Deleted by accident? Crade walks you through recovery
A file gone from your Desktop. A folder you cannot find. Crade tells you exactly where Time Machine, File History, or your cloud backup hides the file and how to get it back.
Deleted by accident? Crade gets it back.
I deleted a file I needed. Can I get it back?
Yes — Time Machine had it. • Top right menu → ⏱ Time Machine icon → Enter Time Machine • Navigate to ~/Documents (where it lived) • Use the timeline on the right edge to go back • Find the file → click Restore No Time Machine? Check Trash first — most stuff lives there 30 days.
The moment after you realise a file is gone is the worst moment in computing. Trash is empty. Search returns nothing. Cmd-Z does not work. The panic is real, but the recovery path is usually easier than the panic suggests. Most deletes can be reversed if you act in the first 48 hours. Crade walks you through it.
What you put on your screen
- The folder where the file used to live, so Crade knows the path
- Time Machine (macOS) or File History (Windows) if you have it enabled
- Your cloud backup tool (iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)
- Trash or Recycle Bin if you have not emptied it yet
What you say to Crade
Mention the details: "It was on my Desktop, called project-draft.docx, deleted maybe two hours ago". Crade uses the timing and location to pick the right recovery path.
Step-by-step: how to do this in Crade
Stop using the disk if possible
Especially on SSDs, free space can get overwritten quickly. Stop saving new files until you have recovered.
Check the obvious places first
Trash, Recycle Bin, recently-deleted folders in cloud apps. Most accidental deletes live here. Crade tells you the exact locations to check on macOS and Windows.
Open Crade and describe the situation
When and how the file was deleted. Crade picks the right recovery tool: Time Machine, File History, iCloud trash, Dropbox version history.
Walk through the tool
Crade tells you exact menu paths. "Open Time Machine → navigate to the Desktop folder → use the timeline on the right to go back 2 hours".
Verify the recovered file is correct
Restored files sometimes have the right name but wrong contents. Open and verify before assuming the recovery worked.
Set up automatic backups if you have not
After recovery, Crade reminds you to enable Time Machine, File History, or cloud sync. So next time is a 10-second restore, not a 30-minute panic.
What you get back
A specific recovery path based on your situation: which tool to open, which folder to navigate to, what timestamp to roll back to, what to do if the first attempt fails. Plus a recommendation for preventing this in the future.
Tips for better recovery
- Act fast. Within hours, recovery usually works. After days, it gets harder. After weeks, only paid data recovery may help.
- Do not download "file recovery" tools blindly. Most are bloatware or scams. MacOS and Windows have built-in recovery. Start there.
- iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive all keep deleted files for ~30 days. If your file was in a synced folder, check the cloud version first.
- Time Machine works only if you set it up before the file disappeared. After the fact is too late.
- If the file is irreplaceable and you have no backup, stop using the drive and call a data recovery service. Each subsequent disk write reduces recovery odds.
Free vs Pro vs Premium
- Free ($0): walks you through recovery steps. Plenty for occasional "oops" moments.
- Pro ($7.99/mo or $49.99/yr): higher daily usage, Agent mode (Crade can navigate Time Machine or run recovery commands). Right tier for IT support roles.
- Premium ($19.99/mo or $149.99/yr): 10x more daily usage. Right tier for sysadmins managing fleets.
Frequently asked questions
What if I do not have Time Machine set up?
Check cloud sync first (iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive). Most have a 30-day deleted-items folder. If the file was never synced anywhere, the next step is third-party recovery tools or, for truly important data, a paid recovery service.
How long do I have to recover?
On SSDs, hours to days. On HDDs, weeks. The longer you use the disk after the delete, the more likely the file's blocks get overwritten. Stop using the drive heavily if you want maximum chance.
Can Crade recover a file directly?
Crade walks you through the OS-built-in tools (Time Machine, File History, cloud trash). It does not have a separate recovery engine. For deep recovery, you use third-party software with Crade as a guide.
What about files lost to disk corruption or hard drive failure?
Different problem. Crade can tell you the symptoms of disk failure and point you at recovery options, but failed drives usually need professional recovery service ($300–2000 depending on severity).
How do I prevent this next time?
Three layers: Time Machine or File History (built-in OS backup), cloud sync for live files (iCloud Drive, OneDrive), and offsite cloud backup (Backblaze, Arq) for the things you cannot afford to lose. Crade can walk you through setting up any of them.
The whole loop in one sentence
Missing file, one prompt with the details, an exact recovery path. Most accidental deletes turn into five-minute restores instead of permanent loss.
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