Recover Deleted Files after Emptying Trash on a Mac

When you use the command + delete key combination on your Mac or drag and drop unnecessary files to Trash, they are temporarily deleted and sent to the Trash/Bin folder. These files and folders can be easily recovered and restored from the Trash. However, if you empty Trash or Mac automatically empties Trash after 30 days, then the deleted files are lost.

Most Mac systems also use SSDs over HDDs. SSDs have TRIM functionality, enabled by default, to remove deleted file traces. This makes file recovery impossible. Therefore, in this situation, you should not shut down your Mac. This will prevent the TRIM command from flushing the memories and making file recovery impossible.

If you have accidentally emptied Trash on your Mac, you can recover the deleted files by using specialized Mac data recovery software or your data backups.

Recover Deleted Files after Emptying Trash

In case you have accidentally deleted files from Trash, there is still hope to recover your files. You can rely on professional Mac data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to recover deleted files after emptying Trash.

Here are the steps for macOS Trash recovery –

• Download and install Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.
• Launch the software and select the type of files that you want to recover from the "Select What To Recover" screen. Click Next.
• Select the startup disk (Macintosh HD) from the "Select Location" screen to perform data recovery from Trash. This is because Trash is located on the startup disk, and you need to recover data from Trash.

Note – In the case of macOS Catalina, Mojave & High Sierra, and later, you will need to disable system integrity protection to perform data recovery from the startup disk.

• Toggle on the Deep Scan switch and click Scan to start the scanning process. This advanced scan mode scans your drive rigorously based on a file signature. It takes longer to scan but shows a comprehensive result.
• After successful completion of scanning, the software lists all the recoverable files and folders present in the drive under Classic, File, and Deleted Lists. Select Deleted List, then navigate the folders.

Tip – To avoid rescanning the drive, save the scan information by using the Save Scan feature of the software. You can use the Load Scan feature to use the saved scan list anytime and recover data at your convenience.

• From the right pane, double-click a file to preview. If you can’t find your deleted file(s), then;
• Select all the required files or folders and then click Recover. Select a different drive volume, or preferably an external storage drive, to start saving the recoverable files.

Using Data Backups to Restore Deleted Files on Mac

Apart from using the software, you can also use data backups to restore deleted from  Trash.

Solution 1: Restore Deleted Files from Time Machine Backup

Time Machine is a macOS utility that facilitates backup of files, folders, and partitions. It can be used to restore the entire macOS or specific files and folders. The software can effectively restore documents, videos, photos, emails, audio, etc., from a Time Machine backup drive.

Solution 2: Use iCloud to Restore Deleted Files

You can also use iCloud backups to restore and recover files deleted after emptying Trash. You need to log in to your Mac, locate iCloud Drive in the Settings and follow the steps given in this guide to restore deleted files using iCloud Drive.

Solution 3: Use external drive backups to restore deleted files from Trash

If you have created data backups on external drives like HDDs & SSDs, you can use them to locate and recover files deleted after emptying Trash.

Conclusion

While clearing unnecessary files from Trash on Mac, we sometimes accidentally delete important files. For an average user, this can mean the end of the line for files. But this is not the end. It is very much possible to recover deleted files lost after emptying the Trash on a Mac using the methods explained above. Additionally, a data recovery software can play a crucial role as it can help you recover deleted files after emptying Trash.

Additionally, here is a small tip to prevent unnecessary data loss – follow the 3-2-1 backup technique.