I accidentally deleted my entire photo library from my Mac
I was trying to free up space on my Mac and I accidentally deleted my entire Photos library. I mean the whole thing — 12 years of photos gone. I emptied the trash already because I didn't realize what I did. Is there any way to get them back?
1 Answer(s)
Don't panic — there's still a good chance you can recover most of them. Since you emptied the trash, the files are still on your drive but marked as deleted space. The key is to STOP using your Mac immediately. Every minute you use it, the chance of recovery drops because the OS might overwrite those sectors.
First, if you have Time Machine enabled, connect your backup drive and open Photos. Go to File > Import and look for your library there. This is the easiest and most complete recovery option.
If no Time Machine backup, use a data recovery tool. I recommend Disk Drill or PhotoRec (free). Install the recovery tool on a DIFFERENT drive (use a USB stick) so you don't write over the deleted data. Then scan your Mac's internal drive. PhotoRec is free but has a basic interface — it works great for photo files specifically.
Also check iCloud.com — if you had iCloud Photos enabled, your photos might still be there. Sign in to iCloud.com and check the Photos app.
Act fast. The sooner you run recovery software, the better your chances.