How do I recover permanently deleted files on Mac

I recently encountered a similar problem on my Mac and I really understand your desperation. After completely emptying the Trash, recovering permanently deleted files on Mac is indeed tricky, but it is not hopeless. Here are two solutions I know, I hope it will be helpful to you:

Method 1: Try to recover through Terminal

Open Terminal on your Mac and enter sudo fs_usage to view real-time disk activity. If you know the approximate path to the folder, you can try using the find command, such as

find / -name "file name"

Method 2: Try iCloud Drive or email attachments

If you have used iCloud to sync files before, log in to the iCloud web version (icloud.com) and check whether there are any archives in "Recently Deleted". In addition, if the file has been shared through email or other services, you can trace back to the email attachments or historical versions, and you may find some of the content. This method is also a disguised way to recover permanently deleted files on Mac.

Although these methods may not be as efficient as professional tools, there is always hope if you don't have Time Machine. It should be noted that the sooner you try, the better, to avoid new operations overwriting the deleted data. If the file is really important to you, you may consider professional tools, because the success rate of recover permanently deleted files on Mac is also related to the tool. Good luck!