How to Restore A Deleted User on Mac and the Files?

data recovery
1

Hello everybody I used my Mac to erase a user account today, however I chose to delete the home folder instead of backing up any files. Can I restore the deleted Mac user account and the files? As the files were extremely important, I would appreciate hearing any suggestions you may have for getting them back.

2

While you delete a Mac user account, a window pops up to ask ā€œAre you sure you want to delete the user account ā€˜usernameā€™?ā€, and provides there options for you, including:

  • Save the home folder in a disk image(The disk image is saved in the Deleted Users folder(in the Users folder).)
  • Donā€™t change the home folder(The home folder remains in the Users folder.)
  • Delete the home folder

If you select the first two options, it is pretty easy to restore the User account and its data. However, if you choose Delete the home folder, it will immediately remove the user account and the files from your Mac. The deleted files wonā€™t go to the Mac Trash, and you canā€™t find them anywhere on your Mac.

In this situation, it is still possible to recover files from a deleted Mac user account, there are two ways, using a backup such as Time Machine or applying third-party data recovery software such as iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

Recover files from a deleted Mac user account via Time Machine backup

If you have created a backup for your Mac before the deletion, you can restore the deleted user files from your backup with ease. Time Machine is the default backup method on macOS. If you have previously enabled Time Machine and plugged the backup drive into your Mac, it should automatically back up the Mac or you have manually backup the Mac when the user data hasnā€™t been removed, you can follow the steps below to recover the user files:

  1. Connect your Mac with the Time Machine backup drive. Enter password if required.
  2. Click the Time Machine icon at the menu bar and choose Enter Time Machine.
  3. Scroll over to find the deleted user folder you need to recover from the Time machine or use the Up/Down arrows.
  4. Select the desired file and press Space Bar to preview it.
  5. Click Restore to recover wanted items. You can check the file at its original location.

If you have backed up certain files of the deleted user with other methods such as iCloud Drive or other cloud storage, external hard drives, etc., you can also get the deleted user files within the backup.

Recover files from a deleted Mac user account with data recovery software

Not everyone has the habit of backing up Mac regularly, and when an unexpected situation happens, third-party data recovery software is what you can rely on to recover lost/deleted files. Among them, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a good choice.

This professional data recovery software is fully compatible with the latest macOS Sequoia and works on both Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs, it can scan the selected internal and external hard drives to search for lost and deleted files, as long as the data hasnā€™t been overwritten, you can recover the desired items with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. Hereā€™s how:

  1. Free download iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
  2. Install and launch the data recovery software, click Storage Devices on the left sidebar, and choose your Mac drive, usually namely Macintosh HD.
  3. Then click the Search for Lost Data and click Start.
  4. Filter the scanned results and preview them to find the wanted items.
  5. Tick the box of wanted files and click Recover.
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3

There is no backup :sob:, and I will try the data recovery software you recommend. I hope it can save the deleted user folder!

4

I have another question, if I delete another user account later, choose one of the first two options: save the home folder in a disk image, or donā€™t change the home folder, how can I restore the user account and the data inside it?

5

Depending on the option you choose while deleting the Mac user account, you can restore the deleted account and data inside it with the corresponding solutions.

Restore the account if you have saved the folder as a disk image

If you select ā€œSave the folder as a disk imageā€ when removing a user account from a Mac, you can apply the steps below to recover the user account and data from the disk image.

  1. Open the Finder and click Go > Go to Folder. Copy & paste /Users/Deleted Users and hit Enter. The deleted userā€™s disk image file will show up named as AccountName.dmg.
  2. Open another Finder window by clicking File > New Finder Window. In this window, navigate to the Users folder.
  3. Press and hold the Option key and drag the disk image onto the Users folder. After that, authenticate it with your Macā€™s password or Touch ID.
  4. Open System Settings, go to Users & Groups > Add Account > enter your Macā€™s admin password, and hit Unlock.
  5. Follow the regular steps to create a new user. Ensure the Account Name is exactly the same as the deleted userā€™s home folder you restored just now.
  6. Follow the onscreen guide, then click Create User. When it prompts ā€œThe Users folder already contains a folder with the same name as the home folder for this accountā€ message, select Use Existing Folder.

Restore the account if you havenā€™t changed the home folder

You can also choose Donā€™t change the home folder while deleting a user account on Mac, it will keep the user folder on your Mac, and you can restore it with the following steps:

  1. Go into the Finder and click Go > Go to Folder. Type /Users and hit Enter.
  2. In the Users folder, locate the user folder of the deleted user account, named Account Name(Deleted).
  3. Select that User(Deleted) folder and hit Enter to rename it. Now, remove the (Deleted) part of the name and leave the rest as it is. Enter your Mac password if asked.
  4. Then, create a new user account on your Mac as usual, and use the same Account Name as the user folder name you see in step 2 above. When prompted, click Use Existing Folder to restore the deleted user account.
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