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Mac Book Pro recovery of deleted files

How do I recover files deleted in trash bin without Time Machine.



Posted on Aug 5, 2020 2:25 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 5, 2020 9:01 PM

Please don't create multiple posts for the same issue. Apple is not here on these forums. We are just other users such as yourself trying to help people. You usually won't get instant answers on forums.


If you have emptied the Trash, then it makes things difficult. If you are using an SSD, then you cannot recover those items due to how SSDs work.


If you are using a hard drive, then you need to immediately stop using the computer. Turn it off right away to minimize having the data overwritten. In order to attempt data recovery you will need to have access to another Mac so you can put the Mac with the deleted data can be put into Target Disk Mode or you will need a bootable external USB drive to boot from in order to run data recovery software. PhotoRec and Data Rescue are two apps that you can use to attempt data recovery. Keep in mind the file names may be missing and you may have to sift through hundreds or thousands of files to locate the items if they still exist.


You can also contact a professional data recovery service such as Drive Savers or Ontrack. Both vendors provide free estimates and both are recommended by Apple.


You need to start frequent & regular backups so you minimize the chances of this happening again in the future.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 5, 2020 9:01 PM in response to maarc21

Please don't create multiple posts for the same issue. Apple is not here on these forums. We are just other users such as yourself trying to help people. You usually won't get instant answers on forums.


If you have emptied the Trash, then it makes things difficult. If you are using an SSD, then you cannot recover those items due to how SSDs work.


If you are using a hard drive, then you need to immediately stop using the computer. Turn it off right away to minimize having the data overwritten. In order to attempt data recovery you will need to have access to another Mac so you can put the Mac with the deleted data can be put into Target Disk Mode or you will need a bootable external USB drive to boot from in order to run data recovery software. PhotoRec and Data Rescue are two apps that you can use to attempt data recovery. Keep in mind the file names may be missing and you may have to sift through hundreds or thousands of files to locate the items if they still exist.


You can also contact a professional data recovery service such as Drive Savers or Ontrack. Both vendors provide free estimates and both are recommended by Apple.


You need to start frequent & regular backups so you minimize the chances of this happening again in the future.

Aug 15, 2020 10:38 AM in response to HWTech

Thank you very much for your reply and I am sorry that I sent two requests with the same problem. It's my first time doing this and a first with the current situation. The file system on my MacBook Pro is HFS+ and I have not been able to restore the emptied files in my trash.

I Will look into the recovery services you and Apple recommend and in the meantime I went to one of this country's local Apple reps to order a bigger memory for my Mac and plus an external HD to keep regular backups.

Again, thank you.

MAARC21



Mac Book Pro recovery of deleted files

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