Why Are Apps On My Mac Desktop

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Summary

There are times when your Mac desktop files or icons disappear all of a sudden. Sometimes, you may find everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac. This page guides you to turn the icons back on, restore icons missing on Mac immediately. Learn how to restore missing desktop files and icons on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac and other manual methods on your own.

When the desktop files and drive icons disappear on your Mac, stay calm. Accordingly, due to macOS or Mac OS X update, personal settings, and careless operations, you may find Mac desktop files and icons not sowing.

Follow through the two parts below to display your disappeared Mac desktop icons and restore the lost files with ease:

Workable SolutionsStep-by-step Troubleshooting
Phrase 1. Display Missing iConsMethod 1. Use Finder..Full steps
Method 2. Use Time Machine Backup..Full steps
Phrase 2. Get Missing FilesMethod 1. Use Mac Desktop File Recovery Software..Full steps
Method 2. Use iCloud Backup..Full steps
Method 3. Use Time Machine Backup..Full steps
Method 4. Use Stacks..Full steps
Method 5. Use Trash..Full steps

Everything on My Mac Desktop Disappeared, Help

Don't worry if you are having a similar case as listed here, you can continue reading and find the right solution to make your Mac desktop icon showing and restore all missing files on your own.

Case 1 - Everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac computer, need help!

'Hello, after saving a .xls file on my desktop, all my desktop files and folders disappeared! Impossible to find them, also my bin was empty too, nothing to find or delete. Also, I didn't do any back up in the past to restore. What's worse, some drive icons are also missing! Those files and folders are really important as they are work-related. What should I try? Please, urgent help is needed. Thanks!'

Case 2 - Mac desktop files not showing, seemed lost, after macOS update.

'Does someone know how to bring the lost desktop files back after macOS update? My desktop files not showing after macOS update, how do I do? Do I still have a chance to restore them?'

Why Did Everything on My Desktop Disappear on Mac?

At times you might notice that files and icons from your Mac desktop are missing or they have just disappeared. Here are the normal reasons:

  1. #1. macOS or Mac OS X update causes Mac desktop icons and items lost
  2. #2. Default settings of Finder that makes no icons and items appear on Mac desktop
  3. #3. Set files to hide on Mac
  4. #4. The false operation that delete items on Mac

It is really shocking especially for those who have stored important files, folders, and icons on the Mac desktop. However, before you assume that they are permanently gone from your Mac desktop, refer the following points to see if you can restore disappeared files and icons from the desktop.

Part 1. Show and Retrieve Missing Mac Icons

It is easy to find missing Windows icons. But when it comes to Mac, most people become confused. It's the Finder that controls the display of Mac desktop and all of its icons, including drive icons of storage devices.

Usually, when you install macOS or upgrade Mac OS X, it renders the desktop without the drive icons by default. Sometimes, misoperations cause desktop icons missing from the desktop.

Luckily, you can show the disappeared Mac desktop icons by using either of the following methods.

Method 1. Show Missing Mac iCons using Finder

By changing the Finder's default settings, you can effectively make the desktop display the missing icons again.

Step 1. Click on the desktop or open a Finder window.

Step 2. From the menu bar, select 'Finder Preferences'.

Step 3. In the Finder Preferences window that opens, click the 'General tab'.

You'll see a list of devices that can have their associated icon displayed on your desktop.

Step 4. Place a checkmark next to the items you wish to display on the desktop.

After this, close the Finder Preferences window. The selected items will display on the desktop again.

Method 2. Retrieve Disappeared Mac Desktop iCons from Times Machine Backup

Pre-condition: You have created a Time Machine backup of your Mac desktop before the icons and files missed.

When you lost desktop settings, you can also try to bring them back by running Time Machine backup recovery. It will bring you back to the date before Mac desktop icons disappearing.

Let's see how to retrieve the disappeared Mac desktop icons:

Step 1. Connect the external Time Machine backup disk to Mac. Enter 'Time Machine' from the Time Machine menu.

Step 2. Use the timeline or up and down arrow browse and select the backup point.

