How to Recover Deleted Files from Mac Guest Account [Works on macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur]

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macOS allows you to set up multiple user accounts. You can have a primary administrator account and secondary guest accounts, each with its own level of access. Guest accounts come in handy if you don't want other Mac users seeing your files and folders. However, if you save files and data while using a guest account, a temporary folder is created for you when you log in. But once you log out, these files are deleted. So it's important to know how to recover deleted files from a guest account on Mac.

We found an Apple user who posted the following question in the Apple Community.

"Is there any way to recover files from the Guest Account's Documents folder?! We lost our vacation photos after logging out of the Guest Account. Is it possible to get them back? Please help..."

Are you facing the same dilemma? You might be aware that any files and data created by a guest user are deleted once they log out of a Mac. This article addresses how to recover deleted files from a guest account on Mac.

Reasons for Data Loss from Mac Guest Account

It's safe to share your Mac with others using the Guest account, since this account has no administrator privileges and therefore offers protection for your personal information.

Unfortunately, any new files that you create are saved only temporarily with the Guest account. Once you log out of the Mac Guest account, there's no way to prevent your files from being automatically deleted.

There are other reasons data could be lost when using a Mac guest account.

• Accidental deletion
• Files from the Mac Guest Account deleted due to macOS corruption
• Files removed using Command + Shift combination
• Data loss during macOS update

Suppose you have lost or damaged the Guest User account files on your Mac due to any reason or factor. We will introduce you to simple ways to recover them in the sections below.

Solution: How to Recover Deleted Files from Mac Guest Account

You might be here because you have lost or deleted files from the Guest Account on your Mac. Files on a Mac Guest Account can go missing in two scenarios: first, when the Guest Account is closed accidentally; second, when files get deleted while using the Guest Account. I have solutions for you to recover missing or deleted files from the Mac Guest Account with four effective methods.

Option 1: Recover Deleted Files from Mac User Account with a Specialized Tool

Option 2: Recover Deleted Files from a Mac User Account with Time Machine Backup

Option 3: Recover Deleted Files from Mac Guest Account via Admin

Option 4: Recreate the Guest Account and Restore Deleted Files

Option 1: Recover deleted files from a Mac client account using professional tools

Mac data recovery software is the easiest way to recover deleted files from a guest account. You don't have to waste your time, effort, or bother looking for various file recovery techniques.

You can use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to recover deleted files from your Mac or any other storage device. With the various features included in the program, you can even recover deleted files from a Mac on a guest account.

Follow the steps below to download and install the data recovery software to retrieve deleted files from a guest account.

Step 1. Select the disk to scan

In the main wizard window of Data Recovery Wizard, all drives connected to your Mac will be listed. Select the drive from which you want to recover lost/deleted files and click on the “Search for Lost Files” button.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can be written to again with new data.

Step 2: Select the lost data/files you want to recover

Mac Data Recovery Wizard immediately scans the volume you select and displays the results on the left. If you're looking for specific files, you can sort the results to find what you need.

Select the data/files you lost.

Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Data

Once you find the files you need, preview them and click “Recover” to start restoring your deleted or lost Mac files.

Option 2: Restore deleted Mac user account files from a Time Machine backup

Apple's built-in Time Machine backup feature is another simple way to restore deleted files from a Mac user account. If you have backed up your Mac user account data to Time Machine, you can follow these steps:

Select “Time Machine” from the menu bar. Open the folder on the Mac guest account that contained the deleted file. Select the file from the backup and click “Restore.”

These are basic and easy steps, so you should back up your data regularly.

Option 3: Recover deleted files on the Mac client through the system administrator

To view system files, you can log in as the system administrator. With this account, you can read the files of any user account, including those of a Guest account on a Mac.

Here's how to recover deleted files from the Mac Guest account by logging in as an administrator:

Step 1: Using an administrator account, choose Go to Folder from the Finder menu.

Step 2: Type in /System/Library/CoreServices and press the «Enter» key.

Step 3: Double-click on "Disk Utility" to open it.

Step 4: Click the lock icon to make changes.

Click the “Lock” icon.

Step 5: Click on “Edit” from the top menu, and then select “Enable Root User.” You should also set a password for the root user at this point.

Click “Edit” from the top menu.

Step 6. Then, you can have access to the guest account's folder and recover emptied Trash on Mac from the guest account.

Option 4: Re-create the guest account and restore the deleted files

You can create a new user account with the same name as the deleted account. This will allow your Mac to use the same “Home” folder, giving you access to files from the old guest account. To do this:

Step 1. Open “System Preferences” from the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen. On the next screen, select “Users & Groups.”

Step 2: Click the “Lock” icon and enter your administrator login and password.

Step 3: To add an account, tap the "+" icon, select "Create User," and enter the same account name as the previous account.

Step 4: Switch to the new account and log out of the current one.

Your files from the previous Guest account should be accessible in this new one.

Appendix Tip: How to Use a Mac Guest Account to Prevent File Loss

While you can easily recover lost files from Guest Account on Mac using a data recovery wizard tool, it's better to avoid such situations in the future. To prevent loss or deletion of data from the Guest Account on your Mac, remember the following:

• If you're using a guest account, save or move all your data to an external device or USB flash drive before restarting or turning off your Mac.
• When restarting or shutting down, don't unplug or interrupt power to your Mac.
• If you're using recovery software, avoid restoring lost files to the same drive or location from where they were deleted.
• Make sure to shut down your computer properly when you're finished.

In short

In macOS, the Guest user account provides a private environment for temporary users. When a Guest user logs out, this space is immediately deleted, which poses a high risk of accidental data loss.

If a guest user loses files by logging out without first saving important documents to an external storage device, they should ask the Mac owner to use their administrator account to search the system drive with a data recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. If applied promptly, such software can prevent most data loss disasters.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Deleted Files from Mac Guest Account

After you recover data from a guest account on Mac, read these FAQs for more help.

1. Does the Mac client save data?

The Temporary folder is used to store files created by the guest, but it is deleted along with its contents when the guest logs off. Guests cannot access encrypted drives or create files.

**2. Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac?**

When you permanently delete data, it's removed from your computer for good, and you can't get it back unless you have a backup. Or can you? Professional Mac data recovery software like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has a different answer to the question of how to recover permanently deleted files or corrupted data; still, the success of the recovery largely depends on what you do with the lost data after the accident.

How can I find Guest User files on my Mac using the Time Machine undo feature?

If you accidentally deleted a file while using a guest account, don't worry. The “Undo” feature on your Mac can help you get the lost file back. Yes, just like when you're working on a document, it works with a guest account, too. There are two ways to undo changes on a Mac.

• Select the "Edit" menu option
• Use the keyboard shortcut Command+Z