How to Recover Deleted Files on a Mac

Quick answer: To recover deleted files on a Mac, check the Bin and use Put Back, or press Command-Z straight away. For iCloud Drive files, use Recently Deleted on iCloud.com. Photos has its own Recently Deleted album. After that, restore from Time Machine. Recovery software rarely helps on a modern Mac's internal SSD.

You meant to delete the old draft. You deleted the new one. Or you emptied the Bin with a flourish and only then remembered what was in it.

Before you panic, work through the places macOS keeps copies, roughly in order of how likely they are to have it. Start at the top.

Is the file still in the Bin?

Usually, yes: the Mac Bin keeps deleted files until you empty it. Command-Delete in Finder moves a file to the Bin rather than erasing it. Open the Bin from the Dock, select the file and choose File > Put Back.

The full story of where deleted files live, how Put Back works and what Empty Bin does is in our guide to what happens when you delete a file on a Mac. If the file is in the Bin, you can stop reading. If your problem is the opposite, a file that refuses to go, see why you can't delete a file on a Mac.

Can you undo a delete on a Mac?

Yes. In Finder, Command-Z undoes a move to the Bin if you press it straight away. Apple's Mac keyboard shortcuts page lists Command-Z as "undo the previous command". Moving a file to the Bin counts as a command, so Command-Z (or Edit > Undo) puts it back where it was.

Undo works for moves to the Bin. It does not reverse Delete Immediately or Empty Bin, which is why macOS asks you to confirm both. And it only reverses your most recent Finder actions, so do it before you do anything else.

How do you recover deleted files from iCloud Drive?

On the Mac, check the Bin first. Then try iCloud.com. Apple's page on missing files in iCloud Drive tells Mac users to look in the Bin first, where Put Back works as usual.

If they are not there, go to iCloud.com/iclouddrive, choose Recently Deleted in the sidebar, select the files and click Recover. Apple says files are removed from Recently Deleted after 30 days.

If Recently Deleted comes up empty, there is a second route. Apple's page also points to the Data Recovery page at iCloud.com/recovery, where you click Restore Files, select what you want and click Restore. Apple warns that editing or deleting iCloud Drive files during a recovery can interrupt it, so leave iCloud Drive alone until it finishes.

How do you recover deleted photos on a Mac?

Photos keeps its own Recently Deleted album, separate from the Bin. A photo deleted inside the Photos app never goes near Finder's Bin, so looking there gets you nowhere.

Apple's guide to recovering deleted photos gives the steps for macOS Ventura or later. Open Photos, choose Recently Deleted under Utilities in the sidebar, unlock it with Touch ID or your login password, select the photo or video and click Recover.

Apple says anything in Recently Deleted stays there for 30 days. After that it is permanently deleted, and your next stop is a backup.

How do you recover permanently deleted files with Time Machine?

For files stored on the Mac itself, Time Machine is the built-in way back once the Bin is emptied. It only helps if it was backing up before the file disappeared, which is a strong argument for switching it on today.

Apple's guide to restoring items backed up with Time Machine works like this:

1. Open a Finder window for the folder the file was in.
2. Open Time Machine using Spotlight. It can take a moment to connect to the backup disk.
3. Use the arrows beside the window, or the timeline on the right, to step back through backups.
4. Select the file and click Restore. It goes back to the folder it came from.

You can restore folders or a whole disk the same way.

Can you get back an older version of a file?

Yes, if the document still exists and the app saves versions. This rescues you when you have not deleted the file but deleted most of what was in it.

Apple's guide to viewing and restoring past versions of documents says many apps save versions automatically as you work. Open the document and choose File > Revert To > Browse All Versions, then click the tick marks on the timeline. Click Restore to go back to a version, or hold Option and click Restore a Copy to keep both.

Versions cannot bring back a deleted file. Howard Oakley of The Eclectic Light Company explains that once a document is deleted, its old versions are purged too.

