Getting files back

Missing files after updating macOS

Updated 2026-10-30 · 4 min read

A macOS update does not normally delete documents. When files look gone afterwards, they are usually in iCloud Drive, another account, a Relocated Items folder, or hidden by search. Here is the order to check.

Where the files usually are

A macOS update does not normally delete your documents. When files seem to vanish afterwards, they have usually moved, aren't downloaded, belong to another account, or are hidden by search or a permission. Check these in order:

1. iCloud Drive. Open Finder and look in iCloud Drive. If Desktop & Documents Folders got switched on, your files live there now.
2. The account you are logged in to. A second account, or a new one created during setup, shows different files.
3. /Users/Shared/Relocated Items. Files an upgrade set aside end up here.
4. Search. An empty search result may only mean Spotlight is still rebuilding.
5. An app's access. The file is there but one app can no longer see it.

If you would rather skip the clicking, Terminal can look for a file by name (and works while Spotlight is rebuilding):

find ~ -iname "*budget*" 2>/dev/null

Replace budget with part of the file name. 2>/dev/null hides the error lines for places Terminal can't read; if macOS asks whether Terminal may access a folder, allow it, or find skips that folder.

1. iCloud Drive took over Desktop and Documents

Apple's support page says that when Desktop & Documents Folders is on, your Desktop and Documents folders are stored in iCloud Drive. To see whether it is on, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, then Drive (or iCloud Drive), and look at Desktop & Documents Folders.

Apple also describes where to look. In macOS Tahoe 26 or later, the folders appear in the Finder sidebar under Favorites with a cloud icon. In earlier versions they are in the iCloud section of the sidebar. A file that shows a cloud icon but won't open hasn't finished downloading; give it time on a good connection.

If the setting is turned off, Apple says your files stay in iCloud Drive and new, empty Desktop and Documents folders are created in your home folder. That is an easy way for a folder to look empty: the files are in iCloud Drive and the folder you are looking at is the new local one. Check the setting even if you don't remember changing it.

With the setting on, deleting a file on one device deletes it on every device signed in to the same Apple Account. Apple says deleted files stay in Recently Deleted on iCloud.com, or in the Files app on an iPhone or iPad, for 30 days. The Desktop-specific causes are on their own page, so they are not repeated here.

2. Another account

List the accounts on the Mac:

ls /Users

Each name other than Shared is an account's home folder. If you now log in as a different user from the one you used before, you will see a different Desktop, Documents and Downloads. Log out and sign in as the account you used before the update. Another account's private folders can't be read from yours without its password.

3. The Relocated Items folder

Apple's article on the read-only system volume says that during an upgrade to macOS Catalina or later, files that couldn't be moved to their new location are placed in /Users/Shared/Relocated Items, with a shortcut on the Desktop and a PDF inside that explains what was moved. On a Mac that has been through several upgrades you may also find older sets beside it, named Previously Relocated Items, Previously Relocated Items 1 and so on; the Mac used for this guide has them up to 10. Apple's article doesn't mention those, so open each one and look. The Shared folder guide explains what else is in there and what to leave alone.

4. Spotlight is still rebuilding

After a major update Spotlight can rebuild its index in the background, and results are partial until it finishes. To see whether indexing is on for the startup disk:

mdutil -s /

That reads the status and changes nothing. If search results are missing, the post on search failing after an update covers the rebuild. Meanwhile find in Terminal doesn't use the index at all.

5. An app lost access

If a file shows up in Finder but an app says it can't see it, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and look for the app under Files & Folders or Full Disk Access. Settings can move between macOS versions, so use the search box in System Settings if you can't find them. Turning access back on, then quitting and reopening the app, is usually what it needs.

Searching by name after the update

Everywhere keeps its own index of file names, separate from Spotlight's, so a rebuilding Spotlight index doesn't affect it. Type part of the file's name and look at the folder each result is in: a path through Mobile Documents is iCloud Drive, and one through /Users/Shared is a Relocated Items set. It covers Desktop, Documents and iCloud Drive once it has Full Disk Access, but never another account's private folders, so for those, log in to that account and look there.

Common questions

Why did my files disappear after a Mac update?

Usually they didn't. They are in iCloud Drive, in another user account, in /Users/Shared/Relocated Items, or hidden from search while Spotlight rebuilds. Check those places before assuming anything was deleted.

Does a macOS update delete files?

Not normally. An upgrade can move files that didn't fit the new layout into a Relocated Items folder, as Apple's support article explains, so look there first.

How do I find my documents after a Mac update if search shows nothing?

Search may be rebuilding. Use find ~ -iname "*name*" 2>/dev/null in Terminal, which doesn't depend on the Spotlight index, and check iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar.

Where did my Documents folder go after updating macOS?

If Desktop & Documents Folders in iCloud is on, Apple says the folders are stored in iCloud Drive and shown in the Finder sidebar. Otherwise, check you're logged in to the same account as before.