7 Possible Ways to Recover Deleted Files From External Hard Drive
The thought of losing files from an external disk can really accumulate stress and worry in your mind. It leaves you contemplating whether it’s viable to recover deleted files from external hard drive. But fret not. In this complete guide, we’ll share frequent reasons for losing data on an external disk, whether it’s possible to get it back, and if yes, how and under what circumstances? We’ll provide clear instructions so you can apply the solution according to your situation!
Part 1: Common Causes of Data Loss on External Hard Drives
External hard drives are a great way to back up photos, videos, work files—you name it. But as handy as they are, they’re not foolproof. Before we dive in, let’s quickly go over a few common reasons why data gets lost from external hard drives:
- Mechanical breakdown (e.g., worn-out parts, clicking noises).
- Accidental file deletion, formatting, or improper ejection.
- File system corruption (drive becomes unreadable) or bad sectors causing data loss.
- Viruses delete, encrypt, or corrupt files.
- Drops, liquid spills, flooding, extreme heat, or cold can damage components.
- Sudden loss of power, corrupting data or firmware, or electrical damage (e.g., power surges damaging circuits).
Part 2: Is It Possible to Recover Data From an External Hard Drive?
Yes. It’s viable to recover lost files on external hard drive, but under certain conditions. For instance, data recovery from external hard drive depends on how the data was lost, the drive’s condition, and whether it’s still recognizable by your computer.
If files were accidentally erased, corrupted, or the drive was formatted, you can use a specialized program to recover data from external hard drive, provided they haven’t been overwritten. Logical issues, like file system corruption or RAW drives, can often be fixed using tools like CHKDSK. But if the files are hidden and not erased, you can get them back by removing their hidden attributes.
However, data recovery from external hard drive becomes difficult or impossible when the drive has major physical damage (like from water or a head crash) or data has been overwritten.
Part 3: Best Program to Recover Data From External Hard Drive
You can use a professional retrieval program to recover data from external hard drive if you don’t have a backup, but your data is still not overwritten. 4DDiG Data Recovery is the best tool to extract data from external drives, and storage like USBs, SD cards, SSDs, and more and with high success. It can recover lost files on external hard drive, whether they’re erased by mistake, corrupted, formatted, or hidden. The free data recovery tool can do much more, such as:
- Offers two modes to scan external drives thoroughly for lost data.
- Can retrieve audio, videos, images, documents, RAW files, etc, from external disks.
- Works on both Windows and macOS.
- Supports popular brands of external hard drives like WD, SanDisk, Seagate, etc.
- Works with NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, HFS+, and more.
Follow the instructions beneath to recover data from external hard drive with this tool:
Step 1: Connect your external disk to a computer for access. Then, execute the recovery tool on the same PC. Choose the drive where you lost the files.
Step 2: Pick the file types you want back. Then, hit “Scan.” Pause or stop the scan to browse through the results. Adjust tags or input keywords to locate exact matches of files.
Step 3: Once you find your desired files, hit “Recover” to move them to a secure place on your computer or cloud drive.
Part 4: Alternative Ways to Recover Data From External Hard Drive
Other than using a program to recover data from external hard drive, you can also use alternative ways in certain circumstances. If you have a backup, your files are hidden or have some logical errors, here’s how you can recover data from external hard drive for free:
Option A: Show Hidden File Using the Command Prompt
Any virus or malware can hide your files, falsely portraying them as removed. If that’s the reason you’re unable to view them in your external drive, use Command Prompt to unhide them. Here’s how to recover data from external hard drive with Command Prompt:
Step 1: Connect your external disk to a computer for access. Then, type “cmd” in the Windows search field. Execute “Command Prompt.”
Step 2: Type the following command. Hit “Enter” afterward:
- ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D I:*.* (Here I is the drive letter of your external disk).
Option B: Use the Previous Versions Feature
In case you lost the files while working on them, you can get them back through the Previous Version. When enabled, it can restore the old version of a file. However, it can only backup your Windows data, so you’ll have to manually include files from your external drive in the backup. If you’ve already done that, follow the steps beneath to recover deleted files from external hard drive with the Previous Version:
Step 1: Connect your external disk to a computer for access. Then, open the folder where you lost the files in “File Explorer.”
Step 2: Right-click the folder. Choose “Properties.” Open “Previous Versions.”
Step 3: Choose “Restore previous versions.” Pick a version of the file that you wish to retrieve. Hit “Restore.”
Option C: Run the CHKDSK Utility
If your external disk has logical errors like bad sectors or file system errors, you can use the Windows embedded CHKDSK utility to repair them. Then, get the files back. Here’s how to recover lost files on external hard drive with CHKDSK:
Step 1: Connect your external disk to a computer for access. Then, type “cmd” in the Windows search field. Execute “Command Prompt.”
Step 2: Type the following command. Hit “Enter” afterward:
- CHKDSK I: /f /r /x
Option D: Use Windows File Recovery
Windows File Recovery is a free command-line tool to recover data from external hard drive for free. It has Default, Segment, and Signature modes to extract files based on how deep and extensive you want the recovery process to be. Follow the instructions beneath to use this tool to recover data from external hard drive:
Step 1: Connect the external drive to a computer for access. Download, install, and execute the Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.
Step 2: Then, pick a mode for data recovery from external hard drive. For instance, input the following command in the Signature Mode:
- winfr E: D: /x /y:JPEG (Here /x indicates signature mode and /y: is to list the groups of file types like JPEG, PDF, ZIP, etc. E drive is your external dis and D drive is the place where you wish to move the recovered files).
Option E: Check Cloud Backup
When you don’t have a Windows backup of your external disk, you might have its backup on a cloud drive. For instance, Windows 11/10 has OneDrive integrated, which syncs with your system files. However, for your external drive, you must have manually backed up its files to the cloud drive to recover them. To do so with OneDrive, follow the steps beneath:
Step 1: Open “OneDrive” in a browser. Then, sign in with your Microsoft credentials.
Step 2: Pick the files you want back. Hit “Download.”
Option F: Apply Data Recovery Services
In a situation where your external disk has hardware damage, you’ll need to contact a data recovery service. Pick a professional one that will have the necessary tools to extract data from the drive.
Final Words
When data disappears from an external disk, the situation may seem impossible, but you can usually recover deleted files from external hard drive. You may find help in Command Prompt, Windows’ CHKDSK, backups, or Previous File versions. But if there’s no backup available, choose a dedicated recovery program. You can find high success with 4DDiG Data Recovery, which supports 2000+ file formats and numerous types of external disks.