Step 3. Press 'Space' bar to preview and see whether it's the one you want.

Step 4. Click 'Restore' to restore the selected file.

After this, you can view and check items like icons saved on your Mac desktop again, including the missing files.

Part 2. Recover Missing Desktop Files/Folders on Mac

There are several ways that can help to find the missing files from the Mac desktop. Check out the workable methods and follow to restore desktop files on Mac now.

Note that the former method is presented, the more effective it will be.

Quick Fix. Check If the Desktop Files Are Hidden

Why Are Apps On My Mac Desktop

Mac has a built-in application called Terminal. Using this application, you can search, delete, or modify files and folders. You can also use it to check if desktop files are hidden or missing.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Go to Mac terminal on Mac.

Step 2. Type defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and press Return.

Step 3. Type killall Finder and hit Return.

This will close Mac Terminal and shows those hidden files on your Mac desktop. If this technique doesn't work, recover files from the empty Mac desktop with Mac desktop files recovery software.

Method 1. Restore Mac Desktop Files/Folders Using Mac Desktop File Recovery Software

Applies to: All levels of Mac users to restore missing Mac desktop files and folders.

Work on: Latest macOS 10.15.5 (Catalina)/10.15.4 and even older Mac OS X, like 10.9.

When your saved items lost on Mac desktop, professional Mac data recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can scan the hard drive to scan and find disappeared files from Mac Desktop. It can smoothly restore disappeared files from Mac desktop without any difficulties.

Many users have used this application to recover 200+ files, Keynotes, Pages documents, AbiWord files, MS Office files, archive files, PDF documents from Mac desktop. Download this effective desktop file recovery software and get the desktop files back.

Moreover, if you only need to recover a few files less than 2GB, you may try the free version of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It works exactly the same as the pro version.

Steps to Restore Missing/Lost Mac Desktop Files

Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the Scan button.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.

Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click Recover Now button to have them back.

After this, you can save the found files back to your Mac desktop and use them again.

Method 2. Restore Lost Mac Desktop Files via iCloud Backup

Applies to: iCloud users who have set up iCloud to Sync Mac files, restore missing Mac desktop files from iCloud backup.

Works on: All Mac computers with iCloud backup.

If you have synced Mac files to your iCloud, you can immediately bring the lost or missing desktop files like documents back via your iCloud account.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your account and password.

Step 2. Click iCloud Settings and scroll to the bottom, click 'Restore Files' under Advanced section.

Step 3. Tick the boxes of your lost files on Mac, and click 'Restore'.

Method 3. Restore Not Showing Mac Files via Time Machine Backup

Applies to: Restore lost Mac files via Time Machine backup.

Works on: All Mac computers.

Being similar to iCloud backup recovery, if you have created a backup of your Mac files to a Time Machine backup disk, you can also immediately bring them back on your Mac desktop.

For a detailed guide, you can revert to Method 2 in Part 1 for help.

Why

Method 4. Use Stacks to Find Missing Desktop Files on Mac

Applies to: Re-organize and make Mac desktop files show up.

Works on: macOS Catalina, Mojave, etc.

If you are using the latest macOS on your computer, such as macOS Catalina, Mojave, you can use Stacks on your computer to automatically organize your desktop files by file type.

When you lose or missing files on the Mac desktop, try Stacks. It may surprise you.

Step 1. On Mac desktop, right-click an empty space to bring up the Context Menu.

Step 2. Uncheck 'Use Stacks'.

Step 3. Repeat Step 1 again, and check 'Use Stacks' this time.

After this, you may find the missing files back on your desktop again.

Method 5. Restore Missing Mac Desktop Files from Trash

Applies to: All levels of Mac users to bring deleted files saved on Mac desktop from Trash.

Works on: All macOS and Mac OS X platforms.

When you lost files on Mac desktop, you may mistakenly dragged them into the Trash bin. Then you can try to find the in the Trash.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Open Trash Bin on Mac desktop, find the files that you lost.

Step 2. Drag the files you want to recover back to the desktop.

