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.
- Iconic Desktop Picture For Macbook
- Desktop Picture For Mac
- Desktop Wallpaper For Mac Computer
- Desktop Picture Blurry Mac
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 Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Phrase 1. Display Missing iCons | Method 1. Use Finder...Full steps Method 2. Use Time Machine Backup...Full steps |
Phrase 2. Get Missing Files | Method 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!'
Automatically back up photos from your Mac or PC, connected cameras and SD cards. Windows 7 + Mac. MacOS 10.9 + Thanks for downloading Backup and Sync. Open the installer on your computer and follow the prompts to start backing up photos. On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, then click Desktop. Open the Desktop pane for me. On the left, find a picture or color: Pictures and colors that come with your Mac: Click the disclosure triangle next to Apple, then select Desktop Pictures or Colors to see thumbnails of available pictures and colors.
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. macOS or Mac OS X update causes Mac desktop icons and items lost
- #2. Default settings of Finder that makes no icons and items appear on Mac desktop
- #3. Set files to hide on Mac
- #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
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:
Iconic Desktop Picture For Macbook
Step 1. Go to Mac terminal on Mac.
![Pictures Pictures](https://wallpapersite.com/images/wallpapers/heart-island-480x854-love-heart-hd-5k-2536.jpg)
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
![Desktop Desktop](/uploads/1/2/9/2/129216104/229193506.png)
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 the '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 the 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.
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.
Desktop Picture For Mac
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 drag them into the Trash bin. Then you can try to find them 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.
Every major version of Mac OS X macOS has come with a new default wallpaper. As you can see, I have collected them all here.
While great in their day, the early wallpapers are now quite small in the world of 5K displays.
Major props to the world-class designer who does all the art of Relay FM, the mysterious @forgottentowel, for upscaling some of these for modern screens.
If you want to see detailed screenshots of every release of OS X, click here.
10.0 Cheetah & 10.1 Puma
The first two releases of Mac OS X shared the same wallpaper. The sweeping blue arcs and curves helped set the tone of the new Aqua interface.
10.2 Jaguar
Jaguar took the same Aqua-inspired theme but added some depth and motion to things. In my head, the trails streaking across the screen were from a set of comets.
10.3 Panther
While Panther inflicted Macs everywhere with Brushed Metal, its wallpaper stayed on brand, refreshing the original 10.0 image.
10.4 Tiger
Many consider Tiger to be the best “classic” version of Mac OS X. While that may or may not be true, it has my favorite Aqua-inspired wallpaper.
10.5 Leopard
Complete with a revised, unified user interface and shiny new Dock, 10.5 broke the Aqua mold. As such, Leopard was the first version of OS X to break from the Aqua-themed wallpaper. It ushered in the “space era” of OS X wallpapers, which was used heavily in the new Time Machine interface as well.
10.6 Snow Leopard
The “no new features” mantra for Snow Leopard didn’t ban a new wallpaper, thankfully. This starscape is still one of my favorites.
10.7 Lion
Lion kept up the space theme, this time showing off the Andromeda galaxy. The space nerd in me likes the idea, but the execution of this one leaves dead-last on my list of favorites.
10.8 Mountain Lion
Just like Snow Leopard before it, with Mountain Lion, Apple opted to clean up and revise the existing theme as opposed to changing directions for what would be a less-impactful release of OS X.
10.9 Mavericks
Mavericks marked the beginning of Apple’s “California location” naming scheme for Mac releases. The wave depicted looks as intimidating as the ones in the famous surfing location.
10.10 Yosemite
Yosemite brought another UI refresh to the Mac, making things flatter and more modern. The wallpaper ushered in a new era based on … well … mountains.
10.11 El Capitan
Named after a breathtaking spot in Yosemite National Park, El Capitan was a clean-up year after 10.10.
10.12 Sierra
More mountains.
10.13 High Sierra
Even more mountains.
10.14 Mojave
No more mountains! Mojave brought a new system-wide Dark Mode, and the OS shipped with two versions of its default wallpaper to match. Users could even have macOS slowly fade between the two background images over the course of the day.
Desktop Wallpaper For Mac Computer
Download 5K versions:
10.15 Catalina
macOS Catalina brought big changes to the Mac, including the ability to run iPad apps natively, opening the platform up to a much larger number of developers than ever before. Catalina shipped with multiple variants of its default wallpaper, and the ability to shift between them as time progresses throughout the day:
Download 6K versions:
Desktop Picture Blurry Mac
macOS Big Sur
This version of macOS is such a big deal, Apple changed the version number to 11.0. It will be the OS that brings support for Apple Silicon-powered Macs, and features a brand new design.
Download 6K versions:
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