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Mac desktop files and folders disappeared

HELP! My files and folders have disappeared. I have looked in the desktop folder within my user folder and they aren't there either. Searched in Spotlight for some of the files (that I can remember) . . . not there either. Finally, I have checked in terminal. . . . not shown there either.


What happened? Where did they go? Can they be recovered? Unfortunately, I do not have a backup.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Mar 25, 2017 12:33 AM

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Posted on Mar 25, 2017 12:44 AM

Check your iCloud settings in System Preferences> iCloud>iCloud Drive options

you have probably elected to have Desktop and Document files kept on iCloud.

11 replies

Aug 27, 2017 8:51 AM in response to Steven Stockmeyer

Try quitting System Preferences using the  menu Force quit if necessary.


Copy the files from iCloud Drive to a folder other than Documents and the Desktop. Go to System Preferences/iCloud/iCloud Drive/Options and turn off syncing or if you want to sync, turn off Optimization. Rearrange the files as desired. If desired, you can then delete the files from iCloud if syncing is turned off.

Jul 4, 2017 7:36 PM in response to a.beam.reach

I am in the same boat. No backup. It started when I saw "uninstall.app" for Yahoo It wasn't the classic Yahoo symbol, however, but rather a generic- looking black & white hexagon that said read, "uninstall.app" and "uninstall Yahoo search engine". I uninstalled it and my desktop files disappeared.


A month or so ago Yahoo ( and MacKeeper, for that matter) installed themselves on my computer. Don't know how that happened.


What happened??!!!

Mac desktop files and folders disappeared

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