Files deleted by mistake from Macbook Pro - recommended software to retrieve deleted files?

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VonKaj Author

Level 1

4 points

Files deleted by mistake from Macbook Pro - recommended software to retrieve deleted files?

Hi,

I tried to move some personal files from a MacBook to OneDrive.

During the process, I pressed involuntary the wrong button, and I lost all those files.

They have been permanently deleted from my laptop (nothing in the trash bin) and never transferred to OneDrive.

Time Machine cannot be used - no prior config with an external disk.

The only solution the Apple Support gave was to install a software to retrieve deleted files.

I tried with a couple of them, free license, I retrieved hundreds of useless unwanted files and stuff deleted years and years ago, but not the few ones I needed.

Could you please recommend any software to retrieve these deleted files? Of course, I expect to pay a license to make it work. But I am afraid to pay for it and then to find again the same bunch of ol' stuff deleted years ago.

Thanks for your help.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Feb 21, 2023 3:20 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

133,201 points

Feb 21, 2023 5:13 AM in response to VonKaj

When you retrieved those files before, it was certainly from a Rotating Magnetic drive, NOT an SSD drive.

If those files were on an SSD such as the Boot SSD drive, within a few seconds of emptying the Trash, your files are GONE, and the blocks that held them are erased for new data.

The only software that can bring them back is called Time Machine, and you have to have set that up ahead of time. (which would be a good idea to do now.)

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

60,362 points

Feb 21, 2023 2:18 PM in response to VonKaj

Those data recovery utilities basically work the same way so you usually get the same results.

It has been many years since I used a data recovery utility on macOS so I don't recall specifics, but I do know that many times the files found may not have any file names associated with them (hundreds of thousands), but those unnamed files may contain the data you are looking for, however the problem becomes how to differentiate the files you want from all the junk of temp & cache files used by macOS and all your apps...There is no simple way.

Make sure you are selecting the proper drive to scan when using a data recovery app. Some data recovery apps may have different modes such as a "quick scan" and a "thorough scan" options or some such. You may need to do the "thorough" scan option....and don't disregard any unnamed files, but most of those unnamed files will be junk temp & cache files. Data recovery is never easy or guaranteed. For macOS data recovery we used to use Data Rescue, but there are other equally good options out there.

It is impossible to recover accidentally deleted data from an SSD after the Trash has been emptied due to how SSDs work, or when data is deleted immediately bypassing the Trash. With hard drives, data can usually be recovered as long as it has not yet been overwritten.

You can always contact a professional data recovery service such as Drive Savers. They provide free estimates and are recommended by Apple and other OEMs.