Deleted Notes on Mac? Here's How to Get Them Back (5 Methods)

Recovering deleted notes on a Mac is often straightforward — the Notes app has its own Recently Deleted folder, and iCloud stores a synced backup. Most deleted notes are recoverable within 30 days. This guide covers every method from quickest to last resort.

Part 1. Check Notes Recently Deleted First

The Notes app on macOS includes a Recently Deleted folder that holds deleted notes for 30 days before permanent removal.

Recover notes through these methods, in order of ease:

1. Open the Notes app on your Mac
2. In the left sidebar, scroll down to find Recently Deleted
3. Click on the note you want to recover
4. Right-click (or Control-click) → select Recover Note
5. The note returns to the folder it was deleted from

If you deleted the note from your iPhone or iPad and it syncs with iCloud, it will appear in Recently Deleted on your Mac as well — iCloud Notes sync keeps the deletion history consistent across devices.

💡 Tip: If you do not see a Recently Deleted folder in the sidebar, the note may have been permanently deleted already (older than 30 days), or Notes may not be syncing with iCloud. Go to System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud and confirm Notes is toggled on.

🗣️ r/mac user: "Accidentally deleted a note with a year's worth of research. Found it in Recently Deleted 10 minutes later. The 30-day window saved me."

Part 2. Recover Deleted Notes From iCloud.com

If the note has already been removed from your Mac's Recently Deleted folder, iCloud.com offers a second recovery path — through the iCloud data recovery tool.

🗣️ r/datarecovery note on Mac data: "If Notes is backed up through iCloud, the iCloud.com restore option is the best bet after the 30-day window. If Notes was never synced to iCloud and there is no Time Machine backup, options become very limited."

Recover via iCloud.com:

1. Go to icloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID
2. Click your profile icon (top right) → iCloud Settings (or Account Settings)
3. Scroll down to Advanced → click Restore Notes
4. Select the archive you want to restore from
5. Click Restore — this replaces your current Notes with the archived version

⚠️ Important: Restoring Notes from iCloud replaces your current Notes data entirely with the older archive. Before restoring, export any current notes you want to keep: in the Notes app, go to File → Export as PDF for individual notes.

This method works best when the deletion was recent. iCloud keeps periodic archives that may go back several weeks depending on your account activity.

Part 3. Use Time Machine to Restore Notes

If you have Time Machine set up on your Mac, you can restore the Notes database file to a point before the deletion.

Notes database file location: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/NoteStore.sqlite

How to restore via Time Machine:

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive
2. Open Finder, then go to Go → Go to Folder → paste: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/
3. Open Time Machine (top menu bar icon)
4. Navigate to a backup date before the deletion
5. Select NoteStore.sqlite and click Restore
6. Quit and reopen the Notes app

💡 Tip: After restoring from Time Machine, the Notes app may take a few minutes to rebuild its index. If notes do not appear immediately after reopening, wait 2–3 minutes and check again.

Part 4. Check Attachments and Exported Files

If the note contained important content — a copied image, a scanned document, or a PDF attachment — check these locations before concluding the content is permanently lost:

💡 Tip: The Notes app stores attachments separately from the note text. Even if the note body is gone, attachments may still exist in ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/Media/.

Part 5. Recover Notes Database From Mac Drive With Ritridata

If the Notes data was lost due to a Mac drive error, accidental deletion of the Notes data folder, or a macOS reinstall, Ritridata can scan your Mac drive and recover the Notes database files (NoteStore.sqlite and associated media). It supports Mac HDD and SSD with native APFS and HFS+ support.

Step 1 — Select your Mac internal drive or the specific folder path

Step 2 — Run a safe scan to locate the Notes database files

Step 3 — Preview and recover the NoteStore.sqlite and Media folder to an external drive

FAQ

How long does Mac Notes keep deleted notes? The Notes app holds deleted notes in Recently Deleted for 30 days. After 30 days, they are permanently removed from the app. iCloud may retain older archives that can be restored through iCloud.com settings.

Can I recover a note I deleted more than 30 days ago? Possibly — through iCloud archive restoration or Time Machine. iCloud.com allows restoring from older snapshots of your Notes data. Time Machine can restore the Notes database to a specific past date if backups were active.

Where are Mac Notes stored on the hard drive? Notes data is stored in: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/NoteStore.sqlite. Attachments are in the Media subfolder in the same directory.

I deleted Notes from iCloud — did it delete from all my devices? Yes — iCloud Notes sync means deletions propagate across all devices signed into the same Apple ID. However, the 30-day Recently Deleted window applies on all synced devices, so the note should still appear in Recently Deleted on any of your devices.

What if the Notes app is not syncing with iCloud? Notes stored locally on a Mac (not in iCloud) are kept in a separate local account in the Notes app. Deleted local notes still go to Recently Deleted, but iCloud.com recovery will not help. Time Machine is the primary recovery path for non-iCloud notes.

Can I recover formatted text and tables from a deleted note? Yes — Notes rich text, tables, checklists, and attachments are all stored in the database. If the note is recoverable through any of the above methods, all formatting and content is typically restored along with it.

References

• Apple — Notes User Guide
• Apple — Time Machine Backup and Restore
• Apple — Restore Contacts, Calendars, Notes, and more from iCloud
• r/mac — Notes Recovery Discussion
• Tenorshare — Recover Deleted Notes on iCloud Guide