How to Recover Lost Files on External Hard Drive (2024)

How do I recover lost files on my external hard drive?

Are you wondering how to find lost files on external hard drives? As you can see, there’re two external hard drive data recovery plans for two types of data loss scenarios.

Before external hard drive data recovery

Before external hard drive data recovery, please refer to the following steps to confirm your missing files whether are hidden documents or not.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to the computer and press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer. Then click the external hard drive > “View” > “Options.”

Step 2. Click View in the Folder Options and select the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option. Then Apply it.

If your files are not hidden files, after data loss, please don’t add new data to the external hard drives because any written performances could overwrite the flash memory. If not, your deleted/lost files will become irrecoverable.

How to recover deleted files from external hard drives?

To find and recover deleted files from external hard drive, we conclude 3 useful external hard drive data recovery methods, including Windows built-in feature and data recovery software for Windows. Please note its respective precautions before following one of them.

Solution 1. Find lost files on external hard drive using data recovery software

How to find lost files on external hard drives effortlessly? The answer is using a top-rated data recovery software for Windows with an intuitive GUI (graphical user interface).

With a clear GUI, MyRecover is just such friendly software for you to recover deleted/lost files from HDD, SSD, USB, SD cards, and other portable devices. No matter why your files were lost, it can help you recover lost files on an external hard drive effectively.

Step 1. Install and launch this tool on your PC. Then connect your external hard drive to the computer.

Step 2. After loading the disk, hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 3. After running Quick Scan and Deep Scan automatically, you can search or wait to see all the deleted and other missing files on your external hard drive.

At this step, you can filter the scanned results with Size, Path, Type, Date modified, etc., to target your data faster. If you remember the filename,  you can type it in the search box to locate it faster.

• Name: Enter the relevant filename of your desired files to quickly locate them.
• Date modified: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, etc.)
• Size: Set file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~512MB, etc.)

Step 4. Go to the Other missing files folder, and select the files you want to restore. Then click “Recover x files” and store them in your specified saved path.

Solution 2. Restore Previous Versions of external hard drive to find lost files

As the name suggests, previous versions can offer you different file versions according to the timeline. Provided the following conditions can be met, you can restore previous versions of the external hard drive to find your needed lost files.   

You can get the files in your editing process using previous versions. So it seems it’s a practical way to recover overwritten Excel files.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to your PC. Then press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Open your external hard drive and locate the folder that contains the lost files you want to restore. Then right-click on your selected folder and click the “Properties” button.

Step 3. Under the Previous Versions tab, select a version you prefer and “Restore” it to a new location.

Solution 3. Find lost files on external hard drive via Windows File Recovery

In theory, free Windows File Recovery could be an ideal method for you to recover lost files from their local storage devices (internal and external hard drives, SD cards, USB, and SSD).  

In practice, this command-line software is only suitable for users familiar with CMD. Specifically, you need to adjust the basic command format with your needed mode and switches.

▶winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

• Ensure the source drive (where to store the lost files you want to recover) is not the same as the destination drive (where to store the restored files).
• Two basic (Regular & Extensive) modes and two advanced (Segment & Signature) support four (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS) file systems.

Before choosing the mode and switches you need, please pay attention to the following notes.   

Step 1. Figure out the file system of your source drive:

Connect your external hard drive to the computer. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer. Then click “This PC” > right-click on your external hard drive > select the “Properties” option.

Or you can also refer to the following form to check it.

File system	Examples
FAT and exFAT	SD cards, flash or USB drives (< 4GB)
NTFS	Computers (HDD, SSD), external hard drives, flash or USB drives (> 4GB)

Step 2. Select the basic “Regular” or “Extensive” mode after checking the file system of your source drive and data loss scenarios.

File system	Scenarios	mode
NTFS	Deleted recently	Regular
NTFS	Deleted for a while	Extensive
NTFS	Formatted disk	Extensive
NTFS	corrupted disk	Extensive
FAT and exFAT	Any	Extensive

Step 3. Select some common switches from this form.

Switch	Description	Supported          modes
/y:	Recover specific extension groups, comma-separated	Signature
/p:	Saves a log file of the recovery operation in a different location than the default location on the recovery drive (for example, D:\logfile).	All
/a	Overrides user prompts, which is useful in a script file.	All
/u	Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.	NTFS Segment
/k	Recovers system files.	NTFS Segment​​​​​
/g	Recovers files without primary data streams.	NTFS Segment
/e	To keep your results manageable and focus on user files, some file types are filtered by default, but this switch removes that filter.	NTFS Segment
/e:	Specifies which file types are filtered.	NTFS Segment

Step 4. Click “Get” to download free Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. After installation, “Open” it on your PC.

Step 5. Assume that the drive letter of your source drive is “F” and the destination drive is “D” drive.

The following command line depicts how to recover the recently deleted PDF files.

▶winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

▶winfr F: D: /regular /n *.pdf

Step 6. Copy the adjusted command line in the command prompt window and press “y” to continue. If you want to stop the external hard drive data recovery process, press the “Ctrl + C” keys.

Further reading: How to fix corrupted files on external hard drives?

In general, the failure of the file system is one type of performance for hard disk failure. If you’re not allowed to access, read, write, or modify your external hard drives, the file system of these external hard drives could be damaged/corrupted.

If the Chkdsk.exe has discouraged you from checking and repairing disk/partition errors, AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard on the computer. Then connect your external hard drive to your PC.

Step 2. On the main interface of the tool, right-click on your external hard drive. Then click “Advanced” > “Check Partition.”

Step 3. Select the first option to fix file system errors and click the “OK” button. If your external hard drive is in the RAW format, please select the last option.

Step 4. After finishing, you can click “OK” to exit the window.

Related suggestions for data loss prevention

This passage lists three methods on how to find lost files on external hard drives. If you want to avoid the second damage, why not seek help from a professional data recovery service like MyRecover?

And the sooner you start the recovery process, the better your chances will be. Besides, the above part also guides you to recover corrupted external hard drives.

There are some data loss prevention tips for external hard drives.

• Don’t overload the external hard drive to save too much data. Then the lifespan of your external hard drive will be shortened.
• Use freeware, AOMEI Backupper to create regular backups.
• Remove your external hard drive slightly.
• Away from liquid, high, or low temperatures.
• Don’t open any suspicious Emails or attachments.

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