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Recover Overwritten Files on Mac with/without Time Machine

Updated on Saturday, December 7, 2024

iBoysoft author Connie Yang

Written by

Connie Yang
Professional tech editor

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Jessica Shee

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Summary: This post shows how to recover overwritten or replaced files on Mac with or without Time Machine backups. To restore replaced files, try the easiest way - using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

how to recover replaced or overwritten files on Mac

You accidentally click "Replace" on the pop-up window that warns you the file with the same name already exists in the exact location on your Mac, consequently, you lose the original file. So, can you recover overwritten files on Mac? The answer is Yes.

But different from deleted files that may remain in Trash, an overwritten file usually won't be stored in any destination on your Mac. If you want to learn how to recover replaced files on your Mac, please follow this article. This post offers different ways to help you recover the replaced Word documents, Excel files, PowerPoint files, Pages files, PDFs, or other types of files from Mac computers.

Ways to restore overwritten Word documents, Excel files, PPT files, and others on a Mac:

MethodsApplicable situationsData Recovery Success Rate
Utilize cloud storage1. You've turned on the cloud storage service before replacing the file. 
2. The file is replaced within 30 days.
Low if you haven't enabled cloud storage.
Try the file editing app's native restore functionThe software has a reversion feature.High if you notice data is replaced just now. Low if you've saved the changes.
Use Time MachineYou've enabled Time Machine automatic backup before the file is overwritten.Low if you don't have a Time Machine backup.
Use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac1. You fail to restore the replaced file in the above ways. 
2. You need the lost file in a hurry.
High no matter which situation you are in.

Try iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to let it help you quickly scan the replaced files on your Mac for free and recover overwritten files with one click.

How to recover replaced files on Mac without Time Machine?

For most of you, it is in low-possibility that you've backed up your Mac with Time Machine just before the document is replaced.  Thus, using Time Machine (mentioned in the next part) is not a common solution for you to get back the overwritten file.

To recover replaced files on your Mac without a Time Machine backup, you can utilize data recovery tools,  cloud backups, or the built-in reversion function of the apps.

Recover the overwritten files with data recovery software (The easiest way)

If, unfortunately, you haven't backed up your Mac recently with Time Machine or a cloud storage service. To restore the replaced files on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or so, you can get help from data recovery software.

Data recovery software can scan the files that are no longer stored on your Mac, including the replaced, inaccessible, unsaved, and deleted files. Then, it tries its best effort to retrieve lost files on your Mac machine.

Here, we highly recommend the secure and easy-to-operate iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. This Apple-trusted Mac data recovery app can scan your entire Mac hard drive and detect overwritten files with reliable, secure, and advanced algorithms. Then, returning all the lost data it scanned for you.

More importantly, it is designed with a user-friendly UI and has an on-screen guide which anyone who knows nothing about technology can do.

Here's how to recover replaced files on Mac using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac:

  1. Free download, install and launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your Mac.
  2. Select your Mac hard drive and click "Search for Lost Data"  to find the lost files. 
    scan macOS Data volume 
  3. Preview the scanning results by type to find the replaced Word file, Excel file, PPT, or other. 
    list found files by type 
  4. Click "Recover" to get back your wanted files.

Then, the restored files will be saved to your Mac or the external storage device that you choose. Easy enough, right?

Recover the replaced files using the app's built-in restore feature

Nowadays, many apps are designed with restore functions. If you've replaced a document within an app, go to check if it supplies a restoration option. Just like Apple's TextEdit app, it offers you a chance to revert to the previous versions of documents.

To check if there's a restoration feature available within the document editing app you use, go to the top Apple navigation bar. If it has, click "File" > "Revert to" or similar options to check the version history of the accidentally replaced file. Next, look through the previous versions of the file and restore the desired original file.

Revert replaced files within app

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