How to Recover Files on a Mac After a Shutdown in 4 Ways

Of course, please provide the English content you want translated, and I'll promptly translate it into Chinese for you.

"My MacBook Pro froze last night and I had to force a shutdown. When I restarted, everything was fine except the Pages document that was open when it froze is now missing. Is there any way to recover this file?"

-- Apple Community

A MacBook Pro user sought help in the Apple Community after losing a Pages document when their Mac froze and shut down, wondering how to retrieve the file. A sudden shutdown on a Mac can mean more than just a restart – it can also result in data loss of an uncertain scope. You might find yourself missing a Word document or a few photos from your photo library. Whatever type of data you've lost, your priority should be to recover files on Mac.

Can I Recover Lost Files from Mac After Shutdown?

Can you recover deleted files from Mac? That could be your biggest question. Fortunately, the answer is yes. Users have multiple options to recover data on a Mac. They can try looking for the data in the Mac Trash, check iCloud backups and Time Machine backups. Lastly, they can utilize Mac data recovery software to retrieve lost files.

# How to Recover Files from the Trash after Shutting Down Your Mac

Regardless of the type of data you lost, check your Mac's Trash first to see if the deleted file is there. Your Mac might have automatically deleted the file when it shut down. As long as you don't empty the Trash, the deleted files will stay there for 30 days before being permanently erased. If you can't find the missing file in the Trash, try Method 4. Here's how to restore a Mac file from the Trash:

Step 1: Open the Trash on your Mac and check if the lost file is in there.

Step 2. If you find the missing data, drag it to the desktop. Or right-click on them and choose the "Put Back" option to recover deleted files from the Trash. The file will return to its original location.

2. How to Retrieve Files from iCloud After Shutting Down a Mac

If your Mac is set up with iCloud, it will automatically sync your Mac files. As such, you might find a backup of the lost file in your iCloud account. This will only work for files that support iCloud, however.

iCloud backs up these items on your Mac:

• Calendar
• Notes
• Pages
• Numbers
• Keynote
• Reminders
• Photos
• Mail

If the document you're missing falls into one of these categories, you may have a copy in iCloud. Here's how to recover a file from iCloud after closing your Mac:

Step 1: Log in to your Apple ID account at iCloud.com.

Step 2: Click on the "Account Settings" option.

Step 3: There are a few options on the bottom left, one of which is "Recover Files." Click this to see if you can restore your lost files. If you can't find your missing files in iCloud, proceed to Method 4 to try to recover them.

Click on "Restore from iCloud Backup".

# Part 3: How to Restore Files from Time Machine on Mac

Time Machine is the backup solution for Macs. It automatically backs up everything on your Mac, including applications, music, photos, email, documents, and system files. If you've set up Time Machine to back up all of your Mac's contents, you can recover files from within Time Machine. If you're sure that the file you lost was backed up by Time Machine, follow these steps to restore a file from a Time Machine backup.

Step 1. Connect the Time Machine backup disk to your Mac. Launch Time Machine on your Mac. You can do this by clicking the icon in the menu bar and selecting Enter Time Machine, or by searching for Time Machine with Spotlight.

Step 2: You can use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to locate a specific file you want to recover. Press the spacebar to preview it.

Step 3: Finally, click on the “Recover” button and your deleted file will be back to its original location.

# Part 4: How to Use Recovery Software to Retrieve Files After a Mac Shuts Down

All of the methods above have their downsides – a lost file might not have been backed up yet, or your Mac might not put files in the Trash before deleting them. That's why we recommend using a professional data recovery tool for Mac.

Tool Mac Data Recovery Wizard is developed to help Mac users recover lost, deleted and corrupted files, such as an unsaved Word document. In addition, it helps Mac users to retrieve data from external hard drives like camera and iPod. Tool Data Recovery Wizard deeply scans all lost Mac files at a fast speed and retrieves the files you need with ease.

Download the software and refer to the following guide to learn how to use the recovery tool to retrieve files after a Mac shutdown.

Step 1: Select the location to scan

Launch the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you lost data, and click "Search for Lost Files" to start scanning.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of your Mac to prevent further data loss. The software can then 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. After the scan is complete, you can filter the required data using the "Type" and "Path" buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Preview the files and then click “Recover” to restore the lost data to another location.

Bottom line

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to recover lost files from your Mac. The best way to prevent data loss is to back up regularly, and for Mac users, there are great options like iCloud and Time Machine. But if you don't have a backup, don't worry – professional data recovery tools like Data Recovery Wizard can still help.