How to recover deleted files on a Mac without software? This article will present 5 practical methods to recover deleted files on a Mac without third-party software. However, if the files have been permanently deleted, use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to recover them!
During intensive use of electronic devices, you can store a lot of data on your Mac's hard drive, SD cards, or USB drives. Imagine if the important data stored on your devices were accidentally deleted; you might break out in a cold sweat!
If you want to know how to recover deleted files on a Mac without data recovery software, this article can help. Before learning how to recover deleted files on a Mac without software, you need to know where deleted files go on your Mac – knowing where a deleted file is located gives you a clue as to how to recover it.
Where do deleted files go?
By default, deleted files are moved to the Mac Trash. Normal deletion simply moves the file to the Trash, whether by right-clicking and selecting "Delete," using keyboard shortcuts to move files to the Trash, etc. In this case, you can recover deleted files on your Mac without software by using the "Restore" function within the Mac Trash.
When you delete files on a Mac, there are cases where they don't go to the Trash, but are permanently erased. This can happen, for example, if you empty the Trash, use the permanent Delete key, use the Terminal command, or clean the hard drive. To recover a file permanently deleted this way, you must have a backup of your important files; otherwise, it's impossible.
Alternatively, you can use data recovery software to retrieve them. Many data recovery programs are available that can help, such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, which recovers permanently deleted files on Macs . It also offers a free version to try.
Today, we're discussing cases where data can be recovered without software, meaning how to recover deleted files using conventional methods. Here are 5 practical methods; take a look!
| 🗑️Restore from Mac's Trash | The deleted files will revert to their original locations. However, this method only works within 30 days of the file deletion. |
| ⌨️Undo deletion via Command Z | This method is very convenient, but there is a limit to the number of times you can use the cancel key combination. |
| 🧩Retrieve via Mac Terminal | This method is suitable for users with basic computer skills and gives the same results as the first method. |
| 💾Restore files from a backup | Even if your files are permanently deleted from your Mac, this method still works. However, it has one clear limitation: the deleted files must have been backed up, either manually or automatically. |
| 📁Restore via Recently Deleted | This method only works with certain Mac applications that have a recovery function, such as Photos, Notes, etc., but it's worth a try. |
How to recover deleted files on a Mac without software
Aside from using data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, here are 5 quick solutions to recover deleted files on a Mac:
Solution 1. Recover deleted files from the Mac Trash
This method can resolve most deletion cases, especially when deleted files are placed in the Trash folder. Follow these steps to recover deleted files on your Mac without any third-party software:
Step 1. Open Terminal on your MacBook, type the command ln -s ~/.Trash ~/Desktop/Trash, and press "Enter".
Or you can click on the trash can icon 🗑️ on your desktop to open the Mac Trash.
Step 2. Open the Trash folder on your Mac's desktop, and choose the deleted files you want.
Step 3. Select "Restore" to restore the deleted files to their original locations.
However, it should be noted that the Recycle Bin only keeps deleted files for a maximum of 30 days, so if your files were deleted more than a month ago, you probably won't be able to recover them from the Recycle Bin.
Solution 2. Undo the deletion via Command Z on Mac
The Command + Z keyboard shortcut can undo the last deletion on macOS, so if you accidentally deleted files, press the Command and Z keys simultaneously. This method is worth trying; however, it won't work after emptying the Trash.
Once the deleted files in the Recycle Bin are emptied, you only have 2 methods to recover the deleted files: restore from backups or use third-party software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.
If you like Mac keyboard shortcuts, this article might interest you: Ctrl + Alt + Delete on Mac: 4 alternative methods
Solution 3. Recover deleted files on Mac using Terminal
Contrary to what many Mac users believe, it is also possible to recover files not deleted from the Trash using the Terminal command. Follow these steps to recover deleted files via the Mac Terminal:
Step 1. Go to "Applications > Utilities", and double-click to open Terminal.
Step 2. Type cd .Trash, and press "Return".
Step 3. Type mv filename ../ (replace filename with the name of the deleted file), and press "Return".
Step 4. Exit the Mac Terminal and open "Finder" to find the recovered file.
Solution 4. Restore files using Time Machine/iCloud/other backup tools
Suppose you accidentally deleted important files and emptied the Trash; in this case, Time Machine, iCloud, and other backup tools are recommended to recover the emptied Trash on your Mac. For example, if you enable iCloud's automatic backup option, congratulations, you can easily download the files you need from iCloud Drive.
Or, if you used Time Machine, a handy backup utility built into macOS, to back up your Mac data, you can follow these steps to recover deleted files from Time Machine:
Step 1. Open Time Machine by clicking on the icon in the top menu.
Step 2. Right-click the Time Machine icon and select "Browse Time Machine Backups".
Step 3. Choose a backup that stores the deleted files. Click "Restore" to return the deleted files to their original location.
Note : Restoring from an older Time Machine backup can overwrite new data on your Mac, so it is recommended to back up new data before restoring the deleted data.
Solution 5. Restore files from the Recently Deleted folder
Mac applications like Photos and Notes have a recovery feature: the Recently Deleted folder. Suppose you delete a photo in the Photos app; it will be moved to the Recently Deleted folder and stored there for 30 days.
This feature is similar to a small trash can in applications, and you can restore deleted notes or photos within a limited time. Follow these steps to recover deleted photos on your Mac:
Step 1. Launch Photos on your Mac, and go to "Recently Deleted" on the left side.
Step 2. Select the deleted photo you want, and click "Restore" to put it back into the Photos app.
How to recover deleted files on Mac without software – FAQ
Here are some questions that people also ask when searching for how to recover deleted files on a Mac without software:
- How do I recover permanently deleted files on my Mac?
Here are two effective ways to recover permanently deleted files on your Mac: If you have backups of the deleted files, you can restore them using those backups. If not, the only way to recover permanently deleted files on a Mac is to use professional data recovery software, such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. - Is it possible to recover deleted files from a Mac?
It is possible to recover deleted files from your Mac: restore them from the Trash by clicking "Restore", recover them with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, restore them from a Time Machine backup, undo the deletion using the shortcut "Command + Z", etc. - How can I recover permanently deleted files without any software?
Unless you made backups beforehand or enabled automatic synchronization to any cloud drive, including iCloud, Google Drive, etc., you can recover permanently deleted files from your backups.
