PDF File Recovery: How to Retrieve Deleted/Unsaved PDF Files on Mac

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PDF (Portable Document Format) has become a popular file format for users worldwide who deal with documents on a day-to-day basis. The reason for its popularity is that it encapsulates fonts, colors, graphics, etc., in a single file, thereby occupying less storage space. In addition, it is user-friendly and stable. However, its high usage rate also accompanies a high loss rate. Losing PDF files has become a significant issue.

On this page, we will discuss PDF recovery together, including how to recover deleted PDF files on Mac using professional data recovery tools and how to restore unsaved PDF files with the auto-recovery feature. We'll also provide straightforward methods to help you easily fix corrupted PDF files.

Tip: For free PDF file recovery on Windows, visit this page.

How to Recover Deleted/Lost PDF Files on macOS/Mac OS X

PDF files might get lost or permanently deleted due to various reasons. After the data loss, you can use two effective methods to recover your lost PDF files on Mac. The best way is to use a powerful file recovery tool – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. The other method is to recover PDF files using Time Machine.

Possible Reasons for Losing PDF Files

A PDF file may be lost or deleted due to any of the reasons listed below:

• Accidentally deleted PDF files on Mac without backup
• Formatted hard drive, volume, SD card, or USB drive
• Other scenarios like reinstallation or system upgrade, virus attack, partition loss, system crash, etc.

How can you fix this issue when you lose your PDF files from Mac due to the above reasons? You can find a feasible solution with the help of a renowned tool for Mac Data Recovery Software, which includes the recovery of PDF files.

Method 1: 3 Steps to Recover Deleted PDF Files on Mac with a File Recovery Tool

Any Data Recovery for Mac provides a simple and quick solution to recover deleted or lost PDF files from internal/external hard drive and other storage devices on Mac.

Aside from PDFs, with its advanced scanning and recovery algorithms, this tool can easily and securely help you retrieve all common deleted files on your Mac, such as lost Word/Excel/PPT documents, photos, music, videos, emails, and more.

Now, follow the steps below to restore PDF file on Mac with just a few clicks.

Step 1: Search for the missing file

In macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma, select the disk location where you lost the file (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, hit the “Start Lost File Search” button.

Note: Before data recovery, it is recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to back up your Mac to prevent further data loss. After backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2: Browse the scan results

Mac Data Recovery Wizard immediately scans the volume you select and displays the scan results.

Step 3. Select the files to recover

From the scan results, select the files(s) you wish to preview and then hit the “Recover” button to get them back.

Method 2: Recover PDF Files from Time Machine on Mac

"Time Machine" is a free backup tool for Mac users that backs up your files to an external hard drive. If you have Time Machine enabled and used it to back up your PDFs prior to deleting them, you can recover the deleted or lost PDFs from a previous version.

Step 1: Go to “Finder” > “Applications,” and open Time Machine.

Step 2: Locate and open the folder where your PDF file is saved.

Step 3. Use the timeline to scan through backups of your PDF, select the file, and hit the spacebar to preview it.

Click "Recover" to restore the deleted PDF file.

How to Recover an Unsaved PDF on a Mac

Another common issue many users face is how to recover unsaved PDF files that got lost due to an unexpected app closure, a sudden Mac shutdown, or even a system crash without saving.

If you don't save the PDF file and accidentally lose it, there are two solutions to recover unsaved PDF files.

Method 1: Recover an Unsaved PDF File Using the Auto-Save Feature

First, you can try to recover an unsaved PDF file using the Auto-Save feature in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader for Mac.

Step 1: Click on the menu bar and choose Go > Go to Folder.

Step 2: Enter the path where Adobe Acrobat saves files automatically: /Libraries/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/AutoSave, then click “Go.”

Step 3: Find your PDF, open it with Adobe, and save it to your Mac.

Method 2: Recover an Unsaved PDF File from the Temporary Folder (Mac)

Alternatively, you can try to recover an unsaved PDF file from your temporary folder.

Step 1: Open Finder > Applications > Utilities. Then, locate and launch Terminal on your Mac.

Step 2: Type $TMPDIR in the terminal and press Enter.

Step 3: Search and recover unsaved PDF files.

How to Fix a Corrupted PDF File on a Mac

The last issue we'll address is how to fix a corrupted PDF on Mac. PDFs can get damaged due to improper downloading, corrupt storage devices, or virus attacks. If you're struggling with a damaged PDF file, you can try the methods below.

Try using another PDF reader program, such as Adobe PDF Reader, Adobe Acrobat, or a new third-party PDF reader. Revert to a previous version, if available from a backup. Convert the PDF file to another file format, such as images, charts, or text. Utilize a reputable professional PDF repair tool.

In short

We've covered the most comprehensive ways to recover deleted and unsaved PDF files and fix a corrupted PDF file on Mac. The aforementioned tricks also apply to recovering unsaved Word documents, Excel, and more on Mac.

Data loss is something that can happen to anyone in their daily life. To effectively prevent such incidents, it's best to develop a habit of backing up important files regularly. Alternatively, you can equip your Mac with Data Recovery Wizard to help you restore your data on Mac to the greatest extent possible.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Recover Deleted PDF Files on Mac (UTF-8)

Below are three common questions about how to recover lost PDF files on a Mac. If you have encountered the same issues, you may find the solutions here.

How to recover PDF files on Mac?

Download and use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to recover deleted, lost, or corrupted PDFs on your Mac with just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Select the location from where your PDF file was lost and click on “Scan” to scan and recover deleted PDF files on Mac.

Step 2: After the scan, select the PDF files you want to recover and click “Recover” to save your lost or deleted PDF files.

Where are PDF files stored on Mac?

If you save online receipts as PDFs instead of printing them, choose Store in Online Receipts from the PDF pop-up menu. The PDF is saved in the Online Receipts folder within the Documents folder.

How to recover a PDF file?

You can use a Data Recovery Wizard tool to restore PDF files on your Mac. This utility enables you to retrieve deleted, lost, or formatted PDF files through simple steps of scanning, previewing, and recovery.

A good PDF recovery tool can help you retrieve PDF files from MacBook/iMac, memory card, USB drive, SD card, and other external hard drives.