When you find Mac files disappeared from a folder or they just missing, you must worry about where had they gone, right? Actually, there are many ways available for you to look for where they are. If you can’t find them, there are workarounds to recover them as well. The following we covered 6 ways for how to fix the problem of files disappeared on Mac. If you want to get down to the task of recover missing files on Mac, get iBeesoft file recovery for Mac and let it do the rest for you.
"How do I find missing files on my Mac? Why did my files disappear on Mac? This was no sign at all, no system crash, no suddenly shutdown, no power off."
Mac files disappeared from folder has been a problem that puzzles people. It seems everything went well and nobody noticed that files just disappeared for no reason. No, incidents happen for a reason. Here are the common reasons for files disappearing on Mac.
- Hidden files on Mac
- Files are managed with new feature "Stack" on desktop and you haven’t seen them intuitively
- iCloud sync settings uploading files to iCloud and removed them from Desktop and Documents folder
- you’re signed in as a guest user whose files are not saved
- Accidental deletion of files
No matter how your files disappeared on Mac, you can try the following ways to find them. If you had signed in as a guest user, please check out how to recover files lost in the guest user account. Check out the solutions in detail below.
Solution #1. Show Hidden Files on Mac
Solution #2. View Hidden Files with Stack Feature on Mac
Solution #3. Fix iCloud Sync issue
Solution #4 Restore Files with Time Machine Backup File
Solution #5. Recover Mac Disappeared Files with Best Program
Solution #1. Show Hidden Files on Mac
Sometimes you might have hidden files on Mac without notice. In this case, if you find Mac files disappeared from the folder, please show hidden files first. There are basically 2 ways to show hidden files.
1: Show hidden files in Finder. The shortcut to show hidden files or hide files in Finder is Command+Shift+Dot. Try it. And you can also set up the Finder preferences by opening Finder > click Preferences > Sidebar > Documents.
2: Show hidden files via Terminal. Open Finder > Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal. Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES, and click Return. Press the Option key and click the Finder icon in Dock > Relaunch.
Solution #2. View Hidden Files with Stack Feature on Mac
The new stack feature organizes your files very well on desktop, putting files into groups and free your desktop of clutters. If you find files disappeared on mac, make sure what types of files they are and click to open the corresponding file categories, then you can see the files are on the desktop.
Solution #3. Fix iCloud Sync issue
I have mentioned how to fix Mac desktop empty issue. Actually, if you find files on desktop and documents disappeared on Mac, it is the same solution.
1. Click the Apple icon on the top left > System Preferences > iCloud.
2. Deselect the checkbox for "Desktop & Documents" Folders -> Click Done -> Choose to keep a local copy.
The above mentioned 3 ways are for how to looking for disappearing files on Mac. If you had deleted the files on Mac accidentally, the above-mentioned ways are useless. In this case, you need to follow the 2 ways below to recover or restore missing files from Mac.
Solution #4 Restore Files with Time Machine Backup File
Time Machine is a built-in feature for Mac users to back up Mac. If you have enabled it, then you can restore missing files on Mac with Time Machine backup files.
1. If you use an external hard drive as the storage device for Time Machine backup, then connect it with your Mac.
2. On the top menu bar, click Time Machine and Enter Time Machine.
3. Use the up/down arrows or Timeline to target the disappeared Mac files.
4. Select the needed files and click Restore. You can find the files in their original folder later.
Solution #5. Recover Mac Disappeared Files with Best Program
If you haven’t backed up Mac to Time Machine or any other option to restore the files disappeared from Mac, try iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac. It is a professional tool developed for users to retrieve lost files due to different scenarios. Here are some of its main features.
Your Effective Mac Disappeared File Recovery Software
- Recover files disappeared on Mac no matter how they lost, like deletion, system crash, unexpected interruption in transferring, factory reset, reinstall Mac, virus, or malware.
- Supports over 200 file types widely used daily.
- Simple and easy recovery process: target file types > scan hard drive > preview and recover files disappeared on Mac.
- No jargon, no technical terms. Plain words and high efficiency.
Get the data recovery software to get back Mac files disappeared from folder!!! Click the DOWNLOAD button to get the official version of data recovery for Mac. There will be no incompatibility issues at all. Feel free to do it. BTW, there is no data recovery software available in the App Store. If you have a Windows PC and need to recover missing files from Windows PC, you can try it as well.
Step 1. Select file types and location to scan
Launch the recover disappeared file Mac tool after you install it. After then, you can see all the supported files are selected, being ready to do the scan. You can keep it or deselect unwanted file types. Click "Start". In the next window, please select the location where the files missing from Mac used to exist. Then, click "Scan" to recover files on Mac after deleting or disappearing.
Step 2. Recover files disappeared on Mac
See the process of scanning for disappeared files on Mac? When it stops, you can see all the found files are put into groups in the left panel. Filter file types in the left panel and check out the details on the right side. When finding the files disappear on Mac, select them and click "Recover" to save them on your computer.
It’s very important to back up your Mac, including the important files, either to Time Machine or other types of storage options. It’s the best solution when there is an accident. And the last resort is making use of iBeesoft Data Recovery to recover files you lost on Mac.
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