system.

Follow these steps if you are ready to restore deleted Downloads folder Mac:

  1. Connect the Time Machine disk into your Mac. It should be the disk that you used when creating the Time Machine backup.
  2. Go to the Applications folder.
  3. Select Utilities and open the Migration Assistant.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions until you get to the main page of Migration Assistant.
  5. Select From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk and click on Continue.
  6. Select the backup that you would like to use, preferably the one where the Downloads folder still exists and you already have the new files. Click on Continue.
  7. Select the files you want to include. I recommend including Applications, the option with your profile name, and Other files and folders. Click on Continue.

This will not only restore deleted Downloads folder Mac, but it will also restore other files that you have lost, regardless of whether you intend to recover them or not. The only downside of this is that you will lose some of your files, most likely the ones that you didn’t have before or the ones you have recently downloaded or transferred into your Mac.

Data RecoveryRecover deleted image, document, audio and more files.Get deleted data back from computer (including Recycle Bin) and hard drives.Recover loss data caused by disk accident, operation system crushes and other reasons.

How To Retrieve Deleted Files From Trash On Mac Free

Part 5: Conclusion

A lot of users complain about not being able to access their Downloads folder the same way they did before. This often leads to many complications, but that just goes to show how important the Downloads folder is to Mac users.

Although it is quite difficult, you can always learn how to restore the deleted Downloads folder Mac. Once you have gained such skills, you can always keep tabs on your Downloads folder and possibly retrieve it if the worst comes to pass.

How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac Free
>Recovery >4 Best Ways to Restore Deleted Downloads Folder Mac for Free
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