Recover Unsaved/Deleted QuickTime Recordings [2025 Update]

This how-to guide offers full solutions for Mac users to recover unsaved QuickTime recordings from temp files and recover deleted QuickTime videos and audio with third-party Mac data recovery software.

A user from Apple Support Communities is asking for help with a solution to recover his QuickTime recordings. In this article, we will introduce some useful methods to recover unsaved QuickTime recordings.

To recover an unsaved QuickTime recording on a Mac, you can check the application's autosave location, the Trash, or use data recovery software. If the recording was recently created and not saved, it might be in the autosave folder on your Mac. Read on to learn the detailed steps of each method.

Method 1. Recover Unsaved QuickTime Recordings with Data Recovery Software

When you deleted the QuickTime Recordings, don't panic. Check your Trash bin first. All content deleted from the Mac will remain in the Trash bin for 30 days or until you empty the Trash. Locate the desired video in the Trash bin and click "Restore" to retrieve it.

If you want to recover deleted QuickTime recordings after emptying the Trash, you may need assistance from third-party software. Here we recommend EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Let's check what it can do.

• Supports recovering deleted or lost files from the emptied Trash Bin, accidental deletion, or other causes.
• Combine quick and deep scans into a streamlined process to help load files more efficiently.
• Enables users to preview all recoverable files and data.
• Provide both Simple and Absolute protection to safeguard essential files.

Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, and follow the 3-step guide to recover deleted videos on Mac:

Step 1. Scan for deleted files

Select the hard drive, external drive, or SSD where your important data & files were deleted and click "Search for lost files".

Step 2. Filter the lost files

The software will run quick and deep scans and work hard to find as many deleted files as possible on the selected volume. Filter wanted files through the "Type" and "Path" options.

Step 3. Recover deleted files

Double-click the deleted files to preview. Then, click the "Recover" button to get them back.

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Method 2. Recover Unsaved QuickTime Recordings on Mac from Autosave Folder

Your hard work on recording and capturing the screen on Mac might get lost midway while it is continuing with the QuickTime app. For example, a sudden power off, a QuickTime crash, or a QuickTime window shuts down unexpectedly. All these incidents will cause QuickTime recordings to be unfinished and unsaved.

How to get back your recordings, though it is not correctly preserved? Follow the steps below to recover unsaved QuickTime videos.

Step 1. Go to the following location:

Step 2. Click in and find a bundle named "Unsaved QuickTime Player Document.qtpxcomposition". Right-click on the .qtpxcomposition file, and there you can see the .m4a audio recording.

Method 3. Recover Unsaved QuickTime Recordings on Mac with Time Machine

If you have enabled Time Machine backup before, you can try recovering lost or unsaved files from your Time Machine backup. Here is how you can do this:

Step 1. Connect the Time Machine drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Open Time Machine and use the arrow to locate the time when your recordings are still there.

Step 3. Select them and tap the "Restore" button to recover them.

Tip: Where are the QuickTime Recordings on Mac

Go to the Application folder on your Mac's dock. If you have made a video recording before, open the QuickTime app, choose File to check the recording. If you don't have a screen recording, you can also choose File > New Screen Recording from the menu bar to create a new one. Please note that the Scratch Disk is the default location where files created with QuickTime X are stored on Hamilton lab computers. The default for personal computers is the Movies folder. 

The Bottom Line

That's all about how to recover deleted QuickTime videos. Besides recovering lost and deleted files on Mac, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can also help users recover unsaved recordings on Mac, reset Mac to factory settings without data loss, and recover files from formatted USB drives. Have a try with this tool to protect your Mac content better.