How do you Recover Files From an External Hard Drive? | Solved

External hard drives are extremely beneficial as they offer large storage, faster read-write speeds, and easy sharing among different user operating systems.

External hard drives are commonly used for data backup, file sharing, or data backup. However, it's not data loss proof. Events like accidental deletion, hard drive inaccessibility, corruption, formatting, RAW external hard drives, and physical damage can prevent accessing the stored data.

However, until the lost data is overwritten, successful data recovery from an external hard drive is possible. Stop using your portable hard drive and follow the upcoming sections to learn how to recover data from a hard drive.

How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive?

1. Data Recovery Software
2. Data Recovery Services

When you do not have the backup of the external hard drive data, here is what you can do for portable hard drive data recovery.

Method 1: External HDD Data Recovery using Data Recovery Software

In the case of logical data loss cases, data recovery software is the effective DIY method to bring back all the lost files. But the trick is to choose the most effective one.

Most all data recovery software can bring back your files to an extent, but for a complete effective portable HDD recovery, we suggest using a professional data recovery tool that’s compatible and has a high success rate.

SFWare Data Recovery Software is one such option built with an easy-to-use interface and an effective program to recover data from an external hard drive with just a few clicks.

Download now and Recover Files from External Hard Drive in No Time!

Select the External hard drive and click on Start Scan.

Locate the recovered HDD data on Deleted Files and Lost and Found Files folders

Use Search bar and Filter options to ease the process

You can wait till the scan completes OR Double-click on the file to preview, and Click on Save to restore data to your preferred location.

NOTE: Save the recovered data in a new location to avoid losing it again.

For connection issues and File corruption issues, click here:

Method 2: External HDD Data Recovery Using Data Recovery Services

In the case of a physically damaged external hard drive,or external drive is undetected you will have to go for a professional recovery service to retrieve data from the external hard drive. These services have data recovery experts and tools to get data off the external hard drive.

Key Points to Remember When Choosing a Data Recovery Service:

• Reputation and Reviews: Look for companies with strong customer reviews and testimonials, check online ratings on reputable review platforms and forums.
• Pricing: Look for clear pricing structures, including any potential additional costs. Ensure there are no hidden charges.
• Turnaround Time: Inquire about the average time to recover data from external hard drive.
• Success Rate: Verify the success rates of the service. Few companies offer “no data, no fee” policies. Clarify what constitutes a successful recovery for them.

BONUS: Fix the External Hard Drive Issues

In cases of minor corruption that can cause connection issues or make external hard drives inaccessible, here are some solutions to fix them:

1. Run Chkdsk Command:
   To fix logical file system errors on a drive,
   
   • Open Command prompt as Administrator
   • Type: chkdsk E: /f (replace "E" with the external hard drive letter) hit Enter and wait for the Scan to complete.

   

   Once the scan is completed, now try accessing the files on your external hard drive.


2. Update Drivers:
   Outdated or corrupt drivers can cause connectivity issues with external hard drives. Updating the drivers ensures your OS can properly communicate with the hardware.
   • Open Device Manager > right-click on Disk drives and choose Update Driver

   



3. Use First Aid:
   In Mac, use the Disk Utility's First Aid feature to repair file system errors and verify the disk's structure.
   • Open Disk Utility, select your external drive, and choose First Aid to run diagnostics and repair the external hard drive.

To Sum Up

To avoid data loss on external hard drives, back up important files to cloud storage or keep the drive encrypted to prevent unauthorized access and modifications. Additionally, ensure proper maintenance to avoid physical damage to the drive.

We hope the solutions listed for external HDD data recovery in this article were helpful, from DIY to professional recovery services. For the best recovery results, consider choosing a professional service.

System Requirements

• Windows: Microsoft Windows 11/10, Window 8, Window 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003
• Mac: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) and Mac OS X 10.12 (Sierra), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.15 (Catalina), macOS 11 (Big Sur), macOS 12 (Monterey), macOS 13 (Ventura), macOS 14 (Sonoma)
• RAM – 512 GB (1GB Recommended)
• Disk Space – 50 MB free space (for Installation)
• System Type – 32-bit or 64-bit PC
• File systems – FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5, exFAT, HFS and HFS+