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Help: How to recover third-party software deleted files on Mac?

I accidentally deleted several hundreds of photos and files using the Semantec software. I didn't empty the trash can and I want to restore them to their original folders. Is there an option to do that with Mac's built-in tools, like the simple ancient "Restore File" option in windows operating systems? Thank You.

Best Answered by

Jenny Zeng

Answered on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Files deleted by third-party software won't go to the Trash can, so there's no simple button you can click to restore your deleted files. But you can still check your iCloud to see if the deleted photos and files are there. Here's how to do it:

  1. Log into icloud.com.
  2. Locate and open the Photos app.
  3. Check if you can find the deleted photos.
  4. Click the Drive section and look for your deleted files in the "Recently Deleted" folder.
  5. Click the upper-right square icon and select "Data Recovery."
  6. Check for the deleted files.

If iCloud wasn't helpful, unless you have a Time Machine backup that you can restore from, the only viable choice left is to use a data recovery tool. With it, there's still a chance to recover the deleted files on Mac as long as they are not overwritten.

My favorite data recovery software is iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. It's capable of recovering all sorts of deleted files on Mac, including photos, documents, pdfs, numbers spreadsheets, ppts, audio, videos, emails, etc.

You can use it on Intel-based and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 13 Ventura ~ Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Here's how to use it to recover your deleted files on Mac:

Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

Step 2: Open the app, select your internal hard drive, and click "Search for Lost Data."

Step 3: Filter found files by type or path.

Step 4: Preview the deleted files for free.

Step 5: Check the boxes next to the files you want to restore, and click the Recover button to save them to a different storage device.