You can also feel like you are in a disaster when you accidentally delete a valuable file on your Mac, and it is a Word document that you actually needed. The question at hand is: Are you able to recover overwritten files on a Mac? Yes, in most circumstances, yes, but you should do it sooner the better.

Why Overwritten Files May Still Be Recoverable

In the case of overwriting a file, macOS does not delete the data immediately, but rather, it marks the original data as free space. The same may still be in the background till new data is provided to take its place. This is why the action must be taken immediately.

How To Recover Overwritten Word Documents on Mac

The following are the practical ways that you can attempt:

1. Restore from Time Machine

When you are using Time Machine, you can check previous backups and revert to a time when the file had not been overwritten. This is usually the surest way as it keeps on numerous versions with time.

2. Insert Document Version History

Several applications, such as Microsoft Word, have built-in version history. Cracking open the file and selecting the option to view previous versions could allow you to recover an older version. This is effective when the file is stored in iCloud or any other service that syncs files and stores a history.

3. Mac Data Recovery Software Test

In case of no backup, professional recovery software will scan your drive in search of the original file. This technique is best when applied as soon as the overwrite is done, since any subsequent disk activity can completely overwrite the recoverable version.

What Influences Your Success in Recovery

• The sooner you act, the higher your chances of recovery.

• SSD drives that are included in the majority of new Macs can decrease the likelihood of recovery because of the TRIM capability.

• Backups are an important method of ensuring a higher chance of recovering old versions.

Final Words

It is possible to recover overwritten files on Mac, but time and backups are significant. In order to secure your files in the future, automatic backups or cloud storage can be considered. To obtain trustworthy tools of recovery and guidance, you may always check the solutions of Datarecovee.  Also checkout our Data Recovee community for more.