Accidentally deleted Macintosh HD? 2024 Reasons and Solutions

Accidentally Deleted Macintosh HD - Overview

Accidentally deleting “Macintosh HD” is a common occurrence in Disk Utility. If your Mac has only one internal hard drive, it's likely to be the Macintosh HD, or the default startup disk. Whether it's an internal or external startup disk, the accidental erasure can spell disaster.

You can view the risks of accidentally deleting the Macintosh HD here.

Whether you accidentally deleted the hard drive on your Mac or are facing this issue due to some other reason, there may still be hope. If the problem is recent and the hard drive hasn't suffered any physical damage, you can try some proven data recovery methods to get back your lost data from the Mac hard drive.

Learn 4 different methods to recover “Macintosh HD” that was deleted accidentally. Before you go, don't forget to bookmark this article by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or any other SNS.

Recover Data from Accidentally Deleted Macintosh HD

If you formatted the hard drive with Disk Utility, you might still miss important pictures, documents, emails, or movies on Macintosh HD. It's unlikely that the files you deleted from Macintosh HD are gone forever. They can't be recovered directly from the Trash. That's when you should try a professional macOS data recovery software. All these issues can be fixed immediately with a professional Macintosh HD data recovery tool – tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

And there is more to it than that.

• Supports data recovery from Mac volumes with NTFS, HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper, FAT, and APFS file systems.
• Enables preview of scanned photos, audio, and videos, allowing you to select specific content for recovery.
• Recovers data from an empty Trash, formatted hard drives/USB/memory cards, and lost partitions.
• Restores all common file types from Mac hard drives, including documents, images, movies, and other files.

To recover data from the accidentally deleted “Macintosh HD,” follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the location to scan

Run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard and select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you've lost data. Click “Search for Lost Files” to start scanning.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer will be free to write new data.

Step 2: Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook or iMac. Once the scan is complete, you can filter the required data by clicking on the “Type” and “Path” buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Double-click a file to preview it, and then click the “Recover” button to restore your lost data to another location.

Recover Macintosh HD from Disk Utility After Accidental Deletion

One of the best ways to recover accidentally deleted Macintosh HD on your Mac is by using Disk Utility. This tool lets you restore from one volume to another, format, clone, and partition disks. So, how do you recover Macintosh HD that was accidentally deleted? Disk Utility is the simplest way to accomplish this task since it's the only tool you can access on this device.

You can use Disk Utility to recover “Macintosh HD” if you erased it accidentally.

Step 1. Launch Disk Utility on your Mac (from Finder, choose “Applications” > “Utilities”).

Step 2: Click “View” and then “Show All Devices.” Browse through the devices listed on the left sidebar, and select the one you wish to recover from.

Next up, just translate this into American English:

Step 3: Use the arrow next to Restore to select the volume from which you want to restore the drive.

Click “Restore” to begin the restoration process.

Click on the “Restore” option:

Restore the Macintosh HD backup from Time Machine

Time Machine is how Apple lets you back up everything on your Mac, so you can restore individual files or your entire system as needed. If the Macintosh HD drive has been erased and won't start up, you'll need to reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode before you can use Time Machine to recover your data.

Step 1. Connect the disk with the required Time Machine backup to your Mac.

Step 2. Boot your Mac into macOS Recovery.

Step 3: On the macOS Utilities screen, choose Restore From Time Machine Backup, then click Continue.

4. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the restoration, and then restart your Mac.

Step 5: Select your Time Machine backup disk and continue. If the disk is encrypted, enter its password.

Step 6: Choose the Macintosh HD that you want to restore the backup to, then click Restore.

Step 7: Restart your Mac.

Of course, I can assist you in translating English into Chinese. Please provide the English content that needs to be translated.

 

How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac Without Time Machine

This article discusses 4 different methods to recover deleted files on Mac without Time Machine. You can find useful information here. Read More >>

Repair Macintosh HD in macOS Recovery Mode

If your computer won't start up after you delete “Macintosh HD,” your best bet is to start it up in Mac Recovery Mode. From there, you can repartition the drive and reinstall macOS.

Here's how to enter Recovery Mode on an M1-based Mac to recover your Macintosh HD/Startup Disk:

Step 1. Go to the Apple menu, select “Restart,” and then quickly press and hold the power button. When the “Startup Options” window appears, hold it down.

Startup Options Load

2. Choose Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 3. In the sidebar, select the Macintosh HD disk, then click the Partition button.

Step 4. Click “Disk Utility” in the top menu bar, then click “Quit Disk Utility.”

Step 5: In the Recovery window, choose Reinstall macOS, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Here's how to use Recovery Mode to restore your startup disk on an Intel-based Mac:

Step 1: Choose Restart from the Apple menu. Then, press and hold Command-R. When you see the Apple logo, release the keys.

Step 2: Select your user account and enter your password, if necessary. Then click the Continue button.

Step 3: Click “Disk Utility,” and then choose “Continue” from the Recovery Mode menu.

Step 4. Select the disk you need on the left and click the "Partition" button.

Step 5: Select a partition and click the “Apply” button in the top menu to exit Disk Utility.

From the Recovery window, choose Reinstall macOS, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Conclusions

If you accidentally erased your Mac's disk or volume and have a backup in the form of a DMG file, you can quickly restore the drive from that disk image. It's a fairly straightforward process. Nobody wants to lose data because they accidentally erased Macintosh HD. When this happens, you can use Disk Utility, a Time Machine backup, or, as a last resort, a data recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to recover your damaged Macintosh HD.

Frequently Asked Questions About Accidentally Deleting Macintosh HD

Here are 4 additional questions about recovering data after accidentally deleting Macintosh HD. Click here to see the answers.

What if I accidentally delete the Macintosh HD?

Disk Utility can do more than just erase a hard drive; it can also recover an erased one. It can also be used to recover a wiped "Macintosh HD." If you accidentally erased your Mac's startup disk, use Recovery Mode to recover from an erased "Macintosh HD."

How can I recover my “Macintosh HD” after deletion?

Mac Data Recovery Wizard is a simple and reliable data recovery tool for Mac users. It recovers over 200 different file types and retrieves data from accidentally deleted Macintosh HD and other internal/external storage devices.

3. Is Macintosh HD the startup disk?

Yes, on a Mac, the startup disk refers to a partition on the hard drive where the operating system is installed. By default, it's labeled "Macintosh HD," and it's where users' applications, files, and data are stored.

4. Where can I find my “Macintosh HD”?

1. Go to the menu bar and select "Finder." 2. Next, choose "Preferences." 3. When the Finder Preferences window appears on your Mac screen, select the "General" option. 4. Then, under "Show these items on the desktop," select "Hard Disk."