6 Best Ways to Recover Missing Desktop on Mac [Step-by-Step Guide]

Everything on my Mac desktop is missing. How do I fix a missing desktop and recover lost files? Follow the steps in the two sections below to easily display your missing Mac desktop icons and recover any lost files:

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All my stuff on the Mac desktop is gone, help!

There are two common scenarios where the contents of your Mac desktop might disappear: either everything is gone, or just the files are missing. No matter which issue you're facing, you can find a solution here to get your Mac desktop icons back and recover any lost files on your own.

Why did everything disappear from my Mac desktop?

You might be confused about why your Mac desktop files and icons disappeared. Here are some common reasons:

• #1. Icons and files missing from the Mac desktop after macOS or Mac OS X update
• #2. Default Finder settings hiding icons and files on the Mac desktop
• #3. Files set to hidden on the Mac
• #4. Accidental deletion of files on the Mac

When you first notice that your files and icons are missing, don't panic. Restart your Mac and see if the items reappear. If that doesn't work, try the methods below to recover your missing desktop files and icons.

Part 1: Displaying and Retrieving Missing Mac Icons

A missing Mac icon typically occurs after installing or updating macOS. In most cases, the icons are missing because they were accidentally deleted or an app has overridden your desktop display settings. Luckily, you can get your missing Mac desktop icons back with any of these methods.

Method 1: Show Hidden Mac Icons Using Finder

Step 1: Click the “Finder” icon on your desktop.

Step 2: Select “Finder Preferences” from the menu bar.

Step 3: In the Finder Preferences window that appears, click the General tab.

Step 4: Check the boxes next to the icons you want to appear on your desktop.

You should see a list of devices that can have an icon displayed on the desktop. Make sure the relevant boxes are checked. Close the “Finder Preferences” window when you're done. Your selected items should reappear on your desktop.

Method 2: Restore Desktop Icons from a Time Machine Backup

Prerequisite: You have a Time Machine backup of your Mac desktop before the icons and files disappeared.

Restoring from Time Machine is another way to try to recover missing desktop icons. Let's see how to retrieve lost Mac desktop icons:

First, connect your external Time Machine backup disk to the Mac. Choose Time Machine from the Time Machine menu.

Step 2: Use the timeline or up/down arrows to browse and select a backup point.

Step 3: Hit the space bar to preview it and make sure it's what you want.

Step 4. Click “Recover” to restore the selected files.

After that, you can look again and check for items like icons on the Mac desktop, including missing files.

Part 2: Recover Lost Desktop Files/Folders on Mac

If your desktop files and folders are missing, you have other options to get them back. We've listed five possible solutions for you here, in order from most to least effective.

Quick Fix: Check if Desktop Icons are Hidden

Your Mac has an application called "Terminal" that you can use to search for, delete, or modify files and folders. This method will close Terminal and reveal all hidden files on your desktop. If this doesn't work, try one of the other methods below. Here's how:

Step 1: Open Terminal on your Mac.

Step 2: Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE and press Return.

Step 3: Enter “killall Finder” and press Return.

Method 1: Recover lost files/folders using a file recovery software

It is applicable to: Retrieve lost Mac desktop files and folders from all levels of Mac users.

A professional Mac data recovery tool can help you get back files and folders lost due to accidental deletion. We recommend using tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. This software is specifically designed for scanning storage devices and recovering lost data. Let's delve into the main features of this data recovery utility:

- Quickly scans and lists all lost files and folders on your Mac. - Handles various data loss scenarios like deletion, virus attacks, system crashes, or human errors. - Supports previewing recoverable files before actual recovery. - Recover data with just three simple steps. - Recognized by reputable sources such as MacWorld, TechRadar, and PCmag.

Download and install Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, and then follow the steps below to restore your lost desktop files and folders.

Besides, if you only need to recover several files less than 2GB, you can try the free Mac data recovery software – tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It works the same way as the Pro version.

