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User profile for user: Doris853
Doris853 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Missing Pages file

A Pages file in my MacBook is missing. I don't remember I've ever deleted or removed it. I haven't edited it for a year and only found it missing yesterday. The file is still on the list of "Recently opened" but as I click it, nothing shows up. I tried searching in Finder and Spotlight, but there was no result.


Unfortunately, I did not save the file in iCloud, nor do I have a back-up elsewhere. I wonder if anyone has encountered a similar problem. Is there still something I can do to get it back? Thanks a lot in advance!

Posted on Aug 14, 2019 8:45 AM

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User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
116,765 points

Posted on Aug 14, 2019 10:32 AM

Your only sure-fire means to recover a lost file is by consistently using a USB attached Time Machine backup drive. Apple's iCloud is not a permanent backup solution, because if a file is removed from iCloud, there is only a 30-day sliding window where you can recover it. The presence of that filename in a list of Recently opened files is no assurance that the file still exists.


In Spotlight, try the following which will look only for Pages documents that were created within the last 18 months:


kind:pages AND created:>=02/14/2018



Press ⌘-R in the Spotlight results to open a Finder window with the specific document selected.

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User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
116,765 points

Aug 14, 2019 10:32 AM in response to Doris853

Your only sure-fire means to recover a lost file is by consistently using a USB attached Time Machine backup drive. Apple's iCloud is not a permanent backup solution, because if a file is removed from iCloud, there is only a 30-day sliding window where you can recover it. The presence of that filename in a list of Recently opened files is no assurance that the file still exists.


In Spotlight, try the following which will look only for Pages documents that were created within the last 18 months:


kind:pages AND created:>=02/14/2018



Press ⌘-R in the Spotlight results to open a Finder window with the specific document selected.

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Missing Pages file

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