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This morning my files and folders disappeared from the desktop. I can get them back via finder but they don't remain on the desktop. They vanish after a very short period! What's going on, how can I get them to stay on the desktop?
MacBook Pro 13″, 13.1
It is possible to toggle the folders syncing with iCloud, so you may want to check those settings. I don't use iCloud, so I'm not really sure I will be of much help in that regards....maybe a more knowledgeable contributor will chime in to assist if the following Apple article is not sufficient:
Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support
Anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software are not needed on a Mac and interferes with the normal operation of macOS. MalwareBytes is the one exception (every rule seems to have an exception) as it is the least intrusive & disruptive of those types of apps, however, I see no reason to have it unless you feel that you have accidentally installed malware or adware...and then only to check it once. Uninstall these types of apps by following the developer's instructions since these types of apps usually cause more problems than they solve, plus they impact system performance. macOS already has great built-in security especially when the user also does their part by practicing safe computing habits as outlined in this excellent article written by a respected forum contributor:
Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community
Still waiting to hear about these items too:
It may help to explain how you get the files back using the Finder.
Try booting into Safe Mode to see if you still have the same problem. You may experience some reduced functionality since third party drivers will not be running...it is important to find out if the issue still occurs while in Safe Mode.
You can also try creating a new macOS user account. Log out of your current user account and log into the new user account. See if the Desktop issue still occurs. If the new user account is fine, then you have some sort of issue with your main macOS user account.
It is possible to toggle the folders syncing with iCloud, so you may want to check those settings. I don't use iCloud, so I'm not really sure I will be of much help in that regards....maybe a more knowledgeable contributor will chime in to assist if the following Apple article is not sufficient:
Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support
Anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software are not needed on a Mac and interferes with the normal operation of macOS. MalwareBytes is the one exception (every rule seems to have an exception) as it is the least intrusive & disruptive of those types of apps, however, I see no reason to have it unless you feel that you have accidentally installed malware or adware...and then only to check it once. Uninstall these types of apps by following the developer's instructions since these types of apps usually cause more problems than they solve, plus they impact system performance. macOS already has great built-in security especially when the user also does their part by practicing safe computing habits as outlined in this excellent article written by a respected forum contributor:
Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community
Still waiting to hear about these items too:
It may help to explain how you get the files back using the Finder.
Try booting into Safe Mode to see if you still have the same problem. You may experience some reduced functionality since third party drivers will not be running...it is important to find out if the issue still occurs while in Safe Mode.
You can also try creating a new macOS user account. Log out of your current user account and log into the new user account. See if the Desktop issue still occurs. If the new user account is fine, then you have some sort of issue with your main macOS user account.
It may help to explain how you get the files back using the Finder.
Is this a new problem or an old problem? If recent, then what has changed on this laptop recently? Did you enable or disable iCloud?
Is it all files & folders stored on the Desktop or only some of them?
Are you using any anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, or third party security software? These types of apps are not needed on a Mac and will interfere with the normal operation of macOS.
Try booting into Safe Mode to see if you still have the same problem. You may experience some reduced functionality since third party drivers will not be running...it is important to find out if the issue still occurs while in Safe Mode.
You can also try creating a new macOS user account. Log out of your current user account and log into the new user account. See if the Desktop issue still occurs. If the new user account is fine, then you have some sort of issue with your main macOS user account.
Thanks for getting back to me. In answer to your questions, 1) It's a new problem and I'm not aware of anything that has changed on the machine. 2) I havn't knowingly disabled iCloud. 3)It is all the files and folders stored on the desktop. 4) I have Dr. Cleaner Elite and Malwarebytes on the mac but they have been on for a long time. This is a new issue.
Files and Folders vanished from Desktop on MacBook Pro
