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How to Recover Deleted Files on a Mac

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  Reandug's Photo
Posted Aug 19 2010 04:00 AM

Once, there was a time when if documents got wiped and Trash folder was cleaned, the information can be gone utterly with zero opportunity of return.

For nowadays Macs, in comparison, there can be lots of of data undelete ways.

A user requires to have a configured backup service to resolve this type of.

Excluding the tools that Apple itself delivers, a couple of third-party tools that can be used that can deliver similar services are available.

This article covers a look at file recovery in general and also includes useful tips.

When the OS wipes a file, all the operating system really does is set the spot on the hard drive that your information uses as free space.

The file is still where it was, but the Mac is fully able to write new data over of it, after such thing the information recovery option is much less probable.

It shows you should do as little actions as you can before you find the file you were looking for, because each time you save a new file, or each time the computer writes something to the HDD, your chance of saving the information goes down.

You probably need to get a capable recovery programs if you don't have it as it is.

Give the listed below a look:

  • Data Rescue II utilizes a neat visual interface which can help you with the file recovery process
  • photorec.png: this service can be accessed via terminal or command prompt. Use this free, cross-platform command-line service to unerase images, as well as pretty much any other data from your portable storage devices or HDDs.


After the installation of the utility that you wish to use to restore the lost data, it is time to search your hard drive for the deleted data or files. This function varies and may depend on the utility you have, but one thing is common for majority of them: Just direct the program at the hard drive or place that was holding your missing file and go on with your search. When the scan is finished, you will see a huge list of jumbled file names. As a rule files on the list will be nothing more than system files that your OS used in the course of basic operation, and you will not need to think about them. You will be searching for the file kind and name that is the same with what you lost.

When you locate the document you require, save it to a different disk.

The section below shows a couple of of different apps that you can use if you by accident delete files.

Mac Recovery: To restore the files that has been lost following a HDD formatting, use an older backup or use a Mac File Recovery app. Macintosh Recovery is known to be one of the many available utilities that is able to recover deleted data from Mac drives. This application can run on all OS - X versions. It is a simple application that includes a range of complex recovery features.

TimeMachine: All Macs assambled after 11/2007 already have with the latest OS, which is Leopard. Time Machine is part of Leopard, and is a program that will restore your information easily. Simply run the tool and go back to the time where you wish to get your file; then click Restore, and it will automatically be placed in its original directory prior to being removed.

MacKeeper: among numerous other MacKeeper capabilities, the Undelete tool is a useful data restoration solution which can be used to restore accidentally erased documents even after trashing. Undelete can recover a big range of file types from any HDD.

FileSalvage: this tool allows you to back up and undelete files easily. Open the tool and select the settings to your liking; later it will be possible to navigate back to find where your needed document is.

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7 Replies

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  kerry11's Photo
Posted Feb 21 2011 11:39 PM

Very nice tutorial. With Time Machine, nothing can be at risk if we make good use of it. That's also a huge pro of Mac OS X after 2007.

For Mac data recovery programs, want to add:

TeskDisk- For those who are willing to go beyond the GUI and into the command-line, It is a powerful open-source file recovery software which works on DOS (either real or in a Windows 9x DOS-box), Windows (NT4, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7 (x86 & x64), Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, SunOS and MacOS X.

Wondershare Data Recovery for Mac - not bad program to recover Mac data lost due to various reasons mentioned above. Compatible with HFS+, FAT16/32, and NTFS file system volumes.
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  BakerCook's Photo
Posted Jun 27 2011 04:35 AM

You can also go for another efficient data recovery software for MAC name Kernel for Macintosh data recovery software which recover accidentally deleted (shift+delete) / formatted or corrupted data from MAC, it supports HFS & HFS+ partitions. It has a user friendly interface in which it preview the deleted or lost or corrupted data and then you have the choice to save all or some selective files to your location. For more details go to datarecoverymac.com
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  macnlos's Photo
Posted Jun 27 2011 07:35 AM

I would be careful with what is said about Time Machine. Nothing should be at risk if a TM backup cycle has run. The problem with that is that there are two major times when a TM backup cycle has not run.

1) Users with an external drive who have inadvertently left it unplugged (laptops) or powered off (power outages).

2) A user who is in the middle of create edit/edit cycles will often find themselves between cycles.

The first point, with the external drive not attached/powered on, is what worries me the most. I've got a few macs around the house that it was too much effort to keep multiple drives and keeping them powered on. I would always suggest using Time Capsule or and OS X Server (Mini in my case) to facilitate backups. The initial airport backup is horribly slow but the subsequent updates are fine.
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  biosa's Photo
Posted Feb 14 2012 10:54 PM

To have my lost and deleted mac documents recovered i tried for mac document recovery with the help of mac data recovery software it was all made possible for me to get my mac volume thoroughly scanned & the file items retrieved back completely in and all efficient way.
http://www.macdocumentrecovery.net
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  Corch's Photo
Posted Mar 30 2012 07:57 AM

Macnlos, you told the truth. Time Machine only works if you open it and tell it to start working. A couple of reasons why Time Machine isn't automatic:
1) It needs to use an external HDD (or the first partition of a multi-volume external or internal HDD, or a different internal HDD from the startup drive) for a huge amount of data -- you might have other plans for that HDD)
2) You might have more than one external or internal HDD. Time Machine doesn't know which one to use until you choose.
Disk Drill is what I use to recover data, when files are deleted, or device is formatted http://www.cleverfiles.com/, but there are others.
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  sannyfairy's Photo
Posted Apr 13 2012 04:15 AM

To recover deleted files from mac system, the best would be to go for mac data recovery tool that gives you the option to completely get back all the lost files in an efficient manner.

http://www.macbookairrecovery.net
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  ruby2011's Photo
Posted Apr 21 2012 10:50 PM

With Data Recovery for Mac, You can recover your lost photos, documents, email and archive files from Mac based hard drive, or external hard drive, iPod, USB drive and MP3/MP4 player, accidental deleting or formatting files, virus infection, improper operation, unexpected power failure, and other unknown reasons. Also, you can preview recovered images, documents and archive files prior buying this Mac Data Recovery.