Missing folder and files in https://github.com/appleiifanclub/mame repository

[appleiifanclub]

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I forked the official MAME repository into my GitHub account appleiifanclub as MAME, I then created an images folder and have upload some image files into that folder. But today I found that the images folder was missing and all the images files were gone.

How do I recover that images folder and all the image files?

[sharanyamahajan]

If the images folder and files were deleted, they can only be recovered if they still exist in the repository’s commit history. Check the commit history of your fork on GitHub and look for an earlier commit where the images/ folder existed; if found, you can restore it by reverting that commit or by checking out the files from that commit and committing them again. If you worked locally, you can also inspect your local Git history or reflog to recover the files and push them back to GitHub. However, if the folder was never committed (for example, files were uploaded but not committed, or later overwritten by syncing with upstream using a hard reset or force push), then GitHub cannot recover them, as Git only tracks committed data. In short, recovery is possible only through Git history; otherwise, the files are permanently lost and must be reuploaded from a backup.

[Cauebf]

Hello, this usually happens when the files were never actually committed to the repository, or when they were added to a branch that later got changed or deleted.

Check if the files were ever committed.
Open your fork on GitHub and click on the “Commits” tab. Look for a commit where you added the images folder. If you do not see any commit like that, then the files were only uploaded locally and never saved to the repository.

If you used git locally, check your computer.
If you still have the local repository on your machine, go to the project folder and run:

git status

If the images folder shows up as untracked or modified, you can still commit it:

git add images
git commit -m "Add images folder"
git push

If you committed the files, but they disappeared later, check the branch.
Make sure you are looking at the same branch where you added the files, usually master or main. On GitHub, use the branch selector and see if the images folder exists on another branch.

Also check the commit history for deletions.

If the files were uploaded directly on GitHub and not committed, recovery is not possible.
GitHub does not keep uncommitted uploads. In that case, the only way to recover the images is from your local backup or the original source where you got them.

Hope this helps.

[SyedShaheerHussain]

Don’t panic — in almost all cases on GitHub, files don’t just disappear permanently. They’re usually still recoverable from Git history. Here’s how to approach this calmly and systematically.

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[mert-batu]

files or folders are missing from your GitHub repository view, here are the most common causes:

1. Files exist locally but were never pushed
   The most common cause. Check with:

git status # see what's staged/unstaged
git log --oneline # see your commit history
git push origin main # push any unpushed commits

2. Files were added to .gitignore
   If a pattern in your .gitignore matches the folder/file name, git won’t track it. Check your .gitignore file.
3. Empty folders
   Git does not track empty directories — only files. To force git to track an empty folder, create a .gitkeep file inside it:

touch myfolder/.gitkeep
git add myfolder/.gitkeep
git commit -m "Keep empty folder"

4. You’re looking at the wrong branch
   GitHub defaults to showing your default branch. Use the branch dropdown at the top of the file tree to switch branches.
5. Files were accidentally deleted in a recent commit
   Check your commit history to see if they were removed:

git log --diff-filter=D --name-only # shows deleted files
git checkout COMMIT_HASH -- path/to/file # restore a specific file