How to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive? | 2023

An external hard drive is a portable storage device commonly used as a backup drive. Depending on the storage capacity of the external hard drive, it can store tons of files, photos, videos, and many more.

No matter how carefully you use your external hard drive, it can still be prone to data deletion or loss. If you want to recover deleted files from an external hard drive, here is a complete guide! Find reasons for data loss from an external storage drive, proven methods to recover files from an external hard disk, and essential FAQs.

Common Reasons for Files Deletion or Missing on External Hard Drive

Various reasons can lead to data loss from an external hard drive. You need to know some common data loss or deletion scenarios to manage important files saved in it cautiously:

• Accidental deletion of files from an external hard disk.
• Lost data due to formatting an external hard drive.
• Missing files from an inaccessible or corrupt external hard drive.
• Files are lost or deleted while transferring from an external hard drive. 
• Interruptions like system shutdown, power surge issue, etc., while an external hard drive is in use.
• Abrupt removal of an external hard drive or USB flash drive can cause data loss.

Can I Recover deleted Files from External Hard Drive?

Yes, it is possible to recover deleted files from an external hard drive. When you delete files from an external hard drive, the operating system simply removes the reference to the files from the file system table, but the actual data may still be present on the drive until it is overwritten by new data.

To increase the chances of recovering your lost files from an external hard drive, it is important to stop using the drive immediately once you realize that data has been lost. If you continue to use the drive after deleting files, it could potentially overwrite the deleted data, making it extremely difficult or even impossible to recover.

Below we have added various method to help you recover your deleted files from external hard drive. Keep Reading!!

Methods to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive

We have divided the file recovery process into two categories, one for Windows users and the other for Mac users. We have compiled a total of eight methods to assist you in effortlessly recovering your deleted files from your external hard drive. The Windows section contains four methods, while the Mac section contains four additional methods, ensuring a seamless recovery experience on both operating systems.

For Windows Users	For Mac Users
Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Recycle Bin	Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Trash Bin
Recover Deleted Files and Folders Using File History	Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Time Machine
Recover Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive Using One Drive	Recover Photos from External Hard Drive Using iCloud
Recover Permanently Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Remo Recover Windows	Recover Permanently Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Remo Recover Mac

Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive on Windows

Method 1: Recover Deleted Files Using Recycle Bin

In Windows, the Recycle Bin is a folder or directory temporarily storing deleted items. Deleted files are not permanently removed from the hard drive but sent to the Recycle Bin instead. The files in the Recycle Bin can be restored to their original location quickly. However, the deleted files cannot be used directly while they are in the Recycle Bin.

Here are the steps to recover deleted files from an external HDD using recycle bin:

Step 1: Open Recycle Bin by clicking on the recycle bin icon.

Step 2: Select the files and folders you want to recover.

Step 3: Right-click on the deleted file and select Restore.

As soon as you click on the restore button, the deleted files will be restored to their original location from where it has been deleted.

In case you have emptied your Recycle Bin and need to retrieve deleted files, you may find this article on recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin helpful.

Method 2: Recover Deleted Files and Folder Using File History

File History is a backup feature in Windows. It allows you to go back in time to recover your previous versions of deleted or lost data for free. To restore deleted files from an external hard disk using Windows file history:

• Go to the folder or external hard drive from which your files were deleted or lost.
• Now, Right-click and select Properties.
• Click the Previous Versions tab and select the previous version where all your deleted or lost files are located.
• Finally, hit the Restore button to recover your data.

Note: If you have not activated the external hard drive on Windows File History, you cannot recover deleted files using this method. However, using the Remo Recover tool, you can quickly retrieve deleted files from an external hard drive.

Method 3: Recover Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive Using OneDrive

OneDrive is an online cloud storage from Microsoft. OneDrive integrates with Windows 11 as the default document storage location, giving Microsoft account users 5 GB of free storage before upgrade options are provided.

OneDrive allows users to store files, photos, videos, and other documents on multiple devices. Users can also save their files on OneDrive and sync them automatically on different devices. This means someone can access and work on the same document in multiple places.

So, if you can access an account on one drive, you can quickly recover deleted files using one drive.

To recover deleted photos using OneDrive, follow these simple steps:

• Visit https://onedrive.live.com/
• Sign in to your OneDrive account.
• Locate and click on the Search bar at the top of the page.
• Type in the name of the deleted files that you want to recover.
• Press Enter and wait for the search results to appear.

Note: If you cannot find the file in OneDrive, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin first, as it may contain the deleted files. Remember that OneDrive keeps deleted items for 30 days (or 93 days for work/school accounts), after which they are permanently removed. Once you find the files, you can save them to your external hard drive once you find them.

Method 4: Recover Using Remo Recover Windows

Remo Recover Windows is a user-friendly tool to recover data from the external hard drive. This tool works with a read-only interface to restore data without any alteration. The Deep Scan feature of this tool helps you recover files from a corrupt, formatted, dead, unrecognized, or unreadable external hard drive. Also, it supports data recovery from other devices like SSD, USB drives, memory cards, etc.

Hands-On Assessment: Our Experience in Recovering Deleted Files from External HDD

In order to recover deleted files from an external hard drive, we ran a test under the supervision of Praneeth Anand, a Research Analyst at Remo Software. The test was conducted to provide in-depth details on the process of recovering deleted files.

