It is possible to recover a video from Photo Booth, especially if it was synced to iCloud Photos or still exists on your Mac. While Photo Booth videos are primarily stored locally, iCloud offers a robust recovery option for deleted files that have been synchronized.
Locating Photo Booth Videos on Your Mac
Before attempting cloud recovery, it's always best to check the original storage location on your Mac and the Trash.
Default Storage Location
Photo Booth videos and photos are typically stored within a specific library folder on your Mac:
- Open Finder.
- Click on Go in the top menu bar, then select Home (or press Shift + Command + H).
- Navigate to the Pictures folder.
- You should see a file named Photo Booth Library.
- Right-click (or Control-click) on "Photo Booth Library" and select Show Package Contents.
- Inside, you'll find a folder named Pictures or Movies, where your Photo Booth recordings are kept. You might find your video here if it wasn't completely deleted.
Checking the Trash and Photos App
- Mac's Trash: Always check your Mac's Trash for recently deleted videos. If you simply dragged the video from the Photo Booth Library to the Trash, it might still be there.
- Photos App "Recently Deleted": If you previously imported your Photo Booth video into the Apple Photos app, it might be in the "Recently Deleted" album within the Photos app for up to 30 days.
- Open the Photos app.
- Click on Recently Deleted in the sidebar.
- Look for your video and select Recover if found.
Recovering Photo Booth Videos from iCloud
If your Photo Booth videos were synced with iCloud Photos, or if you had iCloud Photos enabled on your Mac, there's a good chance you can recover deleted files directly from iCloud. This method is particularly useful if the video disappeared from your Mac or was deleted from the Photos app after syncing.
Why Your Video Might Be in iCloud
- iCloud Photos Sync: If you have iCloud Photos enabled on your Mac (via System Settings/Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos), your Photo Booth videos might have been automatically uploaded to iCloud if they were imported into the Photos app, or if the Photo Booth library itself was included in a synced folder (less common for Photo Booth directly, more for imported content).
- Manual Uploads: You might have manually uploaded the video to iCloud Drive or iCloud Photos at some point.
Steps to Recover from iCloud
Follow these steps to check for and recover your Photo Booth video from iCloud:
- Open a web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- Navigate to the Photos app icon and click on it.
- Look through your videos to see if the deleted files are here. Pay special attention to the "Recently Deleted" album within iCloud Photos, which holds items for 30 days.
- If you find them, you can download them to your Mac again. Simply select the video(s) and look for a download icon (a cloud with a downward arrow) to save them back to your computer.
Quick iCloud Recovery Checklist
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Access iCloud | Go to iCloud.com in a web browser. |
| 2. Sign In | Use your Apple ID and password. |
| 3. Open Photos | Click on the Photos app icon. |
| 4. Locate Video | Browse your library, including the "Recently Deleted" album. |
| 5. Download | Select the video(s) and click the download icon to save to your Mac. |
Important Considerations
- iCloud Photos Status: Recovery from iCloud relies on your videos having been synced there. If iCloud Photos was not enabled or the video was deleted before sync, it may not be available.
- "Recently Deleted" Time Limit: Items in "Recently Deleted" folders (both on Mac and iCloud) are typically held for 30 days before permanent deletion.
- Regular Backups: To prevent future data loss, regularly back up your Mac using Time Machine or other backup solutions.
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