How to Recover Deleted Files from Emptied Trash Bin on Mac - Qiling  

Mac Trash Recovery Guide: Recover Deleted Files from Trash on Mac


Key Takeaways for Mac Trash Recovery
  • Mac Trash is a folder/application that is used to keep deleted files from the Mac internal drive and a variety of external drives (USB flash drive, Pendrive, SD card, TF card...)
  • Mac allows users to retrieve temporarily deleted files from Trash by the Put Back option
  • System Preference has an option to keep Trash files for 30 days, later all deleted items will be emptied from Trash
  • Option+Command (⌘)+Delete, Delete Immediately and Empty Trash is meant to delete files permanently, you cannot undo any of the actions to retrieve files
  • Permanently deleted files will bypass the Trash and delete forever

Can you recover deleted files from Trash on Mac? How about you have emptied Trash? Is there any chance to undo empty trash to get your documents, pictures, videos, or audio files back? Don't panic. As long as you take care of the lost data by taking the right measures, you can easily undelete files from Trash on Mac, or rely on capable Mac data recovery software for a full recovery.

※ A small tip:  Simply press the Command (⌘)+Z keyboard shortcut so you can undo the last performed action of deleting a file/folder.

Method 1. How to Recover Deleted Files from Trash on Mac

Applies to whom:

The trash Bin in Mac functions the same as Recycle bin in Windows computers, which is designed to provide a temporary place for holding deleted files and data. If you realize that you have deleted something important you didn't mean to, you can restore it from the Trash bin easily.

Follow how-to:

Recover Mac Trash files by put back

※ Restored files are sent to their original location before getting deleted.

Method 2. How to Recover Deleted Files from Emptied Trash on Mac

Applies to whom:

methods of permanently delete mac files

However, it's not always that simple to recover lost files if you have emptied the Trash bin. In this regard, you need a more capable way to undelete files from emptied Trash on Mac.

Data recovery software is a wise solution for any data loss situation. Whether you emptied the Trash bin or permanently deleted files on your Mac, it can scan and recover all types of lost data. It is worth mentioning that the data recovery software not only supports the recovery of Mac internal disk data but also applies to external storage devices like SD cards or external HDDs.

What makes data recovery software mighty:

Every time a file is deleted, the system will mark the storage space where the file is located as empty, but the deleted file is actually kept in the storage device until the storage space is overwritten by other data. This is how data recovery software works. It scans and finds all deleted files before they are overwritten and restores them to a safe location. Deep Data Recovery for Mac is such a data recovery tool. Here are the reasons why we recommend it.

Qiling Emptied Trash Recovery Tool:

  • Deleted Mac file recovery in Trash or losing access to Trash
  • Compatible with macOS from the latest Monterey to Mavericks.
  • Support recovering more than 1000 types of files and previewing recoverable files for free.
  • Highly improved operational efficiency on M1 Chip.

Tips for increasing data recovery rate:

Follow how-to:

Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. Select the location where your important data & files were deleted and click the "Scan" button.

select the location where data was deleted and click scan

Step 3. The software will run both quick scan and deep scan and work hard to find as many deleted files as possible on the selected volume.

click recover now button to recover deleted files

Step 4. The scan results will be displayed in the left pane. Just select the file(s) and click the "Recover" button to get them back.

Undo Empty Trash Mac Related Questions

Here are some related questions that you may be interested in. Read on and solve your problems easily.

1. Where is the trash on Mac?

Usually, it is on the desktop. If it is not there, click its icon in the Dock. A Finder window called Trash opens and displays any files it contains. To retrieve an item that is already in the Trash, drag it back out, either onto the Desktop or back into the folder where it belongs.

2. Where do deleted files go after emptying Trash?

Files that are moved to the Trash can when you delete them. If you empty the Trash, these files are still located on the hard drive and can be retrieved with the right software.

3. Can I recover emptied trash on a Mac?

Yes. It's a piece of cake to recover files from Mac emptied Trash with the help of Deep Data Recovery Mac. It only takes three steps to recover files from emptied Trash:

Step 1. Select the location and click the Scan button.

Step 2. The software will run both a quick scan and a deep scan to find lost files.

Step 3. Select the file(s) and click the Recover Now button to get them back.

4. How do you empty the trash on a Mac?

You can also empty the Trash from any open Finder window by holding down the Command + Shift + Delete keys.

Related Articles


Is this information helpful?     

What can we do to improve this information? (Optional)
Refresh Please enter the verification code!