How do you get something out of the Trash on a Mac?

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How do you get something out of the Trash on a Mac

We’ve all been there – you accidentally delete a file that you actually needed and empty your Trash, or you change your mind about deleting something after it’s been sent to the Trash. Thankfully, it’s usually possible to recover deleted files on a Mac, even after emptying the Trash, as long as you act quickly and don’t overwrite the data.

Can you recover files from the Trash on a Mac after emptying it?

Yes, in most cases you can recover files from the Trash on a Mac even after emptying it. When you delete files on a Mac, they aren’t immediately removed from your hard drive. Instead, they are simply marked as free space to be overwritten by new data. Even when you empty the Trash, the actual file contents remain on your drive until new data overwrites them.

This means there is a window of opportunity between when you empty the Trash and when the deleted data gets overwritten where you can use data recovery software to scan your drive and restore your files. However, it’s important to act fast – the longer you wait, the higher the chance the data will get overwritten and be unrecoverable.

How can you recover deleted files from the Trash on a Mac?

Here are some ways you can try to recover deleted files from the Trash on a Mac:

Use Time Machine backups

If you have Time Machine backups enabled, you may be able to retrieve deleted files from there. Open the Time Machine interface, navigate to the point in time before you deleted the files, find the files in the backup, and restore them.

Try data recovery software

There are many third party Mac data recovery apps available, both free and paid. Some popular options include:

  • Disk Drill
  • Data Rescue
  • Stellar Data Recovery
  • EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

These tools can scan your drive and recover data even after you’ve emptied the Trash. How effective they are depends on how much data has been overwritten.

Undelete with Terminal

If you’re comfortable using the command line, you can try to undelete files from the Trash using Terminal. The rm command in Terminal has a -P option to preserve the contents of files you delete. So you may be able to restore a deleted file by typing:

rm -P /path/to/file

However, this is not guaranteed to work if any part of the file has already been overwritten.

Best practices for recovering files from the Trash

To maximize your chances of successfully recovering deleted files from the Trash on a Mac, follow these best practices:

  • Act quickly – don’t wait to try to recover files.
  • Avoid writing any new data to the drive with the deleted files.
  • Use read-only recovery tools to avoid overwriting data.
  • Have a backup plan like Time Machine in case deletions can’t be reversed.
  • When possible, send files to the Trash before permanent deletion.

Why can’t deleted files be recovered?

There are a few reasons why you may not be able to recover deleted files from the Trash on your Mac:

  • The files were completely overwritten by new data – once this happens, the original contents are unrecoverable.
  • The deleted files were stored on an SSD – SSDs handle deletions differently than traditional hard drives.
  • Secure delete was used – this intentionally shreds file data to prevent recovery.
  • The storage device failed catastrophically.
  • You don’t have backups and waited too long to attempt recovery.

Tips to avoid losing files permanently

Here are some tips to avoid permanently losing files on your Mac:

  • Enable Time Machine backups – this gives you a safety net if you accidentally delete files.
  • Be extra cautious when emptying the Trash – check to make sure you don’t need anything before emptying it.
  • Don’t rely solely on the Trash to recover files – have an external backup as well.
  • Use Trash alternatives like Send to Folder to avoid accidental deletions.
  • Enable deleted file protections in apps like Numbers, Pages, and Keynote.
  • Use file versioning options built into apps like TextEdit.
  • Use caution with secure delete tools – they are designed to prevent recovery.

Recovering files from the Trash vs. a backup

Is it better to try recovering deleted files from the Trash or to restore them from a backup?

Generally, restoring from a backup is more reliable than trying to recover deleted files. Here’s why:

  • Backups provide a known good copy of your files from a point in time before they were deleted.
  • The backup won’t be missing file fragments or have data corruption issues.
  • You avoid the risk of overwriting deleted files during the recovery attempt.
  • Restoring from backup is a simple process.

However, recovering deleted files could still be your only option if:

  • You don’t have a backup to restore from.
  • The backup doesn’t contain the deleted files.
  • You deleted files after the last backup was made.

So while backups are preferable, Trash recovery provides a last resort when needed.

How to avoid using the Trash

If you find yourself needing to recover files from the Trash a little too often, you may want to consider changing how you handle file deletions on your Mac. Here are some tips for avoiding use of the Trash:

  • Use keyboard shortcuts – Option + Command + Delete to delete immediately.
  • Send files to folder instead of Trash – drag files to a holding folder.
  • Disable/remove the Trash icon from the Dock.
  • Use Terminal’s rm command instead of Finder deletions.
  • Use Trash alternatives like Hazel or TrashMagic.
  • Enable deleted file protections in apps to save to Recently Deleted.
  • Adjust finder preferences to always Empty Trash automatically.

For most users, the Trash is still the safest way to delete files on a Mac. But for those who delete and restore files excessively, bypassing the Trash can streamline your workflow.

Conclusion

While accidentally deleting important files can be stressful, in most cases you can recover deleted files from the Trash on your Mac even after emptying it – as long as the data has not been overwritten. Using data recovery software or Time Machine backups provides the best chances of restoring lost files. Just be sure to act quickly before the deleted data gets irreversibly overwritten. Implementing backup strategies and exercising caution when permanenly deleting files can help avoid finding yourself in this situation. But when important files end up in the Trash, don’t panic – you usually have options to get them back.