How to Recover Deleted Folders on Mac [5 Simple Ways for 2024]

There are four types of folders on your Mac: Library folders, System folders, User folders, and Application folders. You may lose files and folders from any of these four types of folders while using your Mac. We have enlisted some reasons that might lead to data loss:

• Accidental deletion
• System crash
• MacBook crash
• Emptied the Trash
• Mac shut down
• Human physical damage

Losing an important folder on your Mac can be frustrating, but you still have chances to recover deleted folder on Mac. We'll introduce five methods to help you recover lost files or folders on your Mac.

Recover Deleted Folders on Mac Using Data Recovery Software

If you accidentally emptied the Trash on your Mac, it can be difficult to restore a deleted folder manually. Using a third-party recovery tool can help you retrieve permanently deleted folders that haven't been overwritten yet. The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a professional recovery program. Click the button below to download and install this safe and secure recovery software:

Here are three solid reasons to choose Data Recovery Wizard for Mac:

• Recover deleted files and folders on Mac, including graphics, emails, documents, videos, and more.
• Quickly restore folders deleted due to formatting, virus attacks, or user errors.
• Supports Mac USB recovery, memory card recovery, hard drive recovery, and more.

You can follow our guide on how to recover a deleted folder on a Mac:

Note: It is recommended that you first create a backup of your Mac by clicking on "Disk Backup" on the left. The software will recover the deleted files from the backup image, which prevents further damage to your disk and data, making it safer and more reliable.

Step 1: Choose a location and scan it.

Launch Disk Drill for Mac, choose the disk with lost data, and click “Search for Lost Data” to start scanning.

Select a location and click “Search Lost Files”.

Step 2: Preview and filter the lost files

After the scan is complete, use the file type filter in the top-left or top-right corner to locate the deleted files you need.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

You can double-click a file to preview its content, or select multiple files to recover them all at once. Click “Recover” to restore the lost data to your local or cloud drive.

Recover Deleted Folders from Mac Trash

Sometimes, your folder might not be deleted – it could just be in the Mac Trash. If you're new to Macs, you may not know where the Trash is on your Mac. If you've just gotten your Mac, refer to the image below and locate this icon on your desktop to find the Trash on your Mac.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you recover deleted files and folders from the Trash on your Mac: 1. First, turn on your Mac and locate the Trash icon. It typically sits on the Dock and resembles a trash can. 2. Click on the Trash icon to open it. This will display all the files and folders you've recently deleted. 3. In the Trash window, find the file or folder you wish to recover. You can use the Finder's search function to help locate them quickly, if needed. 4. Select the file or folder you want to restore by clicking on it or holding down the Command key (⌘) to select multiple items. 5. Once you've chosen the items to recover, right-click and choose "Put Back" or press the "Command + Z" keyboard shortcut. This will undo the deletion, and the files and folders will return to their original locations. 6. If you can't find the desired file in the Trash, it might be because you have already emptied the Trash. In this case, you can try using data recovery software. There are several data recovery tools available for Mac, such as Disk Drill, tools Data Recovery Wizard, or Stellar Data Recovery. Download and install one of these programs, then follow the software's instructions to scan your hard drive for lost files. Please note that even with data recovery software, there's no guarantee of recovering 100% of deleted files, as they might have been overwritten by other data. Therefore, regularly backing up important files is always a best practice.

Step 1: You can usually find a Trash icon in your Dock. Click it to open the Mac's Trash.

Step 2: You will see all the deleted files and folders. Scroll down to locate the target folder.

Step 3: Right-click on the folder, and then click "Put Back" to restore the deleted folder.

Note: If you can't find the Trash, skip to the next method.

Restore deleted folders from the Trash using Terminal in macOS

For many power users, restoring deleted files or folders from the Trash using the Terminal is more convenient. If you're new to Mac, you might need to learn how to open the Terminal on your Mac; the easiest way is to search for "Terminal" using Spotlight on your Mac.

Step 1: Launch Terminal via Spotlight on your Mac.

Step 2: Type cd .Trash and press Return to open the Trash on your Mac.

Step 3: Type ls -al ~/.Trash to view the contents of your Trash.

Step 4. Type the command mv folder ../ to restore the deleted folder on your Mac. Replace "folder" with the name of your target folder.

Recover Deleted Folders from Time Machine Backup on Mac

Time Machine on a Mac is a powerful backup and recovery tool. With regular Time Machine backups, you can easily restore data from a Time Machine backup. Perhaps you know how to back up with Time Machine but are unsure of how to recover data from a Time Machine backup. Check out the following tutorial to learn how to restore a deleted folder on your Mac from a Time Machine backup:

Step 1: If you backed up your Mac to a USB flash drive or external hard drive, connect it to your Mac.

< strong >Step 2:< /strong> Use macOS Spotlight to open Time Machine.

Step 3: You can filter backups on the right; your backup will be labeled with a specific time.

Step 4. Once you've selected the file or folder you want, click “Recover” to restore the deleted folder on your Mac.

Restore Deleted Folders from Cloud Backup on Mac

These days, users prefer to store important data on cloud platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. Apple also has its own cloud platform called iCloud. How can you recover deleted files and folders from iCloud on Mac? We'll show you the details in the sections below.

Step 1: Make sure that iCloud is active and that the folder you deleted was backed up.

Step Two: Open Safari and go to iCloud.com, signing in with your Apple ID.

Step 3: You can check your account settings and scroll down to the Advanced options.

Step 4. Click on "Recover Files" to choose the files within the deleted folder that you wish to restore.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Recover Deleted Folder on Mac

You have learned how to recover deleted folders on Mac using the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, Time Machine backup, cloud backup, and how to restore trashed folders from the Mac Trash.

Continue reading to learn more about how to recover deleted folders on Mac:

Can I recover deleted folders from Mac Trash?

It is possible to recover a deleted folder from the Mac Trash. How to recover emptied trash on Mac? You can quickly restore deleted folders from the Trash by clicking "Put Back" or using recovery software.

"Where is the Recently Deleted folder on a Mac?"

When you delete a folder on a Mac, it isn't gone permanently – it's moved to the macOS Trash and kept there temporarily. You can use Spotlight to search for and open the Trash on your Mac.

How to recover a folder after emptying the Recycle Bin?

After emptying the Trash on your Mac, files and folders can still be recovered before they're overwritten. It's easier to recover deleted folders from a Mac after emptying the Trash with the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool.

< li > 1. Scan your Mac disk for deleted folders. < /li >< li > 2. Select your folder and preview them. < /li >< li > 3. Recover them. < /li >

How can I recover a deleted folder on Mac without software in UTF-8 format?

While downloading and using a recovery tool is a good way to get back a deleted folder on your Mac, you can also restore folders from Time Machine backups and cloud backups. If your Trash hasn't been emptied yet, click Put Back to restore the deleted folder.