Mac Terminal<\/a> is a command-line interface that provides direct access to macOS’s Unix-based system. It’s typically used by administrators, software developers, and power users to execute text-based commands that change system settings, compile software, manage files, and much more.<\/p>\r\n ✅ What Mac Terminal CAN do for data recovery:<\/b><\/p>\r\n ⛔️ What Terminal CANNOT do for data recovery:<\/b><\/p>\r\n In summary, Terminal is most useful for simple file recovery when items are still in the Trash. It’s not useful if the Trash has been emptied. Terminal in the context of recovery simply replaces (or rather duplicates) what you can do using the macOS UI.<\/p>\r\n So if your files are still in the Trash, you can actually just open it and drag them out.<\/p>\r\n But if you’re determined to use Terminal to recover deleted files on Mac (maybe there are some issues with Finder that make it impossible for you to access Trash the easy way), or you just want to learn how the command line works, here are the steps you can follow to recover emptied trash on Mac<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n Your recovered file should now appear in your home folder. It’s also possible to recover them to a different location. To do that, simply replace ..\/<\/kbd> in step 3 with your desired path, such as ~\/Desktop\/<\/kbd> for the Desktop or ~\/Documents\/<\/kbd> for the Documents folder.<\/p>\r\n When Terminal commands fail to recover your deleted files (happens whenever you’ve emptied the Trash or files bypassed it entirely), you need Mac data recovery software<\/a> that can dig deeper into your storage device.<\/p>\r\n Data recovery software examines your disk at a much lower level than Terminal ever could by scanning for file signatures and analyzing available file system information. Disk Drill, ranked first among the best data recovery software for Mac<\/a>, offers free scanning that shows you precisely which files can be restored, complete with previews, so you know whether recovery is worth pursuing.<\/p>\r\n Here’s how to recover deleted files on Mac with Disk Drill:<\/b><\/p>\r\n As you can see, the recovery process with Disk Drill is straightforward, but the results can vary greatly depending on your Mac.<\/p>\r\n If your Mac uses an SSD (all modern Macs do), recovery becomes significantly more difficult due to TRIM technology<\/a>, which immediately erases storage blocks after file deletion to prepare them for use. That’s why it’s important to begin the recovery process as soon as you can. For detailed information about these challenges and specialized techniques, check out our guide on Mac SSD data recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n We dug around and found a couple more methods you can use to recover deleted files on Mac besides Terminal commands. While the helpfulness of these approaches depends on various factors, this article wouldn’t be complete without covering them, especially since attempts to recover emptied trash on Mac using Terminal deliver good results only in a limited number of situations.<\/p>\r\n If you prefer CLI tools or are looking for free solutions, PhotoRec<\/a> and TestDisk<\/a> form an excellent open-source bundle that can solve a number of your data recovery problems.<\/p>\r\n PhotoRec specializes in recovering deleted files directly from your storage device by detecting their signatures. Despite its name, it supports hundreds of file formats, so it can handle everything from documents to videos on accessible drives.<\/p>\r\n The main limitations are that it can’t recover original file names and folder structures, which means you’ll need to sort through recovered files manually. Additionally, PhotoRec is unable to access system partitions on Macs with Apple Silicon (M1-M4) or T2 security chips due to their hardware encryption and security features (it can only work with external drives or secondary partitions on these systems).<\/p>\r\n To install and use PhotoRec:<\/b><\/p>\r\n While PhotoRec handles individual files, TestDisk is best suited for scenarios where you’ve accidentally deleted an entire partition<\/a> or need to repair a damaged file system because it recovers file system information rather than individual files.<\/p>\r\n How to use TestDisk for partition recovery:<\/b><\/p>\r\n Time Machine remains one of the most reliable ways to recover deleted files on Mac, and it’s especially effective for recovering overwritten files on Mac<\/a> (something that neither Terminal commands nor recovery tools can accomplish). However, it can only help if it was already enabled before you lost your files.<\/p>\r\n Follow these steps to restore from Time Machine:<\/b><\/p>\r\n![\"Recover](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/terminal-in-mac-os.jpg\")
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In the following sections of this article, we’ll show you how to use Terminal to recover deleted files that haven’t been permanently removed. However, if you’ve already emptied the Trash or your files bypassed it entirely, don’t lose hope as you can jump directly to more effective data recovery methods<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>How to Recover Deleted Files Using Mac Terminal<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
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![\"Mac](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/move-file-from-trash-with-terminal.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t<\/span>What to Do When Mac Terminal Proves Ineffective?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
⚠️ Important<\/b>: Stop using your Mac immediately if you need to recover deleted files. Every moment you continue using your drive risks overwriting the deleted data permanently.<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t
![\"Install](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/install-disk-drill-tahoe.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"Disk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/disk-drill-search-for-lost-data-tahoe-external-hdd.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"Universal](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/universal-scan-disk-drill.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"Disk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/disk-drill-tahoe-file-selection.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"Disk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/disk-drill-recovery-destination-tahoe-selection.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/span>Are There Other Methods Besides Terminal for Data Recovery?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
<\/span>Option 1:<\/span> Run Alternative Command Line Tools<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
PhotoRec (File Recovery Tool)<\/h4>\r\n
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![\"Install](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/install-homebrew-tahoe.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"PhotoRec](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/photorec-select-disk.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"PhotoRec](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/photorec-file-system-select.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"PhotoRec](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/photorec-destination-select.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t🔗 To learn more about PhotoRec’s capabilities and limitations, you can read our detailed PhotoRec review<\/a>.<\/div>\r\nTestDisk (Partition Recovery Tool)<\/h4>\r\n
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![\"Run](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sudo-testdisk.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"TestDisk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/testdisk-analyse.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t![\"TestDisk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/testdisk-results.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t🔗 TestDisk can seem intimidating at first, but our TestDisk review<\/a> covers its capabilities in detail, so we encourage you to check it out.<\/div>\r\n<\/span>Option 2:<\/span> Utilize Time Machine Backups<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\r\n
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![\"Recover](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/recover-deleted-files-via-time-machine.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t💡 About local snapshots<\/b>: Modern versions of macOS automatically create local snapshots as part of the Time Machine feature, even when your backup disk isn’t connected. These APFS snapshots<\/a> are stored on your startup disk and captured hourly for up to 24 hours, then maintained as daily snapshots until space is needed. Thanks to them, you might be able to recover recently deleted files even without an external backup drive.<\/div>\r\n
![\"apple](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/apple.png\")
<\/div>![\"Trash\"](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Trash-Full-icon.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/div>![\"Deleted](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Deleted-Files-Search-Icon.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/div>![\"windows\"](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/windows.png\")
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