Three Ways to Recover Data from a Mac [2024]

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This page reveals the actual solutions to recover and get data back from Mac after factory reset, as well as an extra guide on how to reset MacBook Pro without losing any data.

Most Mac users only choose to reinstall macOS, Mac OS X, or reset their Mac to factory settings when the system crashes, the computer runs slowly, or when they need to wipe the data before selling an old Mac.

How to Recover Data from Mac after Factory Reset [3 Solutions]

Therefore, whether you have a backup decides the method to retrieve Mac files lost due to factory reset. We've gathered three practical ones for you to try:

1. Use a Mac File Recovery Tool for Assistance 2. Recover from a Time Machine Backup on an External Drive 3. Restore from an iCloud Backup

The first method above has the highest possibility to recover lost Mac data. Choose the suitable tutorial based on your situation and retrieve your lost files immediately.

#1. Recover Mac Files after Factory Reset using Mac File Recovery Software

If you lose data after factory resetting your Mac or reinstalling the latest macOS, you can always rely on a trustworthy Mac data recovery software to alleviate your worries.

Among numerous Mac data recovery tools, we recommend you try tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It can 100% help you get back lost files when you need to recover permanently deleted Mac files after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X.

• It facilitates Mac USB recovery and retrieves all files from external storage devices.
• It easily recovers your Mac even after a factory reset, without any prior file backup.
• The software lets you save the recovered data and files to your iCloud with a single click.

< strong > Steps to Recover Files After Resetting Mac to Factory Settings:

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

On macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma, select the disk location where you want to search for the lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, click the “Search Lost Files” button.

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

Step 2: Browse the scan results

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

Step 3: Select the file and recover it.

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

Powerful and secure, we recommend using Data Recovery Wizard for Mac as the best solution for data recovery on Mac. This method has been verified to work by users, so it's worth a try.

❓Can you recover files after a factory reset or reinstallation of macOS on a Mac? Yes!

Usually, you may lose some files on Mac after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X. When facing data loss issues, you may wonder if it is possible to recover lost files due to reinstallation of macOS or Mac OS X. The answer is yes!

Reinstalling macOS or doing a factory reset on your Mac only performs a quick erase of the volume. This removes the file directory, but doesn't write any data to the drive, so your original data isn't overwritten.

This means that it is possible to recover data from a Mac if action is taken quickly after a factory reset of the operating system.

If you've lost data, immediately stop using the computer to prevent overwriting. Use the Mac Data Recovery Wizard utility to recover your lost Mac files. Get back lost Mac files after reinstalling macOS/Mac OS X on your own.

#2. Restore from a Time Machine backup on an external drive

Another practical method is to perform a Time Machine backup after factory reset to restore lost Mac files. If you have a Time Machine created on an external hard drive, congratulations.

You can successfully retrieve your lost files with a 100% recovery rate. Read on to learn how to get back lost Mac files after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X.

Recover Files Deleted After Factory Reset from Time Machine Backup

Step 1: Make sure that your Time Machine backup disk is connected to your Mac and turned on.

Step 2. Open Launchpad on your Mac, and then click “Other.” Find and click the Time Machine icon to enter Time Machine.

Step 3: Use the up and down arrows to browse through the timeline and find the backup that contains your lost file.

Step 4: Locate the lost Mac files you want to recover and click “Recover”.

It will automatically recover lost data from Time Machine backups of macOS Big Sur/Catalina/Mojave.

Once you're done with these steps, restart your Mac and check the missing files again to see if they're back after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X.

#3. Recover Files from Mac after Factory Reset from iCloud Backup

If you had synced or uploaded your crucial data to iCloud before performing a passwordless factory reset on Mac, then consider yourself lucky. You can easily restore the lost files from an iCloud backup.

How to Recover Files After Factory Resetting a Mac

Step 1: Using a Mac browser, go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.

Step 2. Go to Settings, then scroll all the way down to the bottom. Tap on “Restore Files” under “Advanced.”

Note: To restore Contacts, Bookmarks, Calendars, and Reminders from iCloud, click the respective option under Advanced.

