It looks like another Icon has jumped off my platform, this time it is the one I could click on to bring up all the letters I have stored. I have attempted to go into the finder and open up a lot of things, but not one of them is leading me back to just my letters. Can someone please tell me how I can get them back. Thank you. I have an Imac, I forgot to mention that.

Does the Mac have a documents folder?

Is there is a search on the Mac use that to locate any newest documents.
It's been many many years since I used a Mac so can't recall how the set up is.

We do have some MAC users here I'll add that to your title so they might see it.

more detail would be helpful but a few things off the top of my head given what you do say --

check the TRASH icon. you said something JUMPED off the tool bar. It may be in trash and you can drag it back

What application is it written in? PAGES? DId you look directly in that application?

You should be able to find them in FINDER/DOCUMENTS if they are not in trash

Last add do you have a backup to your system? Hope so

I make all the titles for my files with the first word, as a keyword as if I were going to search.

Kitty
Avatars
PM history
family documents
flowers
etc

That way if something gets into the wrong file by mistake I can use the "FIND" feature rather easily.

I should have thought of that, naming each document, which I do, but I need to even remember what I name them to search for them. There used to be an icon I could click on and all my documents came up. I don't know what the heck happened to it.

I Googled the problem and came up with these results-
something there should be helpful to you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Imac...w=1360&bih=669



Does the Imac have a restore system, like windows, so you can set it back to a time or date before the problem happened?
(NOT a complete system restore to like new)

I wonder if your system has an automatic program to delete
icons after a period of time of disuse?

Our PC does this, but it first gives a warning box so that we can accept the clean up or not. I always refuse. But I don't know if MACs have an auto clean up feature.

Your document should still be there, only the short cut icon could have been cleaned out. Checking the "trash" might reveal it there?

The icon you are speaking of is the documents icon. It keeps your current documents easily available to you. It is possible to drag and drop these into the trash can. If that is the case just look at the trash can and see if there are wadded up papers in it. If there is click on it to open and click and drag back to the desktop. If the trash can is empty then they may have never gone there or they may have been deleted permanently.

Also find the icon on your tool bar that is labeled Launchpad. Open it go to the program used to originate said document and click on it. Once that program is open notice the menu bar at the top of your screen changes to be relevant for that program. If you used pages click on open. You should be seeing a window with options. On the left is a number of file locations your file may be hiding in. Click on each to check for it.

I also have an Imac and after many years as a PC user the learning curve was frustrating. What I eventually found for me was I like this architecture so much more. Connecting other devices's is stupid simple. The mac does it for you with minimal input. All your PC issues will dissappear. When you allow your mac to update it system when needed you will have minimal worrys about viruses. Macs are not virus proof but the kernal is not given out to every software co. in the world.

Apple makes the software cos who want to write software submit there products for eval before ever excepting or contracting with them. This keeps quality standards very high and protects the systems core software the kernal. Without this info it is incredible hard to write a successful virus. Windows will distribute its kernal to nearly any one and litigate after. Or write a cure for a virus later.

For PC users this insurers patch after patch and having to purchase and repurchase virus protection.