This guide will show you how to recover deleted photos on your Mac. Losing cherished photographs can be an immensely heart-wrenching experience. It might happen in various unforeseen ways: perhaps you’ve unintentionally deleted them, hastily emptied the Trash without a second thought, or encountered the misfortune of a hard drive malfunction. Each scenario carries with it the heavy weight of potentially losing memories that are irreplaceable, moments captured in time that hold significant sentimental value. The very idea of these precious snapshots disappearing into the ether can be profoundly unsettling. Fortunately, there’s a glimmer of hope. For those facing this dilemma, there are multiple strategies you can employ to attempt the recovery of your deleted photos on your Mac, offering a chance to reclaim those lost pieces of your personal history.
Check the Recently Deleted Album
The most straightforward way to recover deleted photos is to check the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app. Photos that have been deleted within the past 30 days are stored in this album, allowing you to easily restore them.
To access the Recently Deleted album, open the Photos app and click on “Albums” in the sidebar. The Recently Deleted album should be listed at the bottom of the sidebar. If it’s locked, you’ll need to enter your Mac’s password to unlock it.
Once you’ve opened the Recently Deleted album, select the photos you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button. The photos will be restored to your Photos library.
Use Third-Party Photo Recovery Software
If the photos you want to recover are no longer in the Recently Deleted album, you can try using third-party photo recovery software. There are numerous photo recovery programs available, both free and paid. Some popular options include Disk Drill, PhotoRec, and EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
To use photo recovery software, you’ll need to download and install the program on your Mac. Then, you’ll need to select the drive or folder where the photos were originally stored. The software will scan the drive or folder and attempt to recover any deleted photos.
Restore from iCloud Photo Library
If you have iCloud Photos turned on, your photos are automatically backed up to iCloud. This means that you may be able to recover deleted photos from iCloud even if they’ve been permanently deleted from your Mac.
To recover photos from iCloud, you can either use the Photos app on your Mac or access iCloud.com from a web browser.
In the Photos app, open the Recently Deleted album and click on the “Recover Items” button in the toolbar. Select the photos you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button again.
On iCloud.com, click on the “Photos” icon and then click on the “Recently Deleted” album. Select the photos you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button.
Restore from Time Machine Backup
If you use Time Machine to back up your Mac, you can restore your Photos library to a previous point in time, thereby recovering any deleted photos.
To restore your Photos library from Time Machine, open Time Machine and select a date before you deleted the photos. Then, navigate to your Photos library and click on the “Restore” button.
Tips for Preventing Photo Loss
To prevent future photo loss, here are some tips:
- Back up your photos regularly. Use Time Machine or an external hard drive to back up your Photos library on a regular basis.
- Enable iCloud Photos. This will automatically back up your photos to iCloud, making them accessible from any device.
- Be careful when deleting photos. Make sure you’re deleting the right photos and that you’re not emptying the Trash accidentally.
- Use photo recovery software as a last resort. Photo recovery software can be effective, but it’s not always guaranteed to work. It’s best to prevent photo loss in the first place by backing up your photos regularly.
Summary
Losing photos can be a distressing experience, but there are steps you can take to recover them. By checking the Recently Deleted album, using third-party photo recovery software, restoring from iCloud Photo Library, or restoring from a Time Machine backup, you can increase your chances of retrieving your lost photos. To prevent future photo loss, make sure to back up your photos regularly and be careful when deleting them.
Image Credit: Arvind Menon
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