Why is my screen recording missing?

Screen recording isn't just for Macs. You can also record your screen on an iPhone or iPad and share the recording with others. People often record their Mac screens to show someone else how to do something, and a screen recording might be lost for any number of reasons:

    • The screen recording has been moved to another folder on your Mac.
    • The recording was deleted after performing a factory reset on macOS.
    • You accidentally deleted the screen recording.
    • The file was unintentionally removed due to a malware or virus attack.
    • Your system crashed while transferring the screen recording from your Mac.
    • A sudden power outage can also result in data loss.

How to Recover Screen Recordings on Mac? In the sections below, we will provide you with four detailed tutorials, and you can choose the best method based on your needs.

Solution 1: Recover Screen Recording on Mac with Software

You might have deleted the screen recording on your Mac using the “Move to Trash” shortcut and then emptied the Trash by accident. Do you think your screen recording is gone for good? No, the data is still on your Mac. You just need a video recovery program to help you get back the lost footage.

For those who lost screen recordings, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is the perfect choice! This secure video recovery software won't let you down and is worth a try.

It can quickly recover screen recording on Mac. Here are the highlights of this recovery tool:

    • Protect your Mac screen recordings in multiple ways and use this software to recover and fix corrupted videos on Mac.
    • Save your data from loss due to partition disappearance, system crashes, failed macOS 13 installations, virus attacks, or hard drive errors.
    • Retrieve screen recordings, screenshots, movies, camera photos, and music from your Mac.

With this powerful video recovery and repair tool, you can recover your screen recording in just three steps:

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

Select the disk location where you want to search for the lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external drive), and then click the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from your disk image, and then you can use the HDD or SSD again.

Recover Data Step 1

Step 2: Browse the scan results

The program will immediately scan the disk volume you select and display images, documents, audio, video, and email in the left pane.

Recover Data Step 2

Step 3: Select the files and recover them

Click on the data to preview them, then hit the "Restore" button to get them back.

Recover Data Step 3

Solution 2: Recover Screen Recording from Trash

If you can't find the screen recording in its original location, check the Trash immediately. Lost screen recordings might have been accidentally moved to the Trash, which is common when users enable Mac shortcuts. Follow the guide to locate the Trash on your Mac and how to recover screen recordings from the Mac Trash.

Step 1: You can easily find the Trash from the Dock. The Trash icon looks like a garbage can.

Mac's Trash icon

Step 2: Click and open the Trash on your Mac.

Step 3: Check the files and folders in the Trash, then scroll down to look for the lost screen recording content.

Step 4. Select the recordings you want, right-click on them, and choose “Put Back.” This will return them to their original location on your Mac.

Put Screenshot Back to Mac Trash

Solution 3: How to Recover Screen Recording Using the Revert Option

If you accidentally moved the screen recording to an unknown location, you can immediately use the “Undo” option on your Mac. Keep in mind that this “Undo” feature works only when you immediately notice the unintended moving/deletion of the screen recording on your Mac.

Step 1: After you have recorded the screen on your Mac, you can find the “Edit” option in the Apple menu.

Step 2: Click the Edit button and then select “Undo…”

Recover Mac Screen Recording with Undo Option

Step 3: The action is immediately undone. You can also use the Command+Z keyboard shortcut to undo a move or deletion.

Solution 4: How to Recover Screen Recordings from Time Machine Backup

For Mac users, enabling Time Machine backups is essential, and this powerful data backup tool can come in very handy. Most importantly, it prevents unnecessary data loss on your Mac. We'll guide you through how to recover a screen recording from a Time Machine backup:

Step 1. Launch Time Machine on your Mac using Finder or Spotlight.

Open Time Machine

Step 2: You can search for a file or folder by name, or choose a backup by date.

Step 3. It's wise to choose the latest backup that contains your lost screen recording. Click "Restore" and your lost screen recording will be back shortly.

Restore deleted files from Mac with Time Machine

Bottom line: Conclusion

There are four ways you can recover screen recordings. If you deleted the screen recording on your Mac, you can restore it from the Trash. If you moved the screen recording to another folder, you can immediately undo the action. If you permanently removed the screen recording from your Mac, try restoring it from a Time Machine backup.

When you are faced with file loss/deletion issues, Mac Data Recovery Wizard is always a good option.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Recover Screen Recordings on Mac

To learn more about how to recover screen recording on Mac, please proceed to read the questions and answers prepared below.

How can I recover lost QuickTime screen recording on Mac?

You can recover lost QuickTime screen recording on Mac in 4 ways:

    1. Use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool or any other third-party data recovery software. 2. Recover lost QuickTime screen recordings from the Trash. 3. Utilize macOS's Undo feature to reverse deletion or moving actions. 4. Restore the screen recording from a Time Machine backup or iCloud.

Can I recover deleted screenshots on my Mac?

If you can't find a deleted screenshot on your Mac, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to recover deleted screenshots on Mac.

    1. Download and install this software on your Mac. 2. Scan your Mac to find the lost screen recording content. 3. You can choose "Video" to locate the missing screen recordings more quickly. 4. Click the "Recover" button to retrieve all the recorded content.

Why can't I find my screen recording on my Mac?

Screen recordings might be missing from your Mac if any of these conditions are true:

    1. Screen recording video moved to another folder on the Mac. 2. Screen recordings deleted after performing a macOS factory reset. 3. Accidentally deleting the screen recording video. 4. Files deleted due to a virus or malware attack. 5. System malfunction during transfer of Mac screen recordings. 6. Sudden power outage can also lead to data loss.

What should you do when your screen recording doesn't save?

If your screen recording on Mac isn't saving, try freeing up storage, checking your save settings, restarting your Mac, or updating macOS to fix the issue. In most cases, your Mac simply doesn't have enough storage space.