Test Environment:

Data Loss Scenario: File Deletion from External Hard Drive

Operating System: Windows 10

External Hard Drive Brand: Seagate Backup Plus

Storage Capacity: 1 TB

Data Deleted: 600 GB

File Formats Deleted: Images (.jpg, .png, .bmp), Videos (.mp4, .avi, .mov, .wmv, etc.), Audios (.mp3, .wav.), PDFs (.pdf), Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), etc.

Data Recovery Tool Used: Remo Recover

Version: 6.0

Here is some detailed information about the test on recovering deleted files from an external hard drive:

Test Date: March 15, 2023 (Wednesday)

Test Time: 10 AM PST

Test Conducted By: Praneeth Anand

Designation: Research Analyst

Test Location: Remo Research Lab

During the test, Praneeth connected the external hard drive to his laptop running a Windows 10 OS and used Remo Recover to retrieve the 600 GB worth of deleted files. Remo Recover safely restored all deleted files in just 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Here is what Praneeth had to say about the test:

“In my decade-long tenure in the data recovery industry, data loss from external hard drives is one of the most common data loss scenarios. In fact, according to Google, an average of 5000 people searches for the key phrase external hard drive recovery every month.

Recently, I was approached by my colleague to assist him with an article on recovering deleted files from an external hard drive. To run this test, I used my personal Lenovo laptop running Windows 10 with an installed copy of the latest version of Remo Recover 6.0 and connected my Seagate external hard drive that I've been using for a few years now.

The tool successfully detected my Seagate hard drive and ran a deep scan to recover all 600 GB of data, including photos, videos, and other file formats that I intentionally deleted.

I even randomly previewed some of the recovered files to judge the success rate of the recovery process and found that Remo Recover had recovered the files without altering them, leaving them in their original state.”

Here are the Test Results:

Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive on Mac

Method 1: Recover Deleted Files from an External Hard Drive Using Trash Bin

The Trash folder in macOS allows you to delete a file and place it in the Trash, allowing you to decide whether to restore or delete them completely. The Trash folder on the Mac is exactly what you would think the Trash folder is.

Here are the steps to recover deleted files from an external hard drive using Trash:

• First, open the Trash Bin by clicking on its icon.
• Next, search for files or folders you want to recover from your external hard drive.
• Right-click on the item you wish to retrieve and select Put Back to recover it to its original location.

Method 2: Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Time Machine

Time Machine is the most accessible Mac backup method developed by Apple. After timely data backup with Time Machine, restoring all data in case of data loss due to file deletion is very easy.

Follow the below steps to restore your deleted files using Time Machine:

• Connect the external drive that you have used for Time Machine backups.
• Open the folder where the missing files were located previously.
• Launch Time Machine and select "Enter Time Machine."
• Use the arrows to navigate the timeline and find the backup for the missing item.
• Click on the "Restore" button to initiate the recovery process.
• After recovering, open the recovered file to verify that the data has been restored.

Method 3: Recover Photos from External Hard Drive Using iCloud

iCloud is Apple's cloud storage that securely stores your music, photos, videos, documents, and more. With iCloud, you can access your information on any of your devices. It can also help you recover your data in case of data loss.

Follow the below simple steps to recover your deleted photos from iCloud:

• First, go to icloud.com and sign in with your account credentials.
• Click on Settings.
• Click the Restore Files option on the Advanced tab at the bottom left of the window.
• Find the files you want to restore and check the boxes to the left of their names. You can also Select All to get everything available at once
• Click Restore files

If you don't have a backup ready on iCloud, use the following method for hassle-free recovery.

Method 4: Recover Permanently Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Remo Recover Mac

Remo Recover Mac is the perfect data recovery solution for Macintosh machines, as it allows users to quickly recover lost or deleted data. With its advanced drive scanning mechanism, this software ensures fast, secure, and complete data recovery results. It is compatible with all versions of macOS, including the latest macOS Ventura, and supports the recovery of over 500 file formats.

Download this tool for free now and follow the below simple steps to recover permanently deleted files from your external hard drive

• Launch the Remo Recover Mac software on your Mac. Next, select the Recover Volumes/ Drives option to recover deleted files from your external hard drive.

• Now, click the Volumes Recovery option, select the external hard drive from which you want to recover your deleted files, and click Next.

• Select the Advance Scan option and wait till the data recovery process completes to preview the recovered files from your external hard drives, such as photos and videos, for free.

• Finally, select the files you want to restore, and click the Save button.

Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive Using Command Myth or Reality?

When it comes to recovering data from an external hard drive using command prompt many articles out there might suggest using CHKDSK and ATTRIB commands. But hold your horses, these commands are not the ultimate solution you're looking for.

While CHKDSK can check for errors and fix them, it's not equipped to perform full data recovery. And as for ATTRIB, it can tinker with file attributes, but it's not a file recovery wizard.

That's where data recovery software like Remo Recover comes into the picture. It's specifically designed to save the day by recovering your lost files from external hard drives, SD cards, and other storage devices.

With its sleek interface and advanced features, this software is the ultimate tool to retrieve those precious files you lost from your external hard drive. Whether you've accidentally formatted your external hard drive or deleted important files, Remo Recover can help you get them back in no time.

Tips for Protecting External Hard Drive Data

• Don’t connect your external HDD to virus-infected devices. 
• Take a regular backup of all your essential files.
• Verify the files before you delete or format the external hard drive.
• Finally, avoid interruptions while transferring files from an external HDD.

Frequently Asked Questions