Recovering lost files from external hard drive

As a result, it becomes paramount for you to learn how to recover data from external hard drives. Yes, when you delete a file from your external hard drive, you can usually recover it from the Recycle Bin just like you would recover a file that was stored on your system hard drive.

When you click on the Recycle Bin icon located on your Desktop, what Windows shows is actually a combined view of all Recycle Bin folders that are present on your computer, including Recycle Bin folders located on external hard drives.

You can see a list of all Recycle Bin locations by right-clicking the Recycle Bin on your Desktop and selecting Properties. Disk Drill is an excellent external hard drive recovery software because it can recover hundreds of file formats with just a few clicks, making it great for everyone from novices to pros. While there are numerous possible solutions to help you recover data from external hard drives, you must pick the one that best suits your requirements.

Moreover, here are a few helpful pointers to maximize your probability of successful data recovery:. Also known as CMD , the Command Prompt provides you with much finer control over your operating system by allowing you to give your computer text commands. This comes in handy when dealing with data loss caused by malware, which often affects the attributes of files stored on internal and external hard drives alike, making them either invisible or impossible to open. Instead of painstakingly fixing the attributes of each and every file on your computer, you can simply use a single command to fix them all at once.

File History is a handy Windows feature. It allows you to go back in time and restore previous versions of files, even if the original files have since been deleted. You can do this by typing in File History into the Windows search bar and clicking on 'Restore files using File History. Ensure that you include your external hard drive among active file history locations. With Disk Drill, anyone can recover data from both internal and external hard drives with just a few clicks, and you can be sure that all common and not-so-common file formats are supported.

Step 1. Step 3. However, sometimes, users lose files and other data from external hard drives due to accidentally deletion. In this post, we will be discussing different methods to recover deleted files from external hard drives and that too free of cost. Note: In case of data deletion, stop using the external hard drive immediately to avoid overwriting. This is the most effective and easiest method to recover data from external hard drive for free.

Step 2: Install the software and launch it. Connect the external hard drive to your system if not connected. This is quite useful in the case of malware and virus attacks that affect the attributes of files stored on an external hard drive. For external hard drive recovery using command prompt, follow the steps below:. Note: Replace X with the letter of your external hard disk drive in the above command.

You can recover your deleted files by using the File History option on your system. To recover a file using this option, follow the steps below:. However, external hard drive has its own Recycle Bin which is generally hidden. Therefore, cross-check every file before you delete it from an external hard drive. To recover missing files from external hard drive using cmd, follow the below free method:. After the command prompt completes, a new folder consisting of recovered files in.

Change the. Note : CMD is used to fix external hard drive corruption along with recovering deleted files from it. But, in most cases, this method fails to successfully perform external hard drive recovery. At such times, you can make use of Remo Recover software to r ecover data from exter nal hard drive. Yes, you can recover files from unrecognized external hard drive using Remo Recover software. But before recovering data from an unrecognized external hard drive, you can try the free hacks mentioned below to fix unrecognized external hard drive.

Note: Formatting a hard drive erases all the data saved on it. Therefore try to take a backup of your drive before you format it. In case, if you have formatted your external hard drive without taking a backup, then check out this article on how to recover data from formatted hard drive.

It is possible to recover data from a dead external hard drive. But if your external hard drive or USB is dead due to physical damage, then recovering files using a data recovery is not possible. However, if your external hard drive is dead due to logical errors and you cannot access the files from it, then use Remo Recover tool to easily restore your data. Senior Editor, Content Analyst and a fan of exceptional customer service. John develops and publishes instructional and informational content regarding partition management, Windows hot-fixes, data management and computer troubleshooting.

As a tenured data recovery specialist, John shares exceptional insights and blog posts about data loss and data recovery across any storage device. John passes his free time playing Chess and reading Science Fiction novels.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All other trademarks acknowledged. Some important tips to successfully recover files from an external hard disk Stop using your external hard disk once you lose data from it.

Act fast to recover deleted files from external hard drive. Do not use unreliable external hard drive data recovery methods or tools to recover your external hard drive. If your external hard drive is corrupt, then recover data before fixing or formatting it. If you want an easier and safer way of recovering deleted files from external hard disk, then use Remo Recover software.

The addition of free data protection tools to keep your information safe is just another reason to go with Disk Drill. Robert brings over 30 years of experience in data storage, security, compliance, backup, and recovery to the HandyRecovery team. Several years ago, he turned his attention from hands-on technical roles to develop a career as a freelance writer concentrating on technology and its impact on society.

Areas of focus include the cloud, data recovery, artificial intelligence, and industrial automation. Andrey is a software engineer expert with extensive expertise in data recovery, computer forensics, and data litigation. Andrey brings over 12 years of experience in software development, database administration, and hardware repair to the team. Press ESC to close. Table of Contents.

You can recover files from external hard drives if they have been accidentally deleted. External hard drive recovery is possible even after formatting or if the hard disk is damaged. Due to the way modern operating systems handle file deletion and disk formatting, the files are still physically available even when logically inaccessible to the system.

Through the use of data recovery software , the drive can be recovered, allowing you to restore the lost files. Update notice Previous visitors to this page will notice some changes and improvements. We often revisit our pages in an attempt to more completely cover the topic and subject matter. We have added more detail to our solutions as well as more extensive information regarding the problems that can plague external hard drives.

There are also some data recovery solutions that may help you get your files back without recovery software. Check the cable and replace it if it looks worn.

Trying a different cable is not a bad idea even if it looks alright. Trying a different port on the machine or locating another compatible computer to use can resolve this issue. Outdated drivers can impact the ability of your computer to detect attached devices. This can potentially destroy some of the data on the disk so should be done with caution. The key is to stop using the external hard drive as soon as you suspect you have lost data.

You need to prevent the operating system from overwriting the deleted items with new information. Download and install Download and install Disk Drill for Windows on your computer.

Provide system level credentials during the installation and grant the program permission to make system changes if prompted. Connect and launch Connect the external hard drive to your machine and launch Disk Drill. You will be presented with a disk list displaying all available devices.

Select the external drive from the list. Scan for deleted files Click the Search for lost data button to start the scanning process. You can choose the type of scan to be performed, although the best recovery results will be achieved by allowing Disk Drill to run all of its scanning procedures automatically in the optimal order.

You will see a status bar indicating the progress of the scan which can be paused and restarted at any time. Data can be recovered before the scan completes when the process is paused. Scan results can also be mounted as a virtual disk to make recovery even easier.