How to Fix a Folder Missing on Hard Drive After macOS Big Sur Update?

So I updated Big Sur from Mojave and now all of my folders are missing from my internal hard drive on my iMac. The only folders listed on my HD now are the following: Applications, Library, System, and Users. Everything else I've had on the HD is missing. If I can remember a name of a missing file, I can see it using Spotlight but it doesn't tell me where it's located. When I go into iCloud Drive it's just a big jumbled mess of files without organization. I am the only user on this iMac. Should I consider restoring my files pre-Big Sur install from the Time Machine external drive? Any other thoughts?

Best Answered by

Vain Rowe

Answered on Thursday, March 9, 2023

Hi there, based on your description, I recommend you to look in /Users/Shared/Relocated Items. You can press the Command + Space keys and then type in /Users to locate the Previously Relocated Items.

You can move the items from the folder into your Home folder where they belong. But you should bear in mind that you can't store them at the room level of the startup disk since this disk is mounted Read Only.

Meanwhile, your statement was wrong because Macintosh HD - Data is not an external drive but an internal drive. Apple split the startup disk into two separate volumes macOS Catalina: Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data.

If you still want to store your files in the root level of the startup drive, you can revert to the macOS Mojave and restore them from the Time Machine external drive right now. Good luck!

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