Before you start
- Access to your backups or cloud accounts
Method 1 Mac: Time Machine
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Step 1: Open the folder
In Finder, open the folder where the file used to be.
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Step 2: Enter Time Machine
Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose Browse Time Machine Backups (or open Time Machine from Applications).
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Step 3: Go back and restore
Use the timeline to find a date before you deleted it, select the file and click Restore.
Method 2 Cloud storage recycle bins
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Step 1: iCloud Drive
On icloud.com, open Drive > Recently Deleted. Files stay for 30 days. Also check Data Recovery in iCloud settings to restore files.
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Step 2: Google Drive
Open Trash in Drive (items stay 30 days). If you emptied it, contact Google Drive support quickly; recovery isn’t guaranteed. Workspace admins can restore deleted files for up to 25 days after trash is emptied.
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Step 3: OneDrive
Check Recycle bin on onedrive.com, including the Second-stage recycle bin for work accounts.
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Step 4: Dropbox
Go to Deleted files on dropbox.com; files can be restored for 30 days or longer depending on your plan.
Method 3 Phones
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Step 1: Android
Check Files by Google > Trash, Google Photos > Bin (60 days for backed-up items), or Samsung My Files/Gallery > Recycle bin.
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Step 2: iPhone
Check Files > Recently Deleted and Photos > Recently Deleted (30 days).
Method 4 No backup: recovery software
On SSDs and modern Macs with encryption, recovery after emptying the Trash is often impossible because data is cleared quickly.
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Step 1: Stop using the drive
Every new file you save can overwrite deleted data.
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Step 2: Try a recovery tool
PhotoRec (free, Mac/Windows/Linux) recovers many file types. On Windows, see our Recycle Bin recovery guide for Recuva and Windows File Recovery.
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Step 3: Save elsewhere
Always save recovered files to a different drive.
Troubleshooting
Time Machine shows no older versions
Backups may not have run recently. Check System Settings > General > Time Machine, and turn it on for the future.
Frequently asked questions
Can Apple or Google recover files I deleted?
iCloud has a Data Recovery option for 30 days. Google may help for very recently emptied Drive trash but doesn’t guarantee it.
How do I avoid this next time?
Turn on Time Machine or File History, and keep important files in a cloud service with version history.
Summary
Check Time Machine, cloud recycle bins (iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) and phone trash folders first. If there’s no copy, stop using the drive and try PhotoRec, saving to another disk.