Or you can right-click on the file and select 'Put Back'.

Conclusion

On this page, we explained why do the desktop icons and saved items disappeared on Mac, and also covered several practical methods to help you find and restore the missing icons on Mac desktop.

To make everything work fine on your Mac, you need first display Mac icons using methods in Part 1. Then you can apply file recovery tips such as to let EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac help and retrieve Mac desktop files.

After finishing all the operations, your jobs are done. You can use your Mac icons and files again.

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Jun 08, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

“After updating my Mac, I surprised to see that all my desktop files disappeared. Sadly, I have no idea why it happens? Where my files go? Unfortunately, I don’t have a backup. So, is there any way to recover files disappeared from Mac?”

There are a lot of users who recently reported that few files from their Mac desktop are missing or they’ve just got disappeared. It is quite surprising for those users who have a habit of saving their important files on the desktop.

If this sounds you, then you may probably know how much it is annoying to lose your files you need the most. In such cases, you might be looking for ways to get back your missing desktop files. The good news is that there are some effective methods that can help you to recover missing files on Mac with ease.

Here, in this article, we have mentioned several ways you can try to locate your desktop files that have disappeared somehow.

Why Desktop Files Disappeared from Mac?

When users see that all desktop files disappeared from their Mac, one question surely comes to their mind how it happens and why their Mac desktop files are missing. Well, there are a number of reasons for this situation. Here, we have covered some of them you need to know:

  1. It might be because you have chosen to keep your Desktop and Documents files on iCloud and that’s why your files disappear from the desktop. If this is the case, then all you need to do is to check your iCloud settings in “System Preferences”>”iCloud”>”iCloud Drive” options.
  2. Sometimes, files get permanently deleted or lost due to various reasons, such as virus-attack, power-failure on your Mac. In such cases, you need powerful data recovery software for Mac to recover your permanently deleted or lost files.
  3. Maybe you have moved some files to another location, such as Trash from your desktop on your Mac and you completely forgot about it or can’t remember where you’ve moved them. In such cases, you can try to remember or check Trash folder because maybe you have moved files to this folder.

Well, the main concern is how to locate files disappeared from Mac. Now, we are going to mention several methods that can help you to do that.

Method 1. Disable the File Sync with iCloud

Latest versions of macOS come with an iCloud feature that enables users to sync their Mac Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud Drive. The feature allows you to access your Mac desktop and documents folders across different devices, which include iOS devices, other Mac, and iCloud.com.

Thus, if you have saved desktop and documents folders in iCloud Drive, then your desktop and documents folders moved to the iCloud part of your of Finder sidebar. In this scenario, all you can do to show you missing files on Mac is to disable iCloud drive. To learn how to check iCloud drive settings to get back the lost or disappeared desktop files, follow the below steps:

  1. To start with, move to the Apple menu, and then, go to System Preferences.
  2. Now, click on iCloud and then, click on “Options” next to iCloud.
  3. Here, you need to uncheck the box “Desktop & Documents Folders” and finally, click on “Done” button.

While you are doing the above process, you will get a warning message saying “If you continue, items will be removed from the desktop and the documents folder on this Mac and will remain available in iCloud Drive”. So, here all you have to do is to continue with the process and open every desktop and documents folders that are displayed in iCloud Drive. To recover your missing files, you can simply drag them to the new empty desktop folder.

Method 2. Recover Missing Files on Mac in 3 Steps

If you are looking for an easy and quick way to recover your missing files on Mac, then data recovery software for Mac can help you to do that. Unlike common ways, the software is specially designed to help users to get back their files with ease.

1. Recoverit - The Best Software to Recover Word Files:

Whenever you experience a data loss situation, Recoverit Data Recovery Mac will help you to retrieve it. This data recovery software will come in handy even when you’ve never made a backup of your device. You now know how to partition Mac hard drive and unpartition it. But knowing how you can recover the lost or deleted files from the drive is also necessary.

2. How to Recover Lost Word Files on Mac:

Step 1: Select a Location

Launch the software and select the drive from where the data files are lost. If you don’t know which drive to search, tap on the “I can’t find my partition” option and hit the Start button.

