Recover deleted files from emptied trash on macOS

Recover deleted files from emptied trash

Sometimes it happens that you need to recover files that were in the trash before you emptied it. Unfortunately, simply opening the trash and then Time Machine does not work. Time Machine just shows you your home directory. Fortunately, there is a workaround and it is still possible to retrieve the files.

Display hidden files in the Finder

Open the terminal and enter:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE;killall Finder

Retrieve the files

  • Navigate to ~/.Trash in the Finder
  • Open TimeMachine
  • Locate the files and retrieve them

Reset the Finder settings for showing all files

Enter this code in the terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE;killall Finder

Reference

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/recovering-files-in-trash-with-time-machine.1808864/
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-recover-items-in-the-os-x-trash-using-time-machine/

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