MacOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. And get even more transparency around your privacy. Firstly, go to the main menu by clicking on the Apple icon and choose to restart your system. While the system is restarting, press the Command and R keys at the same time till your Mac enters the Recovery mode. When you get the utility window on the screen, just click on the 'Reinstall macOS' option and continue the process. Runtime GetDataBack is a Windows exclusive program. You have to find a GetDataBack for Mac alternative if you want to recover deleted files on Mac OS X. Here comes in Wondershare Data Recovery for Mac which is a powerful file recovery application that supports all popular files systems like HFS+ (Mac), HFS (Mac), NTFS, FAT32 and FAT16.
On this page, you will uncover practical solutions to undelete and restore Mac files after factory reset and an extra guide on how to reset MacBook Pro without losing any data.
Applies to: MacBook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac, iMacPro, etc.
'Recently, I reinstalled my whole macOS on my crashed MacBook, and then I found some files such as photos and documents are gone after reinstalling macOS.
Is there a way that I can apply to recover files after reinstalling macOS?'
According to most Mac users, reinstalling macOS, Mac OS X, or factory resetting Mac always follows a system crash, computer slowdown, or even when Mac users need to erase their old Mac computer for sale.
Usually, you may lose some of your files on your Mac after the macOS or Mac OS X reinstallation. When you are facing data loss problem, you may wonder whether you can recover files lost due to reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X. The answer is YES!
macOS reinstallation or factory resetting Mac only executes a quick erase of the volume. As a result, it will erase the file directory but does not write any data to the drive, so the original data will not be overwritten.
This fact makes it possible to recover files after reinstalling Mac operating system as long as you take quick action.
Note that you should stop using your computer once your data get lost in case of data overwriting. Follow and learn how to bring your lost Mac files back after reinstalling macOS/Mac OS X on your own.
Accordingly, the viable ways to recover Mac files duet o factory resetting or macOS re-installation depend on whether you have created a backup. And we collected 3 practical ways here for you to try:
The former the file recovery method is presented, the bigger chance you will have in restoring lost Mac data. Based on your situation, pick up the right solution with the tutorial to restore your lost files immediately.
Applies to: Find and retrieve all the files lost after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X without backup.
When you lost data after factory resetting Mac, reinstalling the latest macOS or earlier Mac OS X, you can eliminate your worries of by using a reliable Mac data recovery software.
Among the numerous Mac data recovery tools, we recommend you try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. When it comes to restoring files after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is 100% sure to get your data back.
It can help you scan the Mac hard drive or external storage device to find and retrieve all the files lost after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X with ease, even you never back up your files. The effectiveness of this method has been proven by its users. Don't hesitate to give it a try.
Steps to Recover Files After Reinstalling macOS/Mac OS X
Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the 'Scan' button.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click the 'Recover Now' button to have them back.
Being powerful, secure, and easy-to-use, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is recommended as the best Mac data recovery solution.
You can also apply it to restore more files from the following cases:
Applies to: Retrieve lost files due to factory reset Mac from Time Machine backup on an external disk.
The other practical method that you may apply to bring lost Mac files back after factory resetting is to perform Time Machine backup. If you've created a Time Machine on an external hard drive, congratulations.
You'll perform a full recovery of your lost files on Mac with a 100% success rate. Let's see how to bring your lost Mac files back after reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X.
Restore Factory Resetting Deleted Files from Time Machine Backup
Step 1.Make sure your Time Machine backup external disk is connected to Mac and turned on.
Step 2. Open up Launchpad on Mac, click 'Others'. Find and click the Time Machine icon to enter Time Machine.
Step 3. Use the Up and Down arrows to scroll the timeline, browse the backups which contain your lost files.
Step 4. Find the lost Mac files that you want to recover, and click 'Restore'.
It will automatically recover those lost data from Time Machine on macOS Big Sur/Catalina/Mojave.
After this, you can restart your Mac computer, then you can view and reuse these files where were lost due to reinstalling macOS/Mac OS X again.
Applies to: Sync and restore Mac data from iCloud backup, free.
If you have synced or uploaded important Mac data into iCloud before committing factory reset or macOS reinstallation, you are such a lucky bird. You can easily restore your lost files from iCloud backup.
Steps to Recover Files due to Factory Reset on Mac
Step 1. Visit iCloud.com via your Mac browser, and sign with your Apple ID.
Step 2. Go to Setting and scroll down to the bottom. Click on 'Restore Files' under Advanced.
Tips: To restore contacts, bookmarks, calendars, and reminders from iCloud, click the corresponding option under Advanced.
