How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files in the Mac Terminal ⭐

Have you ever moved a file from your desktop to the trash, or deleted a USB drive to clear all its data? There are many ways to delete files on a Mac. If you accidentally deleted a file on your Mac, there are a few options available to you. Using the Mac Terminal is one of the quickest ways to recover a deleted file. With just a few specific command lines, you can restore a deleted file in no time.

You can also use third-party data recovery tools to retrieve permanently deleted files. Below, we've provided a quick navigation for Mac recovery methods and user scenarios that apply to various situations when you need to recover your files.

Quick Navigation: Mac Recovery Techniques

If you're comfortable with the command line, you might opt to use the Mac Terminal to perform the task, as it allows you to quickly and permanently delete files from your Mac. However, the Mac Terminal may not work as expected, especially when the deleted file's name contains special characters or hyphens. In such cases, if the Terminal isn't running, you have three other methods to recover permanently deleted files from your Mac.

Suggestion: Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac

If you're not comfortable with the command line, then a Mac data recovery tool is your best bet. The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac utility can help you recover files deleted from the command line, as well as handle issues like recovering from a formatted drive, virus infections, and system reinstallations.

Follow these three steps to get your Mac back to normal, quickly and easily.

Step 1: Select the Macintosh HD or any other external hard drive that contained the important files that you have lost, and then click on “Search Lost Files.”

Step 2. The software will quickly and thoroughly scan the selected volume to find as much deleted data as possible. Use the “Type” and “Path” filters to narrow down the file search.

Step 2:

Step 3. Double-click the deleted file you want to preview, and then choose “Recover” to get it back.

If you don't know how, there are videos for that.

• 00:00 - Recovering deleted files
• 00:23 - Tool recovery wizard
• 01:14 - Restore options
• 01:41 - Undo options
• 02:12 - Time Machine recovery
• 03:07 - Recovering files using the Terminal

Many Mac users have already proven the tool's efficiency. If you are interested in solving the Mac file recovery issue, please share it on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on!

How Does the Mac Terminal Work, and What Is the rm Command?

With a variety of command-line shortcuts, including macOS's Terminal app, you can perform many tasks on your Mac quickly and efficiently without having to do things manually.

Mac Terminal is a Command Line Interface (CLI) tool found within Apple's macOS operating system, enabling users to execute various system-level tasks and operations through text input. Here's how it works: 1. **Interface**: Terminal presents a simple black window where users can type commands. The window displays a shell, typically the Bash shell, which acts as an interpreter for reading, parsing, and executing commands. 2. **Command Line Syntax**: Users operate in Terminal using specific commands and parameters. For instance, the `cd` command changes directories, while the `ls` command lists the contents of the current directory. Each command has its own syntax and options. 3. **Interacting with the Operating System**: When you enter a command and press Enter, the shell passes it to the operating system kernel. The kernel then executes the corresponding action based on the command, such as reading or writing files, running programs, or managing network connections. 4. **Scripting and Automation**: Terminal also supports scripting, allowing a series of commands to be executed together, thus automating repetitive or complex tasks for increased efficiency. 5. **Permission Management**: With Terminal, you can use the `sudo` command to perform actions with administrator privileges, which is necessary for tasks like installing software or modifying system settings. 6. **Third-Party Tools**: In addition to built-in commands, users can install extra command-line tools and package managers like Homebrew to expand Terminal's functionality. 7. **Learning Curve**: Although Terminal might seem daunting at first, familiarity with commands and syntax provides a more direct and powerful means of control, especially for system administration and developer work. In summary, Mac Terminal is a powerful and versatile tool that offers direct interaction with the operating system without relying on a graphical user interface. Proficiency in using Terminal can significantly enhance your productivity on a Mac.

With it, you can launch programs, open, copy, download, rename, move, or delete files, and even recover deleted files (only those moved to the Mac Trash, though). It puts you in control of your computer and lets you make specific adjustments quickly.

