Trying to retrieve deleted file

I tried time machine: can't go back in time.

Did you create a Time Machine backup prior to deleting the file? Or, any other backup.

Time Machine does not run unless you enable it. If you made a Time Machine backup prior to deleting the file, we may be able to help you work through the problem you are having with it.

Files only get deleted from a computer a month after emptying right?

No, they get deleted as soon as you empty the trash.

Is there a specific reason why we can't go back and retrieve an item from the trash that has been deleted? Is it a space issue? Is it a harder process than the average user understands? Even if it was for a specific time period, then, I suppose someone would always think that it wasn't enough time.

My mistake in cleaning up my desktop so that I could do a backup was deleting files under "Recent" (Which can be found under Finder) I did not know if you deleted files from this area that it would delete the original file from the desktop folder. Hard lesson learned.

You can recover it from the trash. You just can't retrieve it from the trash after you empty the trash...

Just like if you put something in the trash can at home, you can retrieve it before the garbage truck comes and picks up the rubbish... not after.

TLDavis773 wrote:

Is there a specific reason why we can't go back and retrieve an item from the trash that has been deleted? Is it a space issue?

on a mechanical HDD, the reference to the data is removed, but the data still exists until written over. Data recovery software can “recognize” that there was some sort of data and might be able to recover it, if not overwritten.

On an SSD, the storage is marked for deletion, and eventually the bits are reset to be ready for writing. At that point it is gone forever.

No. Once the trash has been emptied, it's gone.