Recover Screen Recordings on Mac in 4 Ways

You can recover screen recordings on Mac from Trash and Time Machine backups. If you delete the screen recordings, you can undo the operation immediately to retrieve the data. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is also helpful for recovering lost screen recordings on Mac.

Table of Contents

Why Are My Screen Recordings Missing

Screen recording is not only used on Mac. Using your iPhone or iPad, you can record your screen and share the recordings with others. Mac users usually record the screen to show some operations to others, and the screen recordings may disappear for many reasons:

  • The screen recordings are moved to another folder on your Mac.
  • Recordings are erased after factory reset macOS.
  • Delete the screen recordings by mistake.
  • Files are accidentally deleted due to malware or virus attacks.
  • System crash when you are transferring screen recordings on Mac.
  • Suddenly power off may cause data loss also.

How to recover screen recordings on Mac? We will provide four detailed tutorials in the following parts, and you can choose the best method depending on your needs.

Fix 1. Recover Screen Recordings on Mac with Software

You may have deleted screen recordings on Mac with the move to Trash shortcut and then accidentally emptied the Trash. Do you think your screen recordings are gone forever? No, the data is still on your Mac, and you need a video recovery program to help you find the way to your lost data.

Here's a perfect choice for people who lost screen recordings! EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is definitely what you want, this safe video recovery software will not disappoint you, and you should give it a shot.

It can quickly get back your screen recordings on Mac, and here're the highlights of this recovery tool:

  • Protect your screen recordings on Mac in many ways, and this software will help you recover and repair corrupted videos on Mac.
  • Save your data from partition loss, system crash, macOS 13 installation failed, virus attack, or hard disk error.
  • Retrieve screen recordings, screenshots, films, camera photos, and music from your Mac.

With this powerful video recovery and repair tool, you can recover your screen recordings in three steps:

Step 1. Search for lost files

Select the disk location to search for lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external hard drive) where you lost data and files. Click the "Search for lost files" button.

Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to avoid further data loss. After backing up, the software can recover data from your disk backup, and you can use the HDD or SSD again.

Recover Data Step1

Step 2. Go through the scanning results

This software will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display pictures, documents, audio, videos, and emails on the left pane.

Recover Data Step2

Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover

Click the data to preview, and click the "Recover" button to have them back.

Recover Data Step3

Fix 2. Recover Screen Recordings from Trash Folder

You should check Trash immediately when you cannot find screen recordings in the original place. Your lost screen recordings may be moved to Trash by mistake, which is common when users enable Mac shortcuts. Follow the leads to check where is Trash on Mac and how to recover screen recordings from the Mac Trash folder.

Step 1. The trash Bin can be found easily from the Dock menu, and the Trash icon looks like a trash bin.

Mac Trash icon

Step 2. After finding the Trash on Mac, you should click and open it.

Step 3. Check the files and folders in the Trash, and scroll down to find your lost screen recordings.

Step 4. After deciding all the recordings you want, right-click on them and choose "Put Back". Then they will return to the original place on your Mac.

put back screen recordings on Mac

Fix 3. How to Retrieve Screen Recordings with Undo Option

When you accidentally move screen recordings to somewhere you don't know, you can undo your operation immediately with the Mac Undo option. You should understand this Undo feature can only work when you immediately find you mistakenly moved/deleted screen recordings on Mac.

Step 1. You can find the "Edit" option from the apple menu after you move or delete a screen recording on Mac.

Step 2. Click the Edit button and choose "Undo…".

bring back mac screen recordings via undo option

Step 3. Your operation will be canceled immediately. You can also use the command + Z to undo the moving or deletion.

Fix 4. How to Restore Screen Recordings from Time Machine Backup

It is necessary for Mac users to enable Time Machine backup, and this functional data backup tool will help you a lot. Most importantly, it can avoid unnecessary data loss on your Mac. We will guide you through restoring screen recordings from Time Machine backup:

Step 1. Use the Finder or Spotlight to launch Time Machine on Mac.

Open Time Machine

Step 2. You can search file or folder names with the search box or choose a backup from the date.

Step 3. Choosing a recent backup containing the lost screen recordings is a good idea. Click "Restore", and your lost screen recordings will be back soon.

retrieve deleted files via time machine from mac

Bottom Line

You can choose the four methods to recover screen recordings. If you delete the screen recordings on Mac, you can recover them from Trash. If you move the screen recordings to another folder, you can undo the operation immediately. If you permanently delete screen recordings on Mac, you can try to recover them from Time Machine backup.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will always be a good choice when you encounter files missing/deletion.

Recover Screen Recordings on Mac FAQs

To learn more about recovering screen recordings on Mac, you can keep reading the following questions and answers we prepared.

How can I recover my lost QuickTime screen recordings on Mac?

You have four methods to recover your lost QuickTime screen recordings on Mac:

  1. 1. Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac or other third-party data recovery tools.
  2. 2. Recover lost QuickTime screen recordings from Trash.
  3. 3. Use the macOS Undo feature to undo the deletion or moving.
  4. 4. Restore screen recordings from Time Machine backups or iCloud.

Can I recover deleted screenshots on Mac?

If you cannot find the deleted screenshots on Mac, you can recover deleted screenshots on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

  1. 1. Download and install this software on your Mac.
  2. 2. Scan the Mac to find lost screen recordings.
  3. 3. You can choose "video" to find your lost screen recordings faster.
  4. 4. Retrieve all the recordings by pressing the "Recover" button.

Why can't I find my screen recordings on Mac?

The following situations may cause screen recordings to disappear on Mac:

  1. 1. The screen recordings are transferred to a different folder on your Mac.
  2. 2. Following a macOS factory reset, screen recordings are deleted.
  3. 3. Accidentally delete the screen recordings.
  4. 4. Files are unintentionally erased due to virus or malware assaults.
  5. 5. System failure while transferring Mac screen recordings.
  6. 6. Sudden power outages may also result in data loss.

What do you do when your screen recording doesn't save?

If you find the screen recordings cannot save successfully on your Mac, you can try to clear up storage space, check saving settings, restart your Mac, or update the macOS version to fix the problem. In most cases, your Mac is just out of space.

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Updated by Dany

Dany is an editor of EaseUS who lives and works in Chengdu, China. She focuses on writing articles about data recovery on Mac devices and PCs. She is devoted to improving her writing skills and enriching her professional knowledge. Dany also enjoys reading detective novels in her spare time.

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