How to Recover Deleted Folders on a Mac

You turned on your MacBook or Mac, only to realize an important folder is gone? Even if it wasn’t an accident and you deleted it deliberately, only realizing its importance afterward, whether it’s important work documents or family photos, losing a folder can quickly sour your day. The good news is that Mac folder recovery is possible. Our team has faced many similar situations and has found several reliable methods to recover deleted folders on Mac.

Is it Possible to Recover a Deleted Folder on Mac?

Yes, it is usually possible to recover a deleted folder on a Mac, but it depends on various factors. Let’s take a closer look at the key points:

• 🗂️ File System Type: The file system (e.g., APFS or HFS+) significantly impacts how data deletion is handled. Systems like APFS are designed with features that can complicate recovery due to how they manage snapshots and space.
• 💾 Device Type: Recovery chances vary depending on whether the folder was deleted from an SSD, an HDD, an external hard drive, or a USB flash drive. Internal SSDs with enabled TRIM commands, which help manage free space but make recovery nearly impossible, are standard on newer Macs.
  Note that TRIM commands cannot be disabled on SSDs from macOS Big Sur onwards.
• 📝 Usage After Deletion: Continuing to use your device after deletion risks overwriting the data, diminishing recovery prospects.
• 📄 File Size and Type: The size and type of the deleted files play a role; larger and more fragmented files are often harder to recover.
• 💽 Backup Availability: Having recent backups, such as those from Time Machine, can dramatically improve your chances of recovery, offering a straightforward way to restore lost data.
• 🗑️ Method of Deletion: Files removed via the Recycle Bin can often be recovered directly from there, offering a simple restoration method. In contrast, files deleted permanently (e.g., using Command + Option + Shift + Delete) bypass the Recycle Bin, necessitating recovery through backup copies or specialized data recovery software.

The first rule of data recovery is simple: as soon as you realize that a folder or file has been deleted, stop using the storage device where it was stored. Avoid downloading or installing anything. It’s important not to write any new data to the device, as this can overwrite the deleted folder you’re trying to restore.

With this in mind, you can maximize your chances of recovering a recently deleted folder on your Mac, turning a potential disaster into a manageable hiccup.

How to Recover Deleted Folders Using Data Recovery Apps

We assume you’ve already checked the Trash and didn’t find your deleted folder there—otherwise, you likely wouldn’t be reading this article. Once a folder has been permanently deleted or emptied from the Trash, your options for recovery shift.

When you delete a file or folder, macOS only marks the space as available for new data, so the original content remains on the drive until it’s overwritten. Data recovery apps can search for these remnants and piece them back together. They can retrieve a folder even if it has been permanently deleted from your Mac.

For a broader look at recovery tools, you can check out our article on the Top Data Recovery Software for Mac, where we review a variety of solutions for data recovery. Here, we’ll be covering two standout options from that list: Disk Drill and UFS Explorer, which have proven to be among the most effective for recovering permanently deleted folders on a Mac.

Option A. Disk Drill

Disk Drill, developed by CleverFiles, has been a trusted name in data recovery for over a decade. First released in 2010, it has since become one of the most popular tools for macOS data recovery.

We’ve used Disk Drill many times on both Mac and Windows in different situations and it consistently delivers great results. Here’s what Disk Drill offers:

• Disk Drill works seamlessly with the latest macOS, including macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia. It supports a wide range of devices, including HDDs, SSDs, external drives, USB flash drives, and memory cards. Whether you need to recover a deleted folder on a MacBook or from an external drive, Disk Drill has you covered.
• Disk Drill supports all major file systems, including APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT. This support means it can recover folders or files based on existing records with their original names and folder structure.
• Disk Drill offers both Quick Scan for recently deleted folders on Mac and Deep Scan for more thorough scans for older, harder-to-find data. Additionally, its Signature Scan is excellent for cases where the file system is corrupted, as it identifies files based on their unique signatures.

Disk Drill makes the recovery process straightforward, here’s how to recover your deleted folders on Mac:

1. Go to the official Disk Drill website and download the Disk Drill application for macOS.
2. Once the download is complete, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install Disk Drill on your Mac. After installation, open Disk Drill from your Applications folder.
3. Start Disk Drill and locate the drive or partition where the deleted folder was last seen. Select it, then click the ‘Search for lost data’ button to initiate a scan. Disk Drill will analyze the selected drive for any recoverable data.
   
4. After the scan completes, browse through the list of recoverable items. You can choose to recover the entire folder or just specific files within it, depending on what’s important to you. As you review the scan results, pay attention to the Recovery chances column. This column provides an estimate of how likely it is that each file can be fully recovered, with values like High, Average, or Low.
   
5. If you are using Disk Drill PRO, the software will prompt you to choose a recovery location. Select a recovery location on a different drive than the one you’re recovering data from to prevent potential overwriting. Once you’ve selected an appropriate location, click ‘OK’ to begin the recovery process.

This process can take some time, depending on the size of the data and the speed of your Mac, let it run uninterrupted to maximize the chances of successful data recovery.

Option B. UFS Explorer

UFS Explorer is another highly effective tool for recovering deleted folders on a Mac. Like Disk Drill, UFS Explorer has been on the market for many years, earning a reputation for reliability and advanced data recovery capabilities.

Although UFS Explorer may not be as user-friendly as Disk Drill, it still has plenty to offer in terms of Mac folder recovery. Its more technical interface might require some familiarity with recovery processes, but the depth of control and advanced features make it a great choice for complex scenarios. Here’s what it offers:

• UFS Explorer supports all the major file systems used on macOS, including APFS and HFS+, along with FAT32, exFAT, and others. This makes it suitable for recovering folders from a variety of storage devices, both internal and external.
• Users can customize the recovery process with detailed scan settings. This feature allows you to select specific partitions or types of files, making it easier to recover the exact data you need without unnecessary scans.
• Like Disk Drill, UFS Explorer can recover folders while maintaining the original file structure, which is particularly useful when dealing with large data sets or entire directories.
• UFS Explorer shines in challenging situations, such as recovering from corrupted file systems, damaged partitions, or RAID arrays.