Does data recovery software work on a Mac?

On a modern Mac's internal SSD, the odds are poor. Recovery apps work by scanning free space and reassembling what is left there, as Eclectic Light describes in its piece on sanitising storage. Two things get in the way on recent Macs.

Trim frees deleted blocks. Eclectic Light reports that all Apple internal SSDs Trim reliably, which means the file system tells the drive which blocks are free so they can be erased for reuse.

The data is encrypted. Apple says that on a Mac with Apple silicon or a T2 chip, your data is encrypted automatically. Recovery software has a better chance on an external hard disk. If you try it, follow the advice in the vendors' own guides, such as CleverFiles' guide to recovering emptied Trash: stop writing to the drive and save recovered files to a different one. Most of those guides are written to sell the software, so treat the success stories with suspicion.

What to do the moment you realise a file is gone

1. Stop and press Command-Z. If the delete was your last Finder action, this is the fastest fix.
2. Open the Bin. Search it by name, then use Put Back.
3. Check the app's own bin. iCloud Drive's Recently Deleted on iCloud.com, or the Recently Deleted album in Photos.
4. Open Time Machine. Go to the folder, step back to a backup from before the deletion and restore.
5. Then switch on backups. If none of this worked, set up Time Machine now so the next accident is a minor one.

Making the Bin a bit more fun

If you already glance through the Bin before emptying it, keep doing that. It is the last chance Finder gives you. And if deleting has started to feel like a chore, there are more entertaining ways to delete files on a Mac.

Spellbin is our own small paid Mac app: a pixel-art cauldron that sits in the Dock beside the Bin. Drop a file on it and a green flame carrying the file's thumbnail rises out of the acid and dissolves. In its default Send to Bin mode the file goes to the real Bin underneath, so Put Back still works. A Dissolve forever mode deletes outright, with confirmation on by default. Every drop counts towards achievements that unlock new cauldron skins. Spellbin will not recover files or clean your Mac; it just makes the deleting part more entertaining. If that appeals, download Spellbin.

Most deleted files are not gone. They are waiting somewhere you have not looked yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do deleted files stay recoverable on a Mac?

Files in the Mac Bin stay until you empty it, unless the Finder setting to remove items after 30 days is on. Apple says iCloud Drive's Recently Deleted and the Photos Recently Deleted album each keep items for 30 days. Time Machine keeps whatever its backups captured.

Can you recover permanently deleted files on a Mac without software?

Yes, through backups. Time Machine restores files that were backed up before they were deleted, and iCloud.com's Recently Deleted and Data Recovery pages restore iCloud Drive files. Without a backup or iCloud copy, macOS has no built-in way to recover a file after the Bin is emptied.

Does Command-Z undo a delete on a Mac?

Command-Z undoes a move to the Bin in Finder, putting the file back in its original folder. It does not reverse Delete Immediately or Empty Bin, both of which macOS normally asks you to confirm. It works best straight after the delete, before you do anything else in Finder.

Is Mac data recovery software worth it?

Mac data recovery software is a long shot on a modern internal SSD, because Apple's internal SSDs trim deleted blocks so they can be erased for reuse. It has better odds on an external hard disk. Try the Bin, iCloud and Time Machine first.

Where do deleted iCloud Drive files go on a Mac?

Files deleted from iCloud Drive on a Mac go to the Bin, where Put Back restores them. Apple's deletion guide says they are removed from the Bin automatically after 30 days. Recently Deleted on iCloud.com is the next place to look.

Final Takeaways

• Look in the Bin first. Put Back undoes an accidental delete in two clicks.
• Press Command-Z right away. Undo reverses a recent move to the Bin.
• Check the app's own Recently Deleted. iCloud Drive and Photos each keep deleted items for 30 days.
• Restore from Time Machine. It is the built-in route once the Bin is empty.
• Keep your expectations low for recovery software. On a modern Mac's internal SSD, trimmed and encrypted data rarely comes back.