Steps to Recover Lost or Missing Mac Desktop Files

Step 1: Select the scan location

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

Note: Before data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to create a backup for your Mac to prevent 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: Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook/iMac. After the scan, you can filter out the desired data using the "Type" and "Path" buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Double-click the file to preview it, then click “Recover” to restore the lost data to another location.

After that, you can save the recovered files back to your Mac desktop and use them again.

Method 2: Restore Lost Desktop Files on Mac via iCloud Backup

Applies to: iCloud users who have synced Mac files with iCloud and lost Desktop files from an iCloud backup.

If you've been syncing your Mac's Desktop files to iCloud, you can immediately restore any missing or deleted documents from your iCloud account.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Go to iCloud.com and sign in using your account name and password.

Step 2: Tap on iCloud Settings, then scroll to the bottom and tap “Recover Files” under the “Advanced” section.

Step 3. Locate and check the lost file on your Mac, then click “Recover.”

Method 3: Find Missing Desktop Files on Mac Using Stacks

Applies to: Rearranging and displaying files on the Mac desktop.

On your Mac, in macOS Catalina or Mojave, you can use Stacks to automatically organize files on your desktop by file type.

When you're missing or can't find a file on your Mac desktop, give Stacks a try. It might surprise you.

Step 1. Click on the blank space on your Mac's desktop to open a contextual menu.

Step 2. Deselect Use Stack.

Step 3: Run Step 1 again, but this time check the “Use stack” box.  

Restore Desktop Files on Mac using Stacks

After that, you might find your missing file back on the desktop.

Method 4: Recover Lost Desktop Files on Mac from Trash

Applies to: Recover deleted files from Mac desktop for all levels of Mac users.

When you lose a file from your Mac desktop, you might have accidentally dragged it into the Trash. You can try looking for it there.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Trash on your Mac desktop and find the lost file.

Step 2: Drag the file you want to recover back to your desktop.

Or you can right-click on the file and choose "Undo Move."

Conclusions

On this page, we explain why desktop icons and folders might disappear on a Mac and offer some practical solutions to help you find and restore your missing icons.

Though not a common issue, it can be frustrating when files on your Mac desktop go missing. Hopefully, this article has helped you resolve the problem. More importantly, to prevent similar data loss issues from happening again, it's highly recommended that you back up your Mac regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions about "Recover Desktop on Mac"

Sometimes, you may encounter the problem of "Everything Disappeared from Mac Desktop". Don't worry. The above methods can help you get your Mac desktop back and even recover deleted files from Mac. If you have other issues, find help from the Q&A below.

1. Why Are My Desktop Icons Missing on Mac?

Your desktop icons might be missing due to the following reasons:

• You've installed macOS Ventura
• You've updated macOS to the latest version
• An application is overriding the desktop display settings

**How can I show desktop icons on a Mac?** To display desktop icons on your Mac, follow these steps: 1. Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and select "System Preferences." 2. In the "System Preferences" window, click "View," then choose "Display." 3. In the "Display" window, make sure you are on the "Desktop & Screen Saver" tab. 4. At the bottom of the screen, locate and click the "Show Desktop" button (it appears as an open folder icon, or if the desktop is already showing, it will look like a stacked folder icon). Clicking this button will toggle the visibility of the desktop icons. 5. If the above method doesn't work, try using the keyboard shortcut: Press and hold `Command` and `Option` keys, then press `F`. This will also switch the display of desktop icons. After completing these steps, your desktop icons should appear on the screen. If the issue persists, restarting your Mac might be necessary.

To show desktop icons on a Mac, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop. 2. Select "View" from the drop-down menu to expand the options. 3. Make sure "Show desktop icons" is checked.

How to recover missing desktop files after updating your Mac

Here are the steps to recover lost files after Mac update:

• Download and run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool
• Select the disk where data was lost after updating to macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur/Catalina
• Click "Search for Lost Files" to scan for missing files on your Mac
• Use file types and file paths to locate the desired data on your Mac
• Restore the lost data after updating macOS