How to Fix Grayed Out Folders or Files on Mac

When folders or files appear grayed out on a Mac, you are unable to open them or access the saved content. To rectify this issue, you can utilize the Terminal on your Mac. By following the two steps outlined on this page, you will easily and effectively resolve the problem of grayed-out folders and files on your Mac.

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Why are my folders and files grayed out on Mac?

"I was able to transfer some photos and videos from an old Seagate external hard drive to my Mac, but they all appeared grayed out and couldn't be accessed! Incidentally, the grayed-out folders and files showed an error dated January 24, 1984. Does that imply that the files were created on that date? That seems absurd. How can I fix the grayed-out folders or files on my Mac without losing data or causing damage?"

When Mac folders or files appear grayed out and become inaccessible, your Mac might display an error and set the date to January 24, 1984, which marks the introduction of the Macintosh. This issue can arise due to various factors, such as corruption in the file system entry, Mac hard drive formatting, interruption during file or folder copying, power outage, Mac OS crash, and more. Regardless of the cause, the outcome is that the files or folders appear grayed out, preventing you from opening them.

如何在终端中修复灰色的Mac文件夹

Changing the date of the folder or file is a viable solution to fix a grayed-out folder on your Mac. You can accomplish this with the assistance of XCode, which can be downloaded from the App Store.

Step 1. Open Finder and locate the grayed out folder or file showing the "24 January 1984" error.

Step 2: Navigate to Applications and open the Terminal app.

Step 3: Type SetFile -d 11/09/2016 /Path/to/grayed-out-folder/ and press Return.

Running the command will change the date of your grayed-out files or folders to November 9, 2016. Alternatively, you can set the date to any day you prefer. Afterward, the grayed-out folder should revert to its normal black color.

You may also be interested in a similar topic: How to fix photos that are half grayed out.

How to Recover Folders/Files with a Free Mac Data Recovery Tool

Congratulations if you've resolved the grayed-out folders issue by following the steps above. If the problem persists and is related to Mac hard drive formatting, operational errors, or system failures, it's recommended to directly recover the grayed-out folders or files using a free data recovery software for Mac.

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a free tool that enables you to effectively and safely retrieve lost or deleted files, photographs, audio, music, and emails from Mac hard drives. It supports the recovery of deleted Mac files from hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, digital cameras, and camcorders, whether the data loss is due to deletion, formatting, lost partitions, virus attacks, system crashes, or other reasons.

Step 1. Search for missing files

Choose the disk location to search for lost files (this can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) on macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the most recent Sonoma. Click the "Search for lost files" button.

Note: Before data recovery, it's recommended to click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to prevent further data loss. Following the backup, the software can retrieve data from the Mac backup, and your computer can then write new data again.

Step 2. Review the scanning results

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results.

Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover Select the files you wish to recover by checking the boxes next to them. Once you have made your selections, click on the "Recover" button to initiate the recovery process. The recovered files will be saved to a location of your choice.

In the scan results, choose the file(s) you wish to preview and click the "Recover" button to retrieve them.