Step 3. Check the backup files or click 'Select All' if you really need to restore everything. Click the Restore button to recover them.
When you are done with the above tutorial steps, most of your files lost due to factory reset or macOS reinstallation will show up on your computer again.
Although when you performed a factory reset on Mac, you can restore the lost files when the recommended fixes above. However, it's indeed complex and time-consuming.
Follow the tips in the below, we will guide you through the brief process below to factory reset Mac or reinstall macOS without losing any data.
It's vital to back up all your data in advance. You can use Time Machine to copy your files to an external disk, or using reliable Mac file backup software for help.
Or you can even manually copy files to an external hard drive one by one.
To save your time and energy, we would like to recommend you try Time Machine or EaseUS Todo Backup.
- Using Time Machine
- Using EaseUS Todo Backup
Before you start reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X, here are some preparations for you to do in advance:
When you are done with the preparations, you may now start factory resetting or reinstall your Mac OS X or macOS with the next tip.
Now, you can follow steps here to start reset your Mac:
Step 1: Reboot Mac in Recovery Mode
Restart Mac and simultaneously hold 'Command and R' keys together to bring up the macOS Utilities window.
Step 2: Erase Mac hard drive
Open Disk Utility and click 'Continue' > Select your startup disk (Macintosh HD) and click 'Erase' > Choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' and click 'Erase'.
Step 3: Reinstall macOS on your Mac computer
Repeat Step 1 to bring up macOS Utilities > Click 'Reinstall macOS' > Confirm to reinstall macOS and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
When you finish the process, congratulations. You have successfully reinstalled your macOS and the Mac now works like a brand new computer.
As for the data that you backed up in advance, you can apply Time Machine or EaseUS Todo Backup to bring them back on your Mac with your back up immediately.
This page covers 3 practical solutions to help you effectively restore files after factory reset Mac or reinstalling macOS/Mac OS X.
If you didn't create a backup before resetting Mac, take EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac as emergency rescue. It will fully scan and bring your lost files immediately.
If you are looking for a complete tutorial to reset MacBook Pro, check and follow the guide in the last part on this page. For more data recovery tips, please refer to Mac File Recovery on our site for help.
Download macOS Catalina for an all‑new entertainment experience. Your music, TV shows, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks will transfer automatically to the Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books apps where you’ll still have access to your favorite iTunes features, including purchases, rentals, and imports.
You can always download iTunes 12.8 for previous versions of macOS,
as well as the iTunes application for Windows.
Hardware:
Software:
The latest entertainment apps now come installed with macOS Catalina. Upgrade today to get your favorite music, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. You can join Apple Music and stream — or download and play offline — over 75 million songs, ad‑free.
Hardware:
Software:
Visit the iTunes Store on iOS to buy and download your favorite songs, TV shows, movies, and podcasts. You can also download macOS Catalina for an all-new entertainment experience on desktop. Your library will transfer automatically to the new Apple Music app, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. And you’ll still have access to your favorite iTunes features, including your previous iTunes Store purchases, rentals, and imports and the ability to easily manage your library.
iTunes forever changed the way people experienced music, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. It all changes again with three all-new, dedicated apps — Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts — each designed from the ground up to be the best way to enjoy entertainment on your Mac. And rest assured; everything you had in your iTunes library is still accessible in each app. iCloud seamlessly syncs everything across your devices — or you can back up, restore, and sync by connecting the device directly to your Mac.
The new Apple Music app is the ultimate music streaming experience on Mac.1 Explore a library of over 75 million songs, discover new artists and tracks, find the perfect playlist, download and listen offline, or enjoy all the music you’ve collected over the years. And find it all in your music library on all your devices.
The Apple TV app for Mac is the new home for all your favorite movies, shows, premium channels, and Apple TV+. Watch everything directly in the app or enjoy it offline, and discover the best of what’s on in the Watch Now tab. You can even pick up where you left off on any screen, across all your devices. And for the first time, 4K2 and Dolby Atmos3-supported movies are available on Mac.
More than 700,000 of the best entertainment, comedy, news, and sports shows are now available on your Mac with Apple Podcasts. Search for podcasts by title, topic, guest, host, content, and more. Subscribe and be notified as soon as new episodes become available. And in the Listen Now tab, you can easily pick up where you left off across all your devices.
Get help with syncing, updating to a more recent version of iTunes, or with an iTunes Store purchase — and much more.
Learn moreDownload earlier versions of iTunes to work with compatible operating systems and hardware.
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