PDF File Recovery: How to Recover Deleted/Unsaved PDF Files on Mac

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PDF (Portable Document Format) has become a popular file format among global users who might deal with files or documents on a daily basis. The reason for its warm welcome is that it can encapsulate fonts, colors, graphics, and more into a single file, thus taking up less storage space. In addition, it is user-friendly and stable. However, high usage also comes with a high loss rate. Losing PDF files has turned into a significant issue.

On this page, we will discuss PDF recovery together, including how to recover deleted PDF files on Mac using professional data recovery tools and how to restore unsaved PDF files with the auto-recovery feature. We'll also provide straightforward methods to help you easily fix corrupted PDF files.

Tip: For free PDF recovery on Windows, proceed from here.

How to Recover Deleted/Lost PDF Files on macOS/Mac OS X

PDF files can go missing or get permanently deleted due to various reasons. After the loss, you can use two effective methods to recover lost PDF files on your Mac. The best way is to use a powerful file recovery tool – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. The other method is to restore PDF files using Time Machine.

Possible Reasons for Losing PDF Files

A PDF file can be lost or deleted due to any of the reasons listed below:

• You deleted PDF files on Mac without backup
• Hard drive, volume, SD card, USB drive formatted
• Other scenarios like reinstallation or system upgrade, virus attack, partition loss, system crash, etc.

When you lose your PDF files from Mac due to the above issues, how would you fix it? You can use a professional Mac Data Recovery Software to find a feasible solution. This software has a good reputation in Mac data recovery, including PDF file recovery.

Method 1: 3 Steps to Recover Deleted PDF Files on Mac with a File Recovery Tool

Mac Data Recovery Wizard provides you an easy and quick solution to recover deleted or lost PDF files from Mac built-in/external hard drive and other storage devices.

Aside from PDFs, with advanced scanning and recovery algorithms, this tool can easily and securely help you retrieve all common deleted files on your Mac, such as lost Word/Excel/PPT documents, photos, music, videos, emails, and more.

Now, follow the steps below and restore your PDF file on Mac with just a few clicks.

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

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

Step 2: Browse the scan results

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan the disk volume you select immediately and display the scanning results.

Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

From the scan results, select the files you want to preview and then click the “Recover” button to get them back.

Method 2: Restore PDF from Time Machine on Mac

Time Machine is a free backup utility for Mac users that saves files to an external hard drive. If you have previously enabled Time Machine to back up your PDFs, then you can recover deleted or lost PDFs from a previous version.

Step 1: Click on “Finder” > “Applications,” and then open “Time Machine.”

Step 2: Locate and open the folder where your PDF file is saved.

Step 3. Check the PDF file backups with Time Machine, select the target file, and hit the space bar to preview it.

Step 4. Click on “Recover” to restore your deleted PDF file.

How to Recover an Unsaved PDF File on a Mac

Another common issue faced by many users is how to recover PDF files on Mac that were not saved due to unexpected app closure, accidental shut down of the Mac, or system crash.

If you don't save the PDF file and accidentally lose it, there are two methods to recover unsaved PDF files.

Method 1: Recover an Unsaved PDF File Using the Auto-Save Feature

First, you can try using the Auto-Save feature in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader for Mac to recover an unsaved PDF file.

Step 1: Click on the menu bar and choose "Go" > "Go to Folder."

Step 2. Type the path to where Adobe Acrobat autosaves files: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/AutoSave, then click “Go.”

Step 3: Find the PDF, open it in Adobe, and save it to your Mac.

Method 2: Recover an Unsaved PDF File from the Temp Folder (Mac)

Alternatively, you can try to recover an unsaved PDF file from the Temp folder.

Step 1: Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities. Then, locate and launch Terminal on your Mac.

Step 2: In Terminal, type echo $TMPDIR and press Enter.

Step 3: Find and recover unsaved PDF files

How to Repair a Corrupted PDF File on a Mac

The last issue we'll focus on is how to fix a corrupted PDF file on Mac. A PDF might get damaged due to improper downloading, corrupted storage device, virus attack, and so on. If you're bothered by the problem of a damaged PDF file, you can try out the solutions below.

Try using a different PDF reader program, such as Adobe PDF Reader, Adobe Acrobat, or a new third-party PDF reader. Recover from a previous version, like an earlier backup. Convert the PDF file to another format, such as images, charts, text, and so on. Utilize a reputable professional PDF repair tool.

In short

We've covered the most comprehensive ways to recover deleted and unsaved PDF files and fix corrupted PDF files on your Mac. The above tips also work for recovering unsaved Word, Excel, and more on your Mac.

Data loss is something we come across on a daily basis. To effectively prevent such mishaps, it's best to develop a habit of backing up your important files regularly. Alternatively, you can arm your Mac with the Data Recovery Wizard tool to help you recover data on your Mac to the fullest extent.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Recover Deleted PDF Files on a Mac (UTF-8)

Below are three common questions about how to recover lost PDF files on a Mac. If you have any of these issues, you can find the solutions here.

How to recover PDF files on Mac?

Download and use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to recover deleted, lost, or corrupted PDF files from your Mac in a few simple steps.

Step 1: Select the location where your lost PDF file was saved, and then click on "Scan" to begin scanning for and recover deleted PDF files.

Step 2: After the scan, select the PDF files you would like to recover and then click on "Recover" to save your lost or deleted PDF files.

Where are PDF files stored on a Mac?

If you want to save an online receipt as a PDF instead of printing it, click the PDF pop-up menu, then choose Save to Web Receipts. The PDF will be stored in a Web Receipts folder inside your Documents folder.

How to recover a PDF file?

You can recover PDF files on Mac using the Data Recovery Wizard tool, which restores deleted, lost, or formatted PDF files through simple steps of scanning, previewing, and recovery.

Tool #PDF Recovery Software can help you recover PDF files from MacBook/iMac, memory card, USB drive, SD card, and other external hard drives.