How to Restore Deleted Items from Mac Trash Without the Need for Any Software

How to recover emptied trash on Mac without software

Accidentally deleting important files from the trash on your Mac can be a distressing experience. However, you don’t necessarily need to rely on third-party software to recover your lost data. In this article, we will explore various methods to recover emptied trash on Mac without installing any additional software.

1. Check the Recently Deleted Folder

When you delete a file, it is initially moved to the Recently Deleted folder, which acts as a temporary storage for deleted items. If you haven’t emptied the trash yet, you can recover your files from this folder. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Finder on your Mac.
2. Click on the “Recently Deleted” folder on the sidebar.
3. Select the files you want to recover.
4. Right-click on the selected files and choose “Put Back” to restore them to their original location.

2. Use the “Recover from Time Machine” Option

Time Machine is a built-in feature on Mac that automatically backs up your data. If you have enabled Time Machine and have a recent backup, you can recover your deleted files from it. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Time Machine by clicking on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar or pressing Command + Shift + T.
2. Use the timeline on the left to navigate to the date when your files were still present.
3. Click on the files you want to recover and drag them back to your Mac.
4. Connect an external drive to your Mac if prompted to save the recovered files to a different location.

3. Use the “Recover from Trash” Option in the Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a built-in Mac tool that can help you recover deleted files from the trash. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open Disk Utility by searching for it in Spotlight (Command + Space) or navigating to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
2. Select the volume that contains the trash (usually your Mac’s startup disk).
3. Click on the “First Aid” tab.
4. Click on “Run” to check and repair any errors on the volume.
5. After the repair process is complete, try to recover your deleted files from the trash again.

4. Restore Files from an External Backup

If you have been using an external backup drive or an online cloud storage service, you can restore your deleted files from there. Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect your external backup drive or access your cloud storage service.
2. Navigate to the location where your files were backed up.
3. Copy the files back to your Mac.

Remember, the success of recovering deleted files from the trash on your Mac without software largely depends on the actions you take immediately after the deletion. Avoid using your Mac for any activity that could overwrite the deleted files, and try the above methods as soon as possible.