How to Open Terminal on Mac | 6 Ways

How to open Terminal on Mac? You may think it's hard to use Terminal. Once you get the hang of Terminal commands, it can handle tasks on your Mac.

"rm" is a command-line utility in Unix and Linux operating systems used for removing files or directories. It stands for "remove." By entering "rm" followed by the file or directory path in the command line interface, users can delete the specified file or an entire directory. However, use it with caution because the "rm" command usually does not have a recycle bin feature; once deleted, the files are lost permanently. It's advisable to back up important files before deleting them. When removing directories, adding the "-r" or "-R" option indicates a recursive removal, which deletes all files and subdirectories within the directory as well.

You can communicate with your Mac via a command line using a tool called "Terminal." Since both Linux and macOS are varieties of Unix-like operating systems, both provide similar tools. Bash is the name of the command-line interface (CLI), which is the language you use to talk to your Mac in Terminal.

By running the command line "rm -rf ./Desktop/myScript.sh" in the Mac Terminal, users can delete multiple unnecessary files at once.

The rm command simply removes the directory entry for a file, without touching the disk blocks it uses. You might be able to use some fancy techniques to rediscover the contents of those blocks, but the point is that nothing else will reuse the disk blocks your file occupied.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on a Mac Terminal

If you use the `rm` command line to quickly delete some essential files from your desktop or anywhere else, they won't go to the Trash, so you can't directly restore the lost files from the Trash. But don't worry; you can still try to recover deleted files with the advanced methods below via the command line.

Step 1: Click on “Applications” > “Utilities,” and then double-click to open the “Terminal” application.

Step 2: Type the following command into Terminal: cd .Trash, and press “Enter.”

Step 3: Type mv xxx ../, replacing "xxx" with the full name of the file you want to restore. Press "Enter."

Step 4: Type Quit in the Terminal window.

Step 5: Open a “Finder” window. Type the name of the deleted file in the search bar in the top-right corner of the window to locate the recovered file.

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I will promptly translate it for you.

How to Use Mac Terminal to Recover Deleted Files

Here, we'll show you how to recover deleted files using the Terminal and how to recover permanently deleted files. Read More >>

How to Recover Deleted Files on a Mac Without Using Terminal

The built-in Time Machine backup feature on your Mac automatically backs up all your files, including applications, music, photos, emails, documents, and system files. With this backup, you can easily resolve the issue of how to recover deleted files from Mac using terminal.

Step 1: Connect the Time Machine backup disk to your Mac, and then open it.

Step 2: Find the file you want to restore in the Time Machine backup. Select it and hit Space to preview it, to make sure it's the right one.

Step 3: Click “Recover” to restore the selected items.

Conclusions

While moving files to the Trash and then restoring them to the Home folder is possible, not all data deleted through the Mac Terminal can be recovered this way. However, since this method only retrieves files that have been moved to the Trash, we strongly recommend using a data recovery tool to retrieve any deleted files, whether they were deleted temporarily or permanently.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Permanently Deleted Files on Mac Terminal

Here are 3 additional questions about recovering deleted files from the Mac Terminal. Click here to view the answers.

**Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Mac?**

Yes, with the help of professional Mac data recovery tools, you can retrieve permanently lost files from your Mac. However, how well you handle the lost data after the incident largely determines the basis for recovery.

**2. Can deleted files be recovered?**

Yes, if you have previously backed up your files using Time Machine, you can restore the deleted files from the backup. Alternatively, you can use third-party data recovery apps like "Data Recovery Wizard for Mac" to recover permanently deleted files.

How do I recover data using the terminal?

You can use unique text commands in the Mac Terminal to recover deleted files. If you don't want to use a third-party tool and instead want to recover permanently deleted files on your Mac, the Terminal is a good option. However, you can only use Terminal commands to recover files that were deleted from the Trash on your Mac.