I have a mid-2020 laptop using the 26 system. I turned on the computer and when it booted up, all of my desktop files had disappeared. I restarted the computer but still no desktop files. What happened? How can I restore them?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.1
I stopped using the Desktop and Documents folders because of iCloud, just for the same reason to what happened to you. If you see the iCloud Drive in Finder they might be there or
What happens when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud
If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. You also have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. If you keep a local copy of your files in iCloud Drive, they're copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. You can move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents to your new local Desktop and Documents.
Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive
Check System Settings > Desktop & Dock. Is the box to show items on desktop checked? If not, check it.
Disappearing files from the desktop