Here’s how to recover deleted folders on Mac using UFS Explorer:

1. Visit the UFS Explorer website to download the macOS version. Follow the instructions to install the software.
2. Once you open the software, you’ll see a list of available storage devices. UFS Explorer supports a wide range of devices (internal SSDs, HDDs, USB flash drives, and RAID arrays.) However, selecting the correct drive can be tricky because the interface is information-dense and may feel cluttered.
3. After selecting the drive, click on ‘Start scan’. A new window will appear with a variety of parameters, allowing you to customize the scan. For most users, there’s no need to change anything in these settings—simply click on ‘Start Scan’. UFS Explorer will automatically run an in-depth scan based on its default configurations.
4. Once the scan completes, UFS Explorer will display a tree view of recoverable files and folders. One downside is that there are no filtering options, making it difficult to navigate large volumes of data, especially for beginners. Additionally, while you can preview files, the preview function can be slow, which adds time to the process if you’re working with a lot of data.
5. Select the folder or specific files and click ‘Recover’. Choose a new location for the recovered data, preferably on a different drive to avoid overwriting other lost data.

How to Use Built-in Backup Tools to Restore the Deleted Folder on Mac

macOS has a very handy and flexible tool that can help you recover your lost data—it’s called Time Machine. The one thing to note, though, is that Time Machine must have been activated and set up before the data loss occurred. If it wasn’t, unfortunately, it won’t help you in this situation.

Method 1. Recover Deleted Folder with Time Machine

In case you have Time Machine set up, recovering a deleted folder is straightforward. Time Machine regularly creates backups of your system, allowing you, so to speak, to go back in time and restore files and folders exactly as they were before deletion.

Here’s how you can use it to restore a deleted folder on your Mac:

1. Attach the external drive that contains your Time Machine backups to your Mac.
2. Open Time Machine from the System Preferences, or click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose “Browse Time Machine Backups.”
3. Use the timeline on the edge of the screen to find the date before the folder was deleted. You can browse through the backups from different days to find the exact version of the folder you need.
4. Once you locate the folder, click on it to select it, and then click the “Restore” button to recover the folder to its original location or a new location of your choosing.

The great thing about Time Machine is that it not only restores the lost folder but also gives you the ability to select the version of the files you need. If you’ve made changes to the files over time, Time Machine stores multiple versions of those files. So, if a folder was modified before deletion, you can choose whether to restore the most recent version or an earlier version.

Method 2. Restore Files from Lost Folder with Mac’s Local Snapshots

In addition to Time Machine’s external backups, macOS also creates Local snapshots of your system on your internal drive. While it’s not possible to restore an entire folder directly from local snapshots, you can retrieve individual files from within the folder.

Here’s how to use local snapshots to restore deleted files:

1. Open Terminal and type tmutil listlocalsnapshots / to display any available snapshots from recent dates.
2. Without connecting an external backup drive, open Time Machine as you normally would. Your Mac will access the available local snapshots for file recovery.
3. Navigate within the Time Machine interface to a date that includes a snapshot before your files were deleted.
4. Locate the files within the context of their folder, select each file you wish to recover, and press the “Restore” button to save them back to your Mac.

Don’t Forget to Check iCloud for Recently Deleted Folder on Mac

If we talk about backup, we can’t forget about iCloud. Every Apple device these days, whether it’s your iPhone, MacBook, or desktop Mac, seamlessly integrates with iCloud to provide a convenient storage solution. iCloud not only serves as a backup for important files but also offers a way to access your data across all your Apple devices.

However, just like with Time Machine, iCloud must have been activated and set up before the folder was deleted for you to take advantage of this recovery option.

How to check iCloud for recently deleted folders on Mac:

1. Click on the Finder icon in your Dock.
2. In the Finder sidebar, locate and click on iCloud Drive to view your stored files.
3. Look for the Recently Deleted folder within iCloud Drive. If you can’t find it, you can also access it through the iCloud web interface by visiting iCloud.com and signing in with your Apple ID.
4. Once inside the Recently Deleted folder, browse through the items to see if your lost folder is available. iCloud retains deleted items for up to 30 days.
5. If you find the deleted folder, select it and click Recover. This will return the folder to its original location in your iCloud Drive and sync it back to your Mac automatically.

Summing It Up

The case of a deleted folder on a Mac is fairly simple as far as data recovery goes. If you don’t have any backups set up, like Time Machine or iCloud, your best bet is to use data recovery tools. In our experience, your chances of recovering your folder just as it was are quite high. However, it still depends on various factors we discussed earlier, such as the file system type, device usage after deletion, and the type of storage device.

And one last thing. A common scenario we often see is when people delete files or folders, and they initially end up in the Trash. Time passes, and people forget about the deleted items. Later, when they finally remember that they actually need those files and go to look for them in the Trash, they discover that it’s gone, not realizing that their Trash Bin is set to auto-empty after a certain period of time.

To give yourself a better chance of recovery, we recommend disabling the auto-emptying feature of the Trash Bin:

1. Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and select System Settings from the dropdown menu.
2. In the System Settings window, click on Finder. Then, select the Settings option.
3. In the Finder Settings window, navigate to the Advanced tab. Look for the option that says “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days” and uncheck it.

Turning off the auto-emptying feature of the Trash Bin gives you a second chance to recover important files and folders. This way, you can decide what stays and what goes from your Mac, as well as when.