How to Retrieve Files from External Hard Drive on Mac?

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We save our data on external drives to keep it secure, but sadly, this doesn’t always work out. It’s simple to panic because the lost data may contain crucial documents.

Fortunately, recovering deleted photos, files, and other critical data from an external drive is achievable. This article details four effective methods for restoring data from a Mac external hard drive, with step-by-step instructions. First, we’ll cover the common causes of data loss on external drives.

What Causes Data Loss on Mac External Hard Drive?

Before we start with the recovery procedures it’s important to know what causes data loss on Mac external hard drives; There are many reasons why data on a Mac external hard drive can disappear. Among them are;

• Virus attack.
• Unintentional deletion, or formatting of the drive.
• Loss of partition structure, file system failure, or corruption. 
• Physical damage to the drive.
• Sometimes abrupt shutdown is caused by the drive’s repeated connections and disconnections.

Considering these cases and data loss scenarios we have come up with four ways that you can employ to recover an external hard drive on Mac. Here’s how it goes. 

4 Methods for Mac Users to Restore Data From an External Hard Drive

Depending on your data loss scenario, several methods can help retrieve files from a Mac external hard drive or SSD. Before diving into details, understand why you should recover data before saving new files to the drive.

Modern OS don’t immediately erase data when you delete files—they just remove logical links. Specialized recovery software can restore access if the data remains physically intact (unoverwritten).

Once overwritten, recovery becomes impossible with standard tools. The key takeaway: Avoid adding new data to the drive during recovery to preserve your lost photos or files.

Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Photos from Mac?

You can always use reliable external hard drive recovery software for Mac like Remo Recover Mac, This Mac data recovery software is an all-in-one data recovery solution for Mac OS X. The sophisticated built-in scanning algorithm aids in the recovery of deleted files, files lost due to application errors, deleted or missing volumes, re-formatted volumes, and re-partitioned Mac drives.

Let us now get into methods you can use to recover data from a Mac external hard drive using these four methods mentioned below: 

Method 1: Use Trash to Restore Deleted Data on Mac

Data such as files, photos, documents, or videos that are deleted end up in Mac’s Trash. Your files might have been accidentally deleted, and there could have been a number of causes for this, but you can easily recover them using Trash. 

Deleted files are initially sent to the Trash on every Mac system. A copy of these files is kept on your device’s hard drive even if they are removed from the Trash. In other words, your data is not necessarily lost even if you’ve already emptied the Trash. This indicates that you can still recover data from emptied Mac Trash. 

However, the time period for the file in the Mac Trash folder by default is approximately 30 days (customizable). All files older than 30 days are permanently removed and you should a data recovery tool to restore back data from Mac (explained in Method 3).

• Open the Trash folder on Mac. You can click on the Trash icon that you will see at the bottom.

• There will be a sizable pile of all of your deleted files. You can search for the necessary files one by one using the search bar.

• You must now put those files back where they originally were to recover them. Select each and every file if there are several. Several options will appear when you right-click on the files. When you select Put Back, the files will return to their original location.

Method 2: Restore Files from Backup/Time Machine

A built-in tool called Time Machine is available by default in macOS to help you recover lost data. Time Machine Backup transports you to earlier versions of your drive like an actual time machine.

However, this only works if you have previously created a backup. Use this method if you have a backup; otherwise, proceed to Method 3.

• Make sure you have a backup of the Time Machine on a drive. Open the Finder and navigate to the folder where you lost the files.

• Click on the clock icon in the upper right corner of your Macbook or Macbook pro. Select Enter Time Machine from the dropdown menu.

• If you don’t see the clock icon, select System Preferences from the Apple menu. Click on Time Machine in the new window. 

• Select the checkbox next to Show Time Machine in the menu bar option. The Enter Time Machine option will now be available when you go back to the clock icon in the menu bar. You can also use the Launchpad as an additional method for starting Time Machine.

• Now search for the lost files after starting Time Machine. Search and select each and every file. Then press the Restore button to recover data from Mac hard drive.

Method 3: Use Data Recovery Software to Recover Files

Data recovery software offers the most effective file retrieval method, with high success rates. It can restore lost files or photos unavailable from the Recycle Bin and without backups.

Remo Recover (Mac) is a leading external hard drive recovery tool for Mac users. It offers a streamlined, intuitive interface for easy navigation.

Backed by advanced scanning algorithms developed with data recovery experts, it provides top-tier recovery results. The software supports over 500 file formats, allowing you to restore nearly any lost file type.

Steps to Recover Data From External Hard Drive on Mac:

Note: Please disable your Mac’s System Integrity Protection before installing the tool. Here’s how to do it: How do I enable or disable SIP on my Mac?

• Open the tool, select the external hard drive, and click on Scan.

• Click on Dynamic Recovery View to see the data being recovered from the external hard drive.

• Locate the recovered files under the Deleted Files, Lost and Found folders

• Double-click to preview the recovered files from the external hard drive.

• If you are satisfied with the results simply click on Recover to save the data on your device.

Caution: Make sure you save the recovered data in a different location from the previous one to avoid losing them again.

• Examine the Mac data that was recovered. Save the recovered files to your desired location.

The above methods will help you restore data from your Mac external hard drive. However, if you’re still facing troubles in restoring external hard drive on Mac. This depicts your external hard drive showing signs of failure and you need to check if it can be repaired.

Problems such as occasionally leading to a crash when connected or not enabling you to access files stored on it can imply that your external hard drive is malfunctioning. Rather than waiting for the drive to fail completely, try to repair it with Disk Utility.

Note: You can find details to about some of the best hard drive data recovery software’s for Windows and Mac.

Method 4: Repair your Mac External Hard Drive with Disk Utility

To try to repair the external drive, follow the steps below.  

• Connect your external hard drive to your Mac.

• Launch Disk Utility.

• Select the external hard drive from the list on the left panel of the app.

• Click First Aid to begin the process of inspecting and possibly repairing the drive.

You will be prompted to continue the process, and the drive will be inaccessible while the utility checks it for errors and repairs them.

To protect against a catastrophic drive failure, we strongly recommend that you back up data to the drive or copy its data to a different device before performing the repairs. Don’t put it off until it’s too late.

Tips for Avoiding Data Loss from Mac External Hard Drive

Here are some pointers to help you avoid losing data from an external hard drive.

• It’s a good idea to back up your important files using Time Machine. In this manner, you can always get them back even if you lose them. Set up a schedule to regularly back up your important data.
• Prevent frequently connecting and removing the external drive to your MacBook or any device. Any interruptions may result in data loss and damage to your drive.
• Before disconnecting the drive, don’t forget to eject it from the Mac system.
• Don’t format the drives or volumes frequently. Reduce the number of formatting procedures as much as you can.
• Any physical damage to external drives can harm the data on them.
• Viruses can also erase data. Utilize antivirus software, and whenever you have a chance, scan your drive.

Conclusion:

Data loss on external hard drives is common but recoverable. This article details four Mac hard drive recovery methods. Choose the one that fits your needs.

Data recovery tools shine for restoring deleted files from Mac external hard drives, with Remo Recover providing an easy, effective option. Before proceeding, check the Trash and any Time Machine backups.

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About the Author: John Harris

With a decade of experience in data recovery, John Harris, Senior Editor at Remo Software, is your go-to specialist. His focus includes partition management, Windows solutions, and data troubleshooting, delivering insightful content that serves both users and search engines. John's expertise shines through in illuminating blog posts, untangling data loss intricacies across diverse storage platforms.…