How to Undelete Files on Mac OS [5 Steps Only, 2023]

If you are looking for software to help you undelete files on Mac, you’ve come to the right place. Disk Drill is the premier file recovery app for Mac OS X. If you’ve emptied your Trash and then realized that you need one of the files you deleted, we can help. Read on to learn all about how to undelete files on Mac — whether they are on your hard drive, an external drive, flash drive or camera disk.

Below is just a quick overview of the steps. For detailed tutorials, see How to Install Disk Drill and How to Recover Lost Files with Disk Drill Basic in our Knowledgebase. Note that there are special steps you should take if you are trying to recover files from your Mac's internal hard drive.

Undelete files on a Mac using Disk Drill Data Recovery software

Use these steps to undelete files from your OS X computer or laptop.

1. Download and Install Disk Drill for Mac

Download and install Disk Drill for Mac. Don’t download the file to the device that has lost data as this risks overwriting the items you hope to recover. If the deleted information was on your computer’s main disk, use an external device to download and install the software.

2. Connect Device to Your Mac

Connect an external device if necessary and launch the application. Select the device from the list of available disks in the main window.

3. Start Scanning for Lost Files

Click the Recover button to start scanning the selected device for deleted data. For the best recovery results, you should allow Disk Drill to run all of its scanning algorithms in the optimal order. You can select this option or choose to run a Quick scan to search for recently deleted data or a Deep scan that searches the device on a sector level to reconstruct hard to find files. We suggest that using the full scanning power of Disk Drill will allow you to recover the maximum amount of data. Scans can be paused and restarted at your convenience and the results can be filtered so you only see the recovered files that matter to you.

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4. Preview Found Files

Preview the recoverable files and select those that you want to restore. Choose a new storage location where the recovered data will be saved. Do not use the device that had lost data to prevent file corruption during recovery.

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5. Undelete Files on Mac

Click the Recover button a second time to perform the recovery after specifying the storage location. Disk Drill will recover your files to the safe storage location so they can be accessed by the system and applications.

Disk Drill: Professional Mac Undelete Freeware

There are many benefits to using Disk Drill to undelete OS X files from your Mac or MacBook. Here are some of the features that set Disk Drill apart from its competitors:

Preview all recoverable files before upgrading to the Pro version of the tool
Advanced scanning algorithms for a more complete recovery
User-friendly interface that takes the stress out of the recovery process
Free data protection with Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery
Free byte-level backups that can be used to guard against failing storage devices
Free S.M.A.R.T. monitoring to ensure the health of your computer’s disks

Undelete Files on Mac from Any Type of Storage Device

Disk Drill is fully compatible with all types of disk-based storage devices that you might find yourself using with your Mac. Whether you need to recover deleted files from your Mac Trash or have accidentally formatted a memory card, Disk Drill can get your files back.

PC / Mac

Dell®, HP®, Acer®, Asus®, MacBook Pro®, MacBook Air®, Apple iMac® and more

HDD / SSD*

HP®, Samsung®, Seagate®, Toshiba®, WD®, LaCie®, Intel®, Adata® and more

USB Drive

SanDisk®, Samsung®, Kingston®, Corsair®, Patriot®, PNY®, Verbatim®, Silicon Power® and more

SD / CF Card

SanDisk®, Transcend®, Toshiba®, Lexar®, Integral®, SP®, PNY®, Kingston® and more

Digital Camera

Samsung®, HP®, Sony®, GoPro®, Canon®, Sigma®, Nikon®, Epson®, Panasonic® and more

iPhone / Android

Samsung Galaxy®, iPhone®, Lenovo®, Huawei®, OnePlus®, Google Pixel®, LG® and more

File Types Supported by Mac OS Undelete Software

Disk Drill can handle virtually any type of file you need to undelete from your Mac home folder or other storage location. The tool provides the best way to recover your valuable video, audio, image, document, and archive files with just a few clicks of your mouse. Its deep scanning algorithms recognize and reconstruct over 400 different file types.

Data Protection is Important

The best way to undelete data on Mac is to protect it beforehand. Free Disk Drill offers multiple options of protecting your important files: Guaranteed Recovery, Recovery Vault, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring. With these protection features you save yourself lots of effort and time and don't even worry about ever losing your files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated on Jan 31, 2023 by Disk Drill Team

Can I recover deleted files on Mac?

Yes, you can. Deleted files can be restored with data recovery software on your Mac. When macOS deletes a file, it does not physically remove it from its storage media. It simply marks the space previously occupied by the files as available for use. Until that space is reused and the data is overwritten, the original file can be recovered.

How to recover permanently deleted files on Mac?

You can recover permanently deleted files on Mac using Time Machine:

Connect your Time Machine backup drive to your Mac.
Launch Time Machine using Spotlight or by clicking on its menu bar icon.
Navigate to the folder where the deleted files were located.
Use Time Machine's timeline to choose a backup that contains your permanently deleted files.
Select the files you want to recover and click "Restore" to undelete them.

How do I recover deleted files on my Mac for free?

Recovery Vault is a feature included in the free version of Disk Drill that can recover deleted files from your Mac. You can designate specific files or folders to be protected as well as the length of time they will remain in the vault. When a protected file is deleted it can easily be restored from the Recovery Vault.

How to undelete files on Mac without software?

The best way to undelete files on Mac without software is with a Time Machine backup. Follow these steps:

Connect the storage media containing the backup to your Mac.
Open a Finder window of the location that contained the deleted files.
Launch Time Machine by clicking the clock icon on the menu bar.
Select the items to recover.
Click Restore.

How do I recover overwritten files on Mac?

Once a file has been overwritten, it usually cannot be restored with data recovery software. You can try scanning with Disk Drill to scavenge any recoverable data. You probably need to have a backup of the file if you want to retrieve it. Follow these general steps:

Connect the backup storage media to your computer.
Start the backup and recovery program.
Search for the lost data and select it for restoration.
Perform the recovery.

Can I undelete files on macOS Big Sur?

Yes, you can undelete files on Big Sur, the newest version of macOS. The Trash Bin is there and can be used to restore recently deleted files. In some situations, you can use the Command - Z shortcut to recover deleted data. Disk Drill is fully compatible with all versions of macOS and can help you recover from any data loss scenario.

Can I undelete files on macOS Monterey?

Yes, it’s possible to undelete files on macOS Monterey using Time Machine, Apple’s incremental backup feature. To do so:

Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar.
Select Enter Time Machine.
Navigate to the folder where your files were stored.
Select and recover your files.

Can I undelete files on macOS Ventura?

Yes, it's possible to undelete files on macOS Ventura. Recently deleted files can be undeleted from the Trash folder, while permanently deleted files can be undeleted using data recovery software like Disk Drill.