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I am using Mac 10.13.6, my QuickTime is Version 10.4 (928.13).

I opened a .mov file in QuickTime, and then accidentally deleted it for good (using the Terminal). Fortunately, the opened window in QuickTime for that file is still available. I can play the file with sound, from start to finish.

I am wondering if it's possible to recover the file from QuickTime?

But when I try to save the window, duplicate it, export it etc., I'm always getting the following error:

The document can’t be saved because there is no such file.

If the file can still be played, it must still be available on the file-system somewhere.

The problem is, when I follow other Ask Different posts, and other blog posts and try to find my file from the following paths:

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX/Data/Library/Autosave Information/

  • $TMPDIR = /var/folders/05/rn0kgvkj6zbcgrnh4cyx8gyh0000gn/T/

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX/Data/Library/Saved Application State

I still cannot find my file. The folders are empty or my file is just not there.

Is there another temp file path I am missing out?

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  • Just restore it from your backup, which you keep specifically for recovering accidentally deleted files.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 10:06
  • Is a Backup on your ToDo list now?
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 12:35
  • When you delete a file, the reference is deleted. When it's open in QuickTime, QuickTime still has the reference in its memory. It might be possible to list out all the open inodes of QT, then figure out how to identify and copy a file via its inode. I don't know how you would go about doing that, unfortunately.
    – At0micMutex
    Commented Sep 15, 2021 at 5:27
  • While snarky comments about backups are fun, they're not helpful. This particular issue happens to me often, while the QuickTime session that recorded the clip is still open. My system hasn't had time to perform a backup. I still can't figure out what's causing it: I'll save the file, something happens on the file system, and now I'm unable to re-save the file from QT because of this exact error. It exists – I never closed the window, I can listen to it! – but I can't locate it. In my case it's audio, so I'll run it through Audio Hijack and re-capture it. Not ideal.
    – John Noble
    Commented Mar 19 at 22:15

1 Answer 1

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I don't know in what location Quicktime has stored the file. However, a possible workaround to obtain a copy of the video is to start a screen recording and record it while it plays.

To be safe I would not use Quicktime to record the screen. I am not sure if it will keep the video you're trying to recover open. Instead download some other screen recording software (e.g. OBS Studiono affiliation) and use that to record the screen while the video plays.

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  • Good idea - had not considered that though.
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 8:52

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