Folders disappeared from desktop on Mac? Or even worse, everything on desktop disappeared on Mac? Don’t panic. This article will show you how to easily find back folders disappeared from Mac desktop, by listing 12 proven fixes you can try, no matter your macOS is Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina or older versions.
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It's uncommon but we do run into the trouble of Mac Desktop Folders Disappeared. This can be a big problem, because it leads to data loss and affects our work. Desktop folders disappeared on Mac can be caused by different reasons and here we conclude as follows:
Then where have these disappeared desktop folders gone? Basing on the reasons listed above, they may be moved to Trash bin, to a new location, or hidden somewhere on your Mac, and we need to get them back.
With different scenarios causing disappeared desktop folders, it may require different solutions. If you are sure that the folders missing from desktop are no longer existing on Mac, you should attempt to recover them back. Let’s start with 2 recovery methods.
As the top option, you need a professional data recovery program like Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac to help you out! It applies to recovering desktop files and folders disappeared somehow or moved to Trash bin, and recovering permanently deleted/trash emptied desktop folders as well.
In addition, Cisdem Data Recovery provides following useful features:
Repair corrupted videos in mp4, mov, avi and so on
Free Download macOS 10.9 or later 
If you back up your Mac with Time Machine on a frequent basis, things will be easier. In such a case, you can get back disappeared desktop folders on Mac from the available backup.
Another situation is that your disappeared desktop folders are just hidden somewhere, rather than removed from your Mac. In this case, it’s time to make them show up again and proceed to the 10 fixes below.
When all folders get disappeared from desktop on Mac suddenly and you cannot add any icons onto it any longer, the Mac desktop might be locked. Just unlock it to see whether disappeared folders will show up again.
This is a pretty easy and quick fix, but it actually solves the issue in some cases.
One possible cause of the problem is that the Desktop features have been disabled. One can fix it by relaunching the Finder. If relaunch doesn’t work, there is still another method, which is using a third-party app called TinkerTool. This app is designed to give Mac users access to additional macOS preference and settings.
To reveal disappeared files and folders from desktop, alternatively, you can try a specific shortcut in Finder.
Sometimes, the disappeared desktop folders are just moved to a new location by accidentally enabling the transfer actions with your mouse or key combination. We can search on our Mac and put the disappeared folders back to the desktop.
If a folder or all your Mac desktop folders disappeared because they have been hidden for some reason, you can view and find the hidden folders by using Terminal.
The Mac desktop icons disappeared problem also occurs. There are two solutions you can try.
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In many cases, the folders disappeared from desktop on Mac issue is caused by iCloud settings. Mac makes it easy to store your Desktop and Documents folder in the cloud so that you can easily access them on all your Apple devices. It makes things convenient. However, sometimes it also brings frustrations since it could cause the disappearance of desktop items and the Desktop folder. Below is how to get back the disappeared folders.
Also, you can choose to turn off the iCloud Drive sync.
macOS Mojave and later versions have a new feature named Stacks, to automatically group similar desktop folders and files together by categories. Once enabled, your Mac desktop folders could be missing. Here are the steps to find disappeared desktop folders via Stack.
The last but not the least useful method to get your disappeared desktop folders back is reinstalling macOS, making everything on your Mac run properly again by purging all conflicts or problems during the reinstallation.
However, it is not easy to reinstall macOS, we need to prepare our Mac properly, back up files and follow the steps to go through the reinstalling.
Don’t worry if folders disappeared from desktop on Mac. You can try the methods mentioned above. In many cases, it’s very easy to bring things back. When it comes accidental permanent deletion, you will need to use professional software like Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac. The software can recover data loss caused by permanent deletion, disk formatting, disk failure and other reasons. For important files and folders, it’s highly recommended to regularly back them up.
Connie Yu has been a columnist in the field of data recovery since 2011. She studied a lot of data loss situations and tested repeatedly to find a feasible solution tailored for each case. And her solutions are always updated to fix problems from the newest systems, devices and apps.
Bilal Khan
I fixed it by checking whether the Desktop icon which in pinned in the finder, is actually from the same user which my current session in sig-in to. So basically you will have to again navigate to the correct user and find the correct Desktop where are you files. Best Wishes.
Regina
Wow! Awesome guide! I'm disabling Desktop and Documents option in my iCloud Drive, then my disappeared folders magically show up again! Thanks for saving me from the annoying problem.