Accidentally deleting or losing an important file is bad enough. But it gets worse when you lose a whole folder containing several essential files inside. It’s a misfortune bad enough to make you enter a full-blown panic mode. After all, you have just lost a great number of irreplaceable files stored inside the folder. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to recover the deleted folders on Mac.
In this article, we will demonstrate three methods that will help you recover erased folders on your Mac. We will also show you the most common causes of Mac data loss and give you small tips to avoid them. Let’s dive in.
Typical Reasons for Data Loss on Mac
You can lose indispensable folders from your Mac for multiple reasons. According to statistics, over 60% of all Mac data loss cases occur because of human and mechanical errors. So, even if you think that you won’t face the ill fates of getting your Mac stolen or hacked, there’s still a pretty strong chance that you will make some mistakes and accidentally delete your Mac folders. In this section, we will point out some usual reasons behind losing data on Apple computers.
1. Mechanical Damage
In large companies that have thousands of computers and storage media, hard drive failure is an almost everyday occurrence. Additionally, even if you’re using your personal computer, you still need to be aware of mechanical failure or damage, which is one of the biggest explanations for data loss. Whether it’s because of overheating, faulty parts, liquid splashing, or some other reasons, it can damage the sensitive parts of your hard disk drive. As a result, it may cause a partial loss of information, or worse, complete hard drive failure.
In any case, if you suspect that your computer is suffering from mechanical damage or hear strange scratching noises from your computer, power it off immediately. If you keep using a mechanically damaged HDD, it may cause you to suffer a permanent data loss.
2. Human Errors
We are only humans, so, naturally, we will make mistakes every once in a while. However, some blunders only cause us minor embarrassment. On the other hand, other mistakes might lead humanity to a country-wide war or a severely broken relationship. Further, some missteps may simply lead you to suffer from some data loss on your Mac. Mac users sometimes accidentally overwrite their folder data when they try to use the “Option” key to merge folders. Other times, they might click on the “Move to Trash” option in the context menu accidentally.
Unfortunately, human mistakes aren’t solely limited to these two accidental errors. Mac users can make tens of other mistakes that might lead to the deletion of one or more folders. To ensure you don’t lose any information, you should back up your Mac data regularly and keep learning how you use the Mac and keep it safe, an ability that will get better with time.
3. Power Failures
Sudden power failures can be annoying. Further, they can give you a splitting headache when a sudden electricity outage occurs while you are working on an important document. These sudden power failures can not only make you unable to save your work progress but can also corrupt your disk drive data. Even a sudden voltage fluctuation can damage various hardware of your Mac. With that said, regardless of an Apple computer you’re using, you should invest in a UPS (Uninterruptible power supply) to get the first line of defense against power outages.
4. Virus and Malware Threats
Apple has invested a lot to keep the data of the Mac users safe. From restricting in-app permissions to preventing installations from unverified sources, it is doing a lot of things to protect your data. But even if Apple takes all these measures, your Mac can still be infected by viruses, malware, or other malicious threats. This especially happens when you accidentally give suspicious programs permission to run or access your device. All this can lead to a severe folder and file loss.
Always double-check every non-native program before giving them access by granting them some kind of permission. We also encourage you to invest in premium antivirus software. These antivirus programs usually detect any malicious activities lightning-fast and help you eliminate the threat. This way, you can avoid losing your important folders and data to cybercriminals.
5. Digital Information Theft
Unless you’re keeping an eye on your Mac for 24 hours, there’s always a chance for your Mac to get stolen. Even if you find your stolen Mac once again, it would have been formatted by the thief already. Make sure you always back up your Mac’s data in multiple locations to avoid data loss in the event of a sudden theft. You have learned enough about the reasons for meaningful Mac folder loss. Now, it’s time to dive into the real solutions to get your lost folders back. In this section, we will show you three procedures to recover removed folders on Mac.
1. Recover Deleted Folders on Mac Using the Trash Bin
As long as you don’t use the “Option + Delete + Command” keys or use the “Delete Immediately” option, all your deleted Mac files and folders will go to the “Trash.” After that, you can either empty the Trash or you can recover the folders from it. Here’s how you can recover deleted folders on Mac using the Trash:
- Click on the “Trash” icon visible on the “Dock.”
- Once you enter Trash, select the folders you want to recover. Now, you have two options:
- You can right-click on the selected folder and click on the “Put Back” option to return it to its original location.
- Or you can drag the selected folder from the Trash to the desktop screen. Drag it again to put it in a folder of your choice.
With this, you will be able to restore your deleted folders from the Trash.
2. Use Time Machine to Recover the Deleted Folders on Mac
Do you use Time Machine to back up your Mac’s data from time to time? That’s great news. Now, you can use one of the previously saved backup files to recover your lost folders. Here’s how you can do it:
- Connect the storage media with the Time Machine backup files to your Mac.
- Next, click on the “Time Machine” icon from the “Finder” menu.
- Now, select the “Enter Time Machine” option.
- Open the backup file that was saved before the deletion of the folder you’re looking for. Once you find the folder, select it, and click on the “Restore” button.
That’s it. You have successfully restored your deleted folders using Time Machine.
3. Utilize Third-party Data Recovery Software for Folder Rescue on Mac
What if the folder you’re looking for isn’t in Trash and you never made any Time Machine backups either? In this case, you need to rely on third-party professional data recovery software. Of course, you are free to choose which data recovery application you would like to select for your Mac. But make sure that the data restoration app of your choice is from a reputable company and has many positive reviews.
Please note that most professional data recovery applications have a comparable user interface and general recovery process. Therefore, you can follow our guidelines to retrieve your folders regardless of the name. Here’s how you can use the data retrieval applications to restore the deleted folders:
- Launch the data restoration software on your Mac.
- Now, select the drive where your folder was located before deletion.
- After that, click on the “Search for lost data” or “Scan” option to start the scanning process.
- Once the scan is complete, the software will show all the recoverable files and folders. Use the in-app filters to narrow your search down to the deleted folders.
- Once you find the folder you’re looking to restore, select it and click on the “Recover” option.
- Select a location where you would like to save the restored folder and click on the “Choose” option to finalize it.
Everything is complete at this point. Wait a few moments and your selected folders will be downloaded to your chosen location.
