How to Recover Files Deleted During Cut and Paste on Mac

recover cut files mac

The cut function on Mac is super convenient, but it’s also a super easy way to lose files quickly if you aren’t careful. If you cut a file and forget to paste it before copying or cutting another file, the original file is usually gone.

This guide will help you recover files lost in cut and paste on a Mac. You will also have a better understanding of the cut function and the powerful clipboard feature, and what to do when these components work against you. Read on.

What Does Cut Mean on a Mac

“Cut” (CMD + X) is a function that removes selected content and stores it in the “Clipboard.” A Clipboard is a virtual storage folder that holds the content you recently cut. You can “Paste” (CMD + V) this content elsewhere, and Mac will pull it from the clipboard.

The clipboard can only hold one item at a time. If you cut or copy another piece of content, the current item in the clipboard gets replaced by that new content.

In contrast, the “Delete” command removes selected content and does not store it in the clipboard. In other words, the clipboard is the only functional difference between cut and delete. Instead, the detele function sends a file to the Trash folder (fortunately, you can still recover files from the Trash folder on a Mac, even after emptying it).

It’s important to note that the Cut function is not available by default in Finder to prevent unwanted data loss. It’s possible that you had actually deleted your file by accident — follow the link in the last paragraph to resolve that. However, there are popular apps like Command + X that bring the functionality to Finder. This is the common cause of the data loss that we’re trying to resolve in this article.

How to Recover Cut Files on a Mac

In this section, we’ll walk you through 4 different ways to recover cut files on your Mac. Each method provides a unique solution that addresses a variety of conditions and scenarios, such as the recency of data loss and the availability (or lack) of backups.

We suggest starting with Method 1 and working your way down the guide.

Method 1: Use the “Undo” Function (Command + Z)

The “Undo” function (CMD + Z) also works for more than just on-page content. As long as you stay in the folder where you accidentally cut your file, you can undo the cut and even undo copy and paste using (CMD + Z).

Method 2: Search for Your File in the Clipboard

If (CMD + Z) doesn’t work, you can actually open the clipboard on your Mac. Open Finder and click Edit > Show Clipboard. A window will pop up displaying the content you cut/copied.

macOS Clipboard window

macOS also provides a “secondary clipboard”, which literally acts as an extra clipboard. You can store another set of cut/copied text-only content without replacing the original content in the first clipboard. Hit (CTRL + K) to cut the content, and (CTRL + Y) to paste it.

Method 3: Restore Your Cut File From a Time Machine Backup

Time Machine is a backup tool that comes built into your Mac. You only need to set it up once (successfully) for it to continuously create backups of your files and folders. If you or another user enabled Time Machine on your Mac before your file was cut, there’s a strong possibility that it captured a “snapshot” of your file that you can restore.

If you don’t have a Time Machine backup to restore from, skip to Method 4.

Step 1. Connect your Time Machine backup to your Mac. If you don’t have it, you can still attempt this method but it won’t be as effective.

Step 2. Open Finder and navigate to the folder where the file you had cut was stored.

Step 3. On the Apple menu bar, click the Time Machine button > Browse Time Machine Backups…
Browse Time Machine backups button

Step 4. Use the arrows on the right of the window to browse snapshots of the folder (and its files) that were taken in the past. Once you find a snapshot of your file (or files if you accidentally cut a number of them), select it and click Restore.
Restoring a Time Machine snapshot of a cut file

Method 4: Restore Your Cut File Using Data Recovery Software

If you don’t have a backup of your cut file, the next best solution is to use a tool called data recovery software. You can install data recovery software on an external storage device (to avoid overwriting the cut file’s data), that can scan your Mac and restore the file.

For this guide, we’ll be using an app called Disk Drill. It’s beginner-friendly (so most readers will be able to follow along with this guide just fine) but powerful. It takes one menu (one button, in fact) to run complex algorithms that scan every nook and cranny of your Mac disk for data references and fragments that it can use to locate and restore your files.

Disk Drill is also especially good at scanning APFS and HFS+ file systems (the default Mac drive formats) and it recognises almost all known Apple-based files.

You can use the free version of Disk Drill to scan your Mac and preview your files to ensure that the app actually finds the cut file that you’re looking for (and that it works/is not corrupted).

Step 1. Connect a USB or any other storage device to your Mac – make sure it’s formatted to APFS (reformat it using Disk Utility if you have to).

Step 2. Open Safari. Then, click Safari > Settings…
Settings button in Safari's main menu

Step 3. Navigate to the General menu. Beside File download location, click the dropdown button > Ask for each download. Close the Settings menu.
"Always ask" option for Safari's download settings

Step 4. Download Disk Drill from the CleverFiles website. When Safari asks where you want to save the file, select the drive you connected in step 1.

Step 5. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the installation wizard. When you are prompted to drag the Disk Drill icon to the Applications folder, drag it to the folder where you saved the Disk Drill installer.
Dragging Disk Drill's app icon into USB folder to install it there

Step 6. Once Disk Drill’s package files have been saved on your storage device, double-click its app icon to launch it.

Step 7. In Disk Drill’s drive selection menu, select your Mac drive (”APPLE SSD” or similar) and click Search for lost data.
Mac disk in Disk Drill's source selection menu

Step 8. Once Disk Drill is done scanning your Mac drive, click Review found items.
Review found items button after Disk Drill finishes scanning Mac drive

Step 9. Use the filters in the left sidebar and the search tool in the top-right corner of the window to locate your cut file faster. For example, if you cut a JPG file, select the Pictures filter and type .jpg in the search tool (or its exact file name if you remember it). Then, hover your mouse pointer beside your file and click the eye button that appears. This opens a small preview window where you can check if it works.
Disk Drill filter and preview features with found Mac files

Step 10. Mark the boxes beside the files you want to restore. Then, click Recover.
Disk Drill file selection tool

Step 11. Select the storage device you connected in step 1 as the save location for the recovered cut file. Then, click Next.
Disk Drill save folder selection menu

Once Disk Drill is done recovering your file, try opening it with the Preview app to make sure it works properly.

Before you go, learn a better way to “Cut” files!

Apple made the Cut function unavailable in Finder precisely to avoid losing your files accidentally. However, there’s another shortcut that can “mimic” the Cut functionality but in a safer way.

You can do a “better Cut” by selecting your file and pressing Command + C (copy), then navigate to the target folder and press Option + Command + V. This will “move” your file to the target folder by pasting a copy of the original, and then deleting the original file after the copy copy-paste process is completed.

Alejandro Santos
Chief Writer
Alejandro is Macgasm’s Chief Writer and Apple ecosystem enthusiast. He pens the majority of troubleshooting guides and software reviews for this website, tapping into his love for technology and extensive background in technical writing. He started his career by helping… Full Bio