Step 2: Scan the Location

Typically, the software will run an All-Around Recovery scan and search for the lost and deleted files on the entire drive.

Step 3: Preview and Recover

When the scan completes, the files will be listed on the screen. The software will sort out the files according to format to make the search easier. You can select multiple files at a time and have a preview at them.

Method 3. Use macOS Mojave Stacks

There is no doubt that if there is any convenient place to store and place files on Mac, it is desktop. By saving files on the desktop, you can access them easily and quickly and the best thing is that you don’t have to go through various folders. But, sometimes important files present on your Mac desktop get disappeared or lost somehow.

Luckily, there is good news for users who have updated their Mac system to macOS Mojave. There is one new desktop feature added in the macOS Mojave, and it is desktop stacks. With the help of this new feature, you can easily locate your missing files on Mac. Before you learn how to locate files on Mac using macOS Mojave stacks, you need to first understand what exactly stacks feature is?

What is Stacks?

Well, they are virtual folders that can help you to manage and corral your files on Mac. You might don’t know that they have been included in macOS Dock for many years, but they are now quite helpful for users who are looking for ways to locate missing or lost desktop files.

The main concept here is “virtual folders”. They are not actual directories in the file system of your Mac. All of your Mac files remain in their original locations. However, macOS Mojave stacks collect all of these files and show them to you under one expanding folder.

Thus, if you have updated your Mac to Mojave, and files present on your desktop seem to disappear, then you don’t have to worry. They are probably hiding behind this new stacks feature. Here, we are going to show how you can use desktop stacks in macOS Mojave.

Turn on desktop stacks in Mojave:

Show My Apps On Desktop

  1. Go to your Mac desktop, here you need to select the “View” tab from the menu bar located at top of the screen.
  2. Next, you need to choose “Use Stacks” option. Or you can right-click on the desktop to get this option to enable it.

Find missing files using stacks:

Once you have enabled desktop stacks new feature, you can easily access the data of each stack and all you have to do is to click on its icon. Files it contains will be shown below and plus, other desktop files will be moved to the left for a temporary basis to make the room as required. If you click the stack once more, then it will get close and also, it will return all icons to their original locations.

Bonus Tip: How to Delete Files on Mac Desktop Safely

If you have a lot of folders and files on your Mac, then you might want to delete some files in order tofree up storage space on your system.

Here is the simple guide on how to delete files on Mac desktop:

  1. To start with, locate files you want to delete on your Mac.
  2. Select the files you want to get rid of them and drag them into the trash can located at the bottom of the screen. Or you can simply right-click on the selected files, and choose “Move to Trash” option from the list menu.

If there are some files you’ve deleted accidentally, then simply use “Command + Z” right away to undo the previous action. You also need to delete these files from Trash folder if you want to delete them permanently from your Mac.

There is no doubt that deleting or getting rid of unwanted and useless files on Mac is quite easy and straightforward. But, sometimes you end up deleting some important files while you are trying to clean your Mac system. Luckily, there are some tips you can follow to keep your data protected on Mac. Let’s give a look at all these tips and tricks:

  • Back up your important files: The first and foremost tip to protect your data on Mac is to backup your important files. You may never know when you encounter a data loss situation on your Mac. If you’ve already back up your files, then you can easily recover them with ease in case if your files get lost or deleted somehow.
  • Lock your Mac: When you have to step away from your Mac, don’t forget to lock your Mac to avoid unauthorized access to your important data.
  • Keep passwords strong: While you are setting a password on your Mac, try to set a strong password that is hard to guess by someone else.

Why Are Apps On My Mac Desktop Free

With the help of above-mentioned tips, you can easily protect your data and Mac too.

Facebook App On My Desktop

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide helps Mac users who have reported that all my files are gone on Mac. There are good common measures to locate disappeared files on Mac. If you are unable to find your desired files even after using common methods, then Recoverit is here to help you. This data recovery tool for Mac can locate and recover lost, missing or disappearing files within a few minutes.

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