Recents Folder - Almost got into a panic attack...!!!!

[iphonefreak450]

So, I went to Finder and then I had all my recent files and docs under the Recents folder and I moved them into the trash.

Soon enough, I realized that by going back into my Documents folder one of my files was my password file and I almost got into a panic attack as that was gone as well. Then luckily, I had a USB pen drive which of course, is encrypted, and managed to recover it.

I am new to MacOS, so I never thought that removing files from the Recents folder ALSO REMOVES THEM FROM THE DOCUMENTS FOLDER.

I think this is just a poor and SILLY design that removing files from the Recents folder within the Finder app also removes them from the Documents folder...

Is there a way to remove all the Recent items to the trash WITHOUT losing my data that was kept originally in the Documents folder?

 

[russell_314]

So, I went to Finder and then I had all my recent files and docs under the Recents folder and I moved them into the trash.

Soon enough, I realized that by going back into my Documents folder one of my files was my password file and I almost got into a panic attack as that was gone as well. Then luckily, I had a USB pen drive which of course, is encrypted, and managed to recover it.

I am new to MacOS, so I never thought that removing files from the Recents folder ALSO REMOVES THEM FROM THE DOCUMENTS FOLDER.

I think this is just a poor and SILLY design that removing files from the Recents folder within the Finder app also removes them from the Documents folder...

Is there a way to remove all the Recent items to the trash WITHOUT losing my data that was kept originally in the Documents folder?

Yes those are the actual files, not just shortcuts to them so if you delete them then you delete them. I don't use the recent folder but that's just my preference. I don't know of a way to clear the recents because it's a smart folder.

Now would be a good time to think about a backup solution.


This guy makes some good videos on the basic features of macOS. They can be boring but also you will learn stuff.

 

[iphonefreak450]

Macmost, yes I do watch his videos. He does an amazing job.

And to make matters worse, I did also clear the trash folder.

So the Recents folder are NOT duplicates of the Documents or any other locations as I just watched the above Macmost video. Glad I know this now.

What a bad implementation… I’m sorry.

And I do have a backup on OneDrive for non-sensitive files only and the rest I keep on an encrypted USB external device.

 

[TorbenIbsen]

Macmost, yes I do watch his videos. He does an amazing job.

And to make matters worse, I did also clear the trash folder.

So the Recents folder are NOT duplicates of the Documents or any other locations as I just watched the above Macmost video. Glad I know this now.

What a bad implementation… I’m sorry.

And I do have a backup on the OneDrive for non-sensitive files only and the rest I keep on a USB external device.

It is not bad implementaton at all. It is lack of understanding on your part which comes from not reading the user guides and not knowing what you have bought.

It is smart implementation because users in the know can use such features to their advantage. You will see the same principle in many other situations on the Mac.

I think that you are making the same mistake as many other former PC users: That a Mac is like a PC except for small stuff like different shorcut key combinations and the like. - But the truth is that a former PC user should un-learn all knowledge and forget all PC habits and assumptions. Because almost everytning is a little or a LOT different than on a PC.

We often see that Apple Photos and the many different ways iCloud works are what gets new PC users into trouble. Because these two areas are radically different from what a PC user is expecting from the PC world. - Apple Photos is database where all photos reside in one place only no matter how you choose to organise folders. Because you only organize "links". The "recent" folder is also just "links" like you have alreay discovered. - iCloud is not a cloud based storage area. It is a way to synchonize your data between several Apple devices.

So do yourself a favor and actually read Apple's user guides and support articles. - There are 100 million Mac users out there who do not see these things as "bad implementation". We see these features as the real reason to have a Mac and other Apple products. If we had wanted "PC behavior" we would have gotten a PC and not a Mac.

When you read the help section for Finder you will also find the settings for how to manage "recent" links.

 

[russell_314]

Macmost, yes I do watch his videos. He does an amazing job.

And to make matters worse, I did also clear the trash folder.

So the Recents folder are NOT duplicates of the Documents or any other locations as I just watched the above Macmost video. Glad I know this now.

What a bad implementation… I’m sorry.

And I do have a backup on OneDrive for non-sensitive files only and the rest I keep on an encrypted USB external device.

If you can deal with the somewhat boring tone of his videos they are very informative. I’ve learned lots of stuff watching them, and I was fairly proficient with macOS.

I wouldn’t say it’s a bad implementation. It’s just a saved search but you don’t have to use it. It kind of reminds me of the old iTunes on Windows where you can make smart playlists. macOS does things a little bit different so if you’re coming from Windows sometimes it’s confusing.

I don’t even have it on my sidebar because I don’t need it. I keep documents in my documents folder on iCloud so I can just use list view then sort by date if I want to see what’s recent.

Maybe consider an encrypted time machine backup? By default it automatically backs up every hour but that requires a drive connected or a NAS so if you’re using a laptop and moving around with it, it’s not ideal. I’ve never used OneDrive as a back up. Maybe I should consider it since I already have an office 365 subscription. Does it automatically backup? If so, that may be sufficient. At least with me if a backup isn’t an automatic process, I will forget and then when that horrible time comes where I realize that I altered or changed a file it’s not good.

Don’t empty the recycle bin. At least if you do it just wait and don’t empty it right after you delete things. This is another thing I’ve learned from making stupid mistakes. All my lessons are learned the hard way 😂

 

[russell_314]

So do yourself a favor and actually read Apple's user guides and support articles.

I get what you’re saying, but I don’t think most people are going to read support articles. I consider myself somewhat of a nerd, and I can only deal with reading them for a short period. I couldn’t imagine telling my non techie friends to read support articles.

I think YouTube videos are a better method because it has audio and shows you how to do things. Of course everyone learns differently, but this is just from my perspective being more of a visual learner.

 

[iphonefreak450]

When I first got my MacBook, it was relatively easy to learn and access certain file directories.

I still have trouble with the key combinations like when to use the option or when to use the command key.

But otherwise, it’s relatively simple to learn, it’s just the small things that I need to get used to.

But I never knew that the Recents folder are not duplicated so next time I’ll be extra careful 👍

Also, to be fair, thanks to the MacRumors community for the extra support and very quick responses as well.

 

[auxbuss]

Finder's Recents is a view of a query – not unlike so-called Smart Folders. It's very similar to the Smart Folder rule `Kind is Document`.

If you want a view that is similar to Recents, but is trimmed to your liking, then the easiest way is to create your own Smart Folder using the above rule, and then add more rules till you're happy. For example, `Last opened date within last 7 days`, which will trim the files returned to those opened in the past week instead of forever.