Step 3: Check the boxes next to the backups you want to restore, or click "Select All" if you need everything back. Tap "Restore" to proceed.

Upon completing the steps from the tutorial, most of the files that were lost due to factory reset or reinstallation of macOS should appear back on your computer.

Additional tip: Perform a Mac data recovery without loss or reinstall Mac

Although you can recover lost files when you factory reset your Mac above the recommended repair methods, it is quite complicated and time-consuming.

With the following guidance, you can easily reset your Mac to factory settings or reinstall macOS without losing any data.

#1. First, back up your Mac data to an external device

Backing up all your data beforehand is crucial. You can use Time Machine to copy your files to an external drive, or employ reliable Mac file backup software for assistance.

Or you could copy your files one by one onto an external hard drive manually.

To save your time and efforts, we recommend trying to use Time Machine or a backup tool like Todo Backup for Mac.

Using the Time Machine

Pros: ① Free; ② User-friendly. Cons: Requires selecting files individually for backup.

Using the tool Todo Backup

• Pros: ①User-friendly; ②Only 3 steps to back up Mac to external hard drive.
• Cons: Not free.

#2. Prepare for a Mac Factory Reset or macOS Reinstall

Before you reinstall macOS or Mac OS X, you should prepare by doing the following:

1. De-authorize iTunes 2. Turn off FileVault 3. Disable iCloud 4. Sign out of iMessage 5. Wipe the Touch Bar data (also read: MacBook Touch Bar Not Working)

With your preparations complete, you're ready to proceed with resetting or reinstalling your Mac's OS X or macOS.

#3. How to Reset or Erase MacBook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac/iMac Pro

Now you can begin to reset your Mac, following the steps here:

Step 1: Restart your Mac into macOS Recovery Mode

Restart your Mac while holding down the "Command" and "R" keys to open the macOS Utilities window.

Step 2: Erase the Mac hard drive

Open Disk Utility, click Continue, select the boot drive (Macintosh HD), click Erase, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase.

Step 3: Reinstall macOS on your Mac

Repeat Step 1, then choose Reinstall macOS > Continue, confirm that you want to reinstall macOS, and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

After going through these steps, congratulations! You've successfully reinstalled macOS, and your Mac should be running like new.

#4. Restoring Files from a Backup

You can immediately restore them to your Mac using Time Machine or Todo Backup for Mac, if you've been backing up regularly.

Conclusions

This article introduces 3 practical solutions that can effectively help you recover files after factory reset Mac or reinstall macOS/Mac OS X.

If you didn't create a backup before resetting your Mac, you can use Data Recovery Wizard for Mac as an emergency rescue tool. It will perform an extensive scan and immediately restore your lost files.

If you're looking for a complete guide on how to reset MacBook Pro, refer to the instructions in the latter part of this page. For more data retrieval tricks, check out our website's section on Mac File Recovery for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions - How to Retrieve Files After Factory Reset Mac

You now know how to recover data after a factory reset on your Mac. For more help, read through the frequently asked questions below.

1. How to Recover Deleted Files on Mac?

You may use the tool Data Recovery Wizard to recover deleted files on Mac. Below are the steps to recover lost data from MacBook and iMac.

• Download and run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool
• Select the drive, and choose to search for lost files
• After scanning, select the required files and preview them
• Then, click 'Recover' to retrieve lost Mac data

**2. Can I recover data from Mac after factory reset?**

Yes, you can recover data from a Mac after a factory reset. If you have a Time Machine or iCloud backup, you can restore your data after performing a factory reset on your Mac.

3. How much does it cost to recover data from a Mac?

If your data is less than 2 GB, you can recover up to 2 GB for free. If you have more than 2 GB of data, the cost is $89.95.

4. Does macOS Have Built-in Data Recovery?

Apple includes a data-backup and recovery program called Time Machine in all its modern Mac operating systems. The application enables you to back up all your files regularly, so that you can restore any data that might subsequently be deleted or lost accidentally.