The loss of an unassigned PowerPoint file or accidental deletion of it on your Mac is a stressful experience. There are many reasons why this problem can happen. Nobody is protected from this. However, the good news is, although your PPT presentation is not saved, you can still recover the deleted or unsaved PowerPoint files on Macbook or Windows.
Available Features
The software that recovers permanently deleted files is helpful if used correctly. Sometimes the most effective data recovery software won’t aid you in recovering deleted PowerPoint documents on Mac. To do this, you can take advantage of the AutoRecover feature, or search for the not saved PowerPoint presentation in your temp folder.
4 methods will solve your problem in a few minutes.
Method 1: AutoRecover
Every one of the Microsoft Office applications comes with an excellent feature. That allows you to recover files that were lost due to an unexpected system crash or shutdown. The greatest benefit of this option is the fact that it operates completely on its own, showing itself at the initial PowerPoint launch following the loss of data. All you have been able to do is launch the lost file and then save the document to your Mac.
AutoRecover is configured to save your presentations every 10 minutes. However, you can alter the frequency in the Preferences section:
- Go to PowerPoint, then go to the PowerPoint menu, and then select Preferences.
- Click Save.
- Select the amount of time you want for the application to back up files within the Save AutoRecover details box.
Method 2: Data recovery software
Data recovery software can locate PowerPoint slides that macOS is unable to view due to their deletion. There are a variety of tools for recovering data that can be used for Data Recovery for Mac, documents, and many offer features that are simple so that normal Mac users can figure them out without much assistance.
Here’s an example of how PPT recovery functions in conjunction with Cisdem among the top well-known applications for data recovery on Mac:
1. Download and install Cisdem on Mac
In the beginning, you have to install Cisdem and then install the application onto your Mac by dragging the app into your Applications folder. Cisdem is a small program and does not require a lot of storage space.
2. Scanning Your Mac to find deleted files
After that, start Cisdem and give it one second to detect the various storage devices that are connected to the Mac. Click the Recover button next to the device where the PPT files are stored to start an analysis.
3. Filter the Scan Results
After Cisdem is finished scanning the storage device, it is possible to filter the results of the scan to show only those documents. You can also narrow the scan results. It will display only documents of a particular size. It can also show those deleted within the last X days months, weeks, or even years.
4. Choose the Powerpoint Files
If you’re using PowerPoint files regularly you’re likely to find Cisdem will find quite a lot of them. These include corrupted PowerPoint files and Automatic Recover PowerPoint file types, and many more. Instead of restoring all of them, select the preview icon and choose only the PPT files that you would like to recover.
5. Recover the selected Powerpoint Files
Once you have the missing PPT files chosen, you’ll be able to select the Recover button. Select the directory to recover. For the best recovery results make sure you select a directory on another storage device than the one from that you are recovering the PPT files.
Method 3: MacOS temp folders
Although it’s not common to find PowerPoint files to be placed in a temp folder. It’s worth having a take look at macOS temp folders as it only takes two minutes.
If you’re not aware of the temp folder. It’s an extra area on your Mac in which your operating system and the applications keep temporary files. Most of the time the files are removed in the temp directory by default. However, it is not unheard of to find them trapped in the folder following the sudden shutdown or system failure.
Here are three folders that you can use to find the content of your PowerPoint presentations:
/tmp
/var/tmp
TMPDIR
The temp folder is the last one that can be opened. Simply, type these commands in the terminal: Open $TMPDIR
Method 4: Recover from Time Machine Backup
Time Machine is a built-in backup tool that is available on all Macs. If you’ve used this program to back up your data. You’ll be able to make use of one of these backup software versions to restore a lost PowerPoint presentation.
You can follow these instructions to recover a lost PPT document on your Mac using Time Machine:
- Connect the drive that holds all of your Time Machine backups to your Mac. If you were using an internal drive to store the backups, do not skip the next step.
- Select the Time Machine icon on the menu bar. It is located at the top of the screen. Then select Enter Time Machine.
- Go to the directory. Here the deleted PPT file was located.
- Utilize the arrows and timeline to the right to select the backup version you need.
- To look at a file’s preview, select it and then hold to hold the Space-bar key.
- Select the PPT file you need and then click on Restore.
This PowerPoint presentation will be immediately placed into the same folder where it was stored before deleting it.