How To Recover Deleted Photos From External Hard Drive? | Tried and Tested

When you are unable to access the photos on your external hard drive, it may not necessarily be due to deletion. Sometimes the photos or the folder containing pictures may be hidden, or there could be connection issues on the external hard drive.

If you can access other data on your external hard drive without any issues but are unable to see the photos, you may need to perform a deleted photo recovery from the external hard disk.

Can You Recover Deleted Photos From External Hard Drive?

Yes, but there is a catch. Did you stop using the device after the deletion? If so, your chances of recovering deleted photos from the external hard drive have significantly increased. Now try the solutions listed below to retrieve your photos from the external hard drive.

How to Recover Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive? [4 Solutions]

• Recover Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive Via Recycle bin
• Retrieve Photos from External Hard Drive using File History (if enabled)
• Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from External Hard Disk with Data Recovery Software
• Retrieve Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive using Data Recovery Services

1: Recover Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive Via Recycle bin

Access the external hard drive’s recycle bin folder ($RECYCLE.BIN) to locate all the deleted photos and recover them. Here’s how to do it.

NOTE: If you have shift-deleted files, you won’t be able to locate the deleted photos here. Proceed with the next solution.

• Go to File Explorer, in the top menu click on the View tab.



• At the right end you will see Options, click on that and click on Change folders and Search options.



• Now the Folder Options Window opens up, here go to View.
• Under Advanced Settings select show hidden files, folders and drives.



• Uncheck Hide protected operating system files and click on Apply.
• Now go to your External hard drive, you will see a Recycle Bin folder.



• Locate all the deleted photos and restore them to the external hard drive.

2: Retrieve Photos from External Hard Drive using File History (if enabled)

If you had previously enabled File history on your external hard drive then, you can recover deleted photos from external hard drives for free and without any software. Follow the steps below to recover deleted photos external hard drive.

• Go to the folder on the external hard drive from which you deleted photos.
• Now, Right-click and select Properties.



• Click on the Previous Versions and select the version of the deleted photos.



• Finally, hit the Restore button to recover photos.

3: Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from External Hard Disk with Data Recovery Software

This is your last DIY to recover deleted photos from external hard disk and it is a is a very complex process. But there are several reliable data recovery tools on the web, Choose a reliable one:

We recommend Remo Recover to perform deleted photo recovery from your external hard drive on Windows and Mac. The tool can recover every photo file formats like JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WebP, including RAW file formats

Steps To Recover Deleted Photos From Hard Drive

• Step 1: Launch Remo Recover, choose the external hard drive to recover deleted photos, and click on Scan.



• Step 2: After Quick Scan, click on Dynamic Recovery View to see the files being recovered during the scan process.

  

• Step 3: Locate the deleted photos in the Deleted Files and Lost and Found Files Folders.



• Step 4: Double-click on any file to Preview the photos and Save them by clicking on Recover.



Attention: Save the recovered photos from the external hard drive in a different location than the previous one, to avoid losing them again.

4: Retrieve Deleted Photos from External Hard Drive using Data Recovery Services

When DIY Solutions doesn’t favor you, Try recovering the deleted photos using data recovery services, the data recovery excerpts have both the expertise and the tools to recover data from the external hard drive.

However, remember Data recovery services are very expensive. Ensure to check the terms and conditions, privacy policy, and pricing before you hand the external hard drive to the recovery

Precautions to Avoid Data Loss in External Hard Drive

Here are some key suggestions you can follow to avoid data loss in external hard drive:

• Backup: Take irregular backups of important photos and other data regularly in a cloud storage or any other drive.
• Double-check: Be mindful of the photos you are going to delete to prevent accidental deletions.
• Antivirus: Scan your device using an updated antivirus tool to prevent data loss due to virus and malware attacks.
• Proper Ejection: Always use eject functionality before removing the external hard drive from the computer to prevent data corruption.
• Proper Maintenance: Handle your external hard drive with care. Avoid dropping it or exposing it to extreme heat or water to prevent physical damage.

Also Read: How to Recover Data From External Hard Drive on Mac?

Conclusion:

In today’s digital world, losing photos or videos is common. This article offers reliable methods to recover deleted or lost images from an external hard drive. Follow these methods carefully to recover deleted photos from the external hard drive. Avoid using random recovery tools or techniques, as they may complicate the deleted photo recovery process.