How to recover deleted files on Mac

Updated 2026 · 5 min read

Most deleted files aren't gone — they're sitting in the Trash, waiting in a Time Machine snapshot, or recoverable from iCloud Drive. Here's the full playbook, from quickest to last resort.

Check the Trash first

Open the Trash by clicking it in the Dock. Find your file, right-click it, and choose Put Back. macOS restores it to its original location instantly. If you're scanning for something deleted a few days ago, switch to list view and sort by Date Deleted — it makes scanning much faster.

You can also drag files out of the Trash to any folder if you'd prefer a different destination. The critical thing: don't press Shift-Cmd-Delete to empty the Trash until you've checked.

Use Undo right after deleting

If you just moved something to the Trash, press Cmd-Z immediately. Finder supports undo for moves, renames, and deletes — as long as you haven't done much else since. Press Cmd-Z multiple times to walk back through a sequence of recent Finder actions. This only works in the same Finder session, so act quickly.

Restore from Time Machine

Time Machine creates hourly backups to an external drive that go back days or weeks depending on available space. If you have it set up, this is your most reliable recovery path.

Open the folder that contained the deleted file.
Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose Enter Time Machine.
Use the timeline on the right edge or the arrows to navigate to a date before the deletion.
Select the file and click Restore.

Time Machine puts the file back at its original path. If there's a conflict with an existing file of the same name, it asks which version to keep. You can also restore to a different location by holding Option when clicking Restore.

Recover from iCloud Drive

If the file lived in iCloud Drive, it goes to iCloud's own recently-deleted bin rather than your Mac's Trash. Visit icloud.com, sign in, open iCloud Drive, scroll to the bottom, and click Recently Deleted. Files stay there for up to 30 days.

Select the file and click Recover. It reappears in its original iCloud Drive location and syncs back to your Mac within a minute or two, depending on file size.

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Third-party recovery tools

If the file was permanently deleted — Trash emptied, not in iCloud, no Time Machine backup — data-recovery software can sometimes help. Disk Drill and PhotoRec are two well-regarded options. The critical rule: stop writing to the drive immediately. Every new file written can overwrite the sectors where the deleted data lives.

If you're trying to recover from your startup disk, boot from an external drive or use the tool's read-only mode if it supports it. Don't install the recovery software on the same drive you're trying to recover from.

Prevent accidental deletion

The best recovery is one you never need. Two habits help most:

Always use Cmd-Delete to move files to the Trash rather than any permanent-delete shortcut. The Trash is a buffer zone.
Keep Time Machine running to an external drive. Even a small USB drive works. Set it up in System Settings → General → Time Machine.

If you don't have an external drive handy, iCloud Drive at least provides a 30-day safety net for anything stored there. For critical work files, consider a cloud backup service like Backblaze alongside Time Machine.