Numbers file deleted by shortcut?!?

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Level 1

61 points

Numbers file deleted by shortcut?!?

I was redoing a shortcut using Siri AI that would open the calendar on one side of the screen and a particular .numbers file on the left side. I made a shortcut that worked and created a long time ago before Siri AI. Then today I decided to see if Siri AI could make a better shortcut. When I tried to do that, it seemed like it opened correctly at first, then I tried the shortcut again and then it could not find the numbers file. After that, I started looking for the numbers file and it was nowhere on my laptop, iCloud, not even in my time machine files! I cannot find the spreadsheet that I've been working on for years. IM on GG 27.0.1

MacBook Pro (M5, 2025)

Posted on Oct 8, 2026 12:08 PM

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Answer 1

6x6

Level 7

25,985 points

Oct 8, 2026 5:48 PM in response to Maynerd69

See if your Numbers file was moved to Trash. Otherwise, use Finder to search for the filename. Finally, if your file was on iCloud Drive, it could be in the subfolder Numbers on iCloud Drive.

If you use Time Machine, you could restore the integrality of your Mac using a backup made before the mishap. That would surely restore the file.

Do make a new Time Machine backup before your restore your Mac. This way you'll be able to view your file and move somewhere safe (external drive for instance) before restoring your Mac using the latest backup.

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Answer 2

6x6

Level 7

25,985 points

Oct 10, 2026 1:58 PM in response to Maynerd69

If the file was deleted from iCloud, the iCloud synchronization might be deleting the file again when you restore a full backup. Turn off your Wi-Fi router and disconnect Ethernet (if applicable) before restoring your Mac from a backup.

(Turning off Wi-Fi on your Mac might not be sufficient. I'm thinking that the backup restore might turn Wi-Fi back on.)

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Answer 3

Maynerd69 Author

Level 1

61 points

Oct 10, 2026 1:48 PM in response to 6x6

Tried everything suggested and then some. The file has disappeared.

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