How to Recover Deleted Desktop Files on Mac [3 Proven Ways]

Wondering how to recover deleted desktop files on Mac? In macOS, downloaded and saved files are automatically stored on the Desktop, allowing you to access them anytime. If you're unsure how to restore deleted desktop files on Mac, this article introduces effective methods to retrieve deleted desktop files on Mac. Keep reading!

Accidentally deleted files from the desktop, can they be recovered?

Files removed from the Mac desktop are kept in the Trash for 30 days, and you can recover deleted files from Mac Trash. If you accidentally delete a file from your Mac desktop, don't worry – simply click the Trash icon in the Mac Dock, open it, and find your deleted desktop file.

However, when you permanently delete files on Mac, sometimes the deleted desktop files cannot be found in the Trash. In this case, you cannot use the “Put Back” feature in the Trash to restore the deleted desktop files.

How to Recover a Deleted Desktop File on a Mac

Fortunately, you can recover permanently deleted files on Mac using the methods we'll discuss below. Let's check them out!

Solution 1: Recover Deleted Desktop Files on Mac Using Software Method 1: Restore with Time Machine Backup If you have previously set up a Time Machine backup for your Mac, you can easily restore deleted desktop files by following these steps: 1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive to your Mac. 2. Open Finder and select the "Time Machine" icon (which looks like a clock). 3. In the Time Machine interface, the timeline will display past backups. Locate and click on the backup point before you deleted the desktop file. 4. Scroll to the "Desktop" folder and find the deleted file. 5. Click on the file, then choose "Restore" from the top menu bar to return it to your Mac's desktop. Method 2: Use Data Recovery Software If you don't have a Time Machine backup, you can try using data recovery software to retrieve the deleted file. Here are some popular tools: 1. **Disk Drill**: A data recovery software for Mac that can scan and restore various types of files. 2. **Stellar Data Recovery**: Another powerful tool that can help you recover lost files. 3. **tools Data Recovery Wizard**: Offers a free trial version to check if your file can be recovered. Follow these general steps: 1. Download and install the chosen data recovery software. 2. Launch the software and select the disk to scan (usually your Mac's main hard drive). 3. Start the scan, which may take some time depending on the disk size. 4. After the scan is complete, browse through the found files, locate, and select the deleted desktop file. 5. Follow the software's instructions to recover the file to a secure location. Please note that data recovery software doesn't guarantee a 100% success rate, especially if the file has been overwritten or damaged. Thus, regular backups are always the best precaution.

The most effective way to recover deleted desktop files on a Mac is by using professional data recovery software, such as the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool. This is a powerful and trustworthy data recovery solution that can restore permanently deleted files, including recovered deleted photos on Mac and retrieving erased Word documents, among others.

It has easy-to-understand steps to perform Mac hard drive recovery, even if you have no experience with data recovery. Besides, it supports data recovery from various storage devices, such as SD card data recovery on Mac, USB flash drive data recovery, external hard drive data recovery, and more.

For ease of understanding, we also provide the following steps:

Step 1: Search for Lost Files

On macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma, select the disk location where you want to search for the lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, hit the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before data recovery, it's better to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup for your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2: Browse the scan results

The “Data Recovery Wizard for Mac” utility scans the disk volume you select immediately and displays the scan results.

Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

Select the files you want to preview from the scan results, and then click the "Recover" button to get them back.

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Solution 2: Recover Deleted Desktop Files on Mac from Trash

The Mac's Trash offers a "Put Back" option to return deleted files to their original locations. Here's how to do it: 1. Click on the Trash icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. 2. Locate the file or folder you wish to recover. 3. Select the item by clicking on it, or press the space bar to preview its contents. 4. Right-click on the selected file and choose "Put Back," or simply drag the file back to where it was originally. 5. The file should immediately return to its original folder. Please note that this action can only be done before the Trash is emptied. If you've already emptied the Trash, you may need to use data recovery software to attempt to retrieve the deleted files.

Step 1: Click the Trash icon in your Mac's Dock to open the Trash folder.

Step 2: Find the deleted desktop file in the Trash. If you have too many files in the Trash, type the name of the deleted file in the search box to locate it.

Step 3: Select the deleted desktop files you want to recover, click on them and choose "Put Back."

Click “Put Back to Trash”.

This is an article containing details about Mac Trash Recovery. Please have a look!

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How to Recover Emptied Trash on Mac with or without Trash Software

This article discusses effective ways to recover deleted files from Mac after emptying the trash. Read More >>

Solution 3: Restore Desktop Files Deleted from Mac with Time Machine

Another solution to recover deleted desktop files on Mac is by using Time Machine backup. Time Machine can restore emptied Trash on Mac without any software. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and then click “Browse Time Machine Backups.”

Click the Time Machine icon to open it.

Step 2: Choose a Time Machine backup arranged by date and time, then click "Restore" to recover your Mac from Time Machine and get back the deleted desktop files.

Conclusions

In this article, we will discuss how to use a Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool, restore files from the Mac Trash, and retrieve deleted desktop files using Time Machine backup. The most effective method is to install a data recovery software that can quickly and securely restore permanently deleted desktop files on your Mac!

How to Recover Deleted Desktop Files on Mac? - Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions people ask when searching for how to recover deleted desktop files on a Mac:

**1. How can I restore my Mac's desktop without Time Machine?** Restoring your Mac's desktop without a Time Machine backup can be challenging, but you can try these methods: 1. **Check the Trash:** First, see if you accidentally moved the desktop files to the Trash. If so, open the Trash, locate the file, right-click it, and choose "Put Back." 2. **Use Spotlight Search:** Press `Command + Space` to activate Spotlight, then type the file name or related keywords. If the file hasn't been permanently deleted, it might show up. 3. **Data Recovery Software:** Utilize third-party data recovery tools like Disk Drill, Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery, or Data Recovery Wizard. These programs scan your hard drive for deleted files, but keep in mind that not all deleted files can be recovered, and they may require a purchase. 4. **Check Other Locations:** Sometimes, you might have unintentionally moved the file to another folder or disk. Look through your other folders and external storage devices. 5. **System Restore:** If you noticed the deletion soon after it happened, try creating a new user account – sometimes, the old desktop might be visible in the new account. Alternatively, use the "Migration Assistant" to migrate settings from an earlier point in time, though this might overwrite recent data. Remember that no method guarantees a 100% recovery of deleted files, so regularly backing up your data is crucial.

Here are some steps to recover a deleted desktop file on your Mac:

Step 1. Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Step 2: Select the partition where you had your deleted files and click "Search for lost files".

Step 3. Select the deleted file you want to recover, click 'Restore,' and save it to a secure location.

< strong > 2. Can you recover files permanently deleted from your Mac? < / strong >

Yes, you can use professional data recovery software tools like the Mac Data Recovery Wizard to permanently recover deleted files from your Mac. Alternatively, you can restore permanently deleted files from iCloud backups or Time Machine backups if you have them set up.