7 Proven Ways to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive

In this post, you are going to learn the possible reasons and how to recover deleted files from external hard drive in 7 effective methods.

By @Ellie Last Updated February 9, 2025

External hard drives are mainly used to store personal data such as photos, videos, music, and documents, or to create copies of files, allowing you to access data at any device. However, the more data you store on an external hard drive, the more likely you are to lose it.

If you are in this situation, don't panic and it's possible to recover deleted files from external hard drive. This article will introduce you to the possible reasons behind data loss and several effective methods with step-by-step guides.

Scenarios	Recommended methods
deleted files	🔥 Attempt using data recovery software Restore deleted files from backup
file corruption	Combine DISM and SFC commands
deleted or lost partition	Employ partition recovery software
not detected drive	Check the connection, cable, and USB port

Possible reasons for data loss from external hard drive

Why do I lose data on my external hard drive? Here are some common reasons:

✦ Human error: This is a common cause of data loss. It can be accidental deletion, format, partition, unplugging during data transfer, sudden power failure,etc ✦ Virus infection: The virus may spread through the external hard disk (if the computer is virus-infected) and infect or delete the files in it, resulting in file corruption or data loss. ✦ Hardware failure: Problems like disk failure, warped heads, and scratched disks can be a major cause of data loss. In addition, product quality issues may also lead to data loss. ✦ File system corruption: The file system on the hard disk may be corrupted due to various reasons such as accidental power failure, improper operation, etc., resulting in data not being read properly.

No matter what the reason is, as long as you choose the correct and effective methods, you can recover deleted files from external hard drive easily.

7 options to recover deleted files from external hard drive

The files deleted on external hard drive will be permanently deleted instead of moving to the Recycle Bin. Here, I have provided 7 external hard drive data recovery ways to recover deleted files from Seagate/WD/SanDisk/Samsung external hard drives.

❌ Please be sure:

Stop using the external hard drive immediately. Continuing to use it may lead to data overwriting, which will reduce the chances ofdata recovery.
Don't add new data toexternal hard drive or format it.
Act promptly after realizing data loss.
Opt for a reliable method with a high success rate.

▶ Option 1. Recover deleted files from external hard drive using software

Suppose you accidentally delete your files or format an external hard drive, using the data recovery freeware MyRecover will be one of the best methods if you are using Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server. It even works to recover permanently deleted files.

Recover deleted or lost files with a high success rate and rapid scanning speed.
Recover files from external hard drive for free up to 500MB in total.
Recover lost Word document, Excel file, PDF, PPT, photos, movies, etc and more than 200 file types.
Automatically start quick and deep scanning methods to find as many of your files as possible.
Keep the deleted files with their original file names, format and path after recovery.

Besides external hard drive recovery, you can still recover files from formatted hard drive. Now, please connect your external hard drive and be sure it’s detected. Download and launch MyRecover to see how to recover deleted files from external hard drive.

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Step 1. Locate your external hard drive.

Connect the drive to the PC. Select a drive for the external hard drive and click Scan.

Step 2. Wait for the results of the scan.

Then the scanning process will start automatically. You don’t need to wait for the process to complete if you find the files you want to recover.

✔ Tip: The scanning process is divided into quick scan and deep scan. The previous method helps to find your deleted files quickly while the latter one is to search for more lost files. It will take more time.

Step 3. Choose the files you need to recover.

You can use the Filter function to locate the target files. Then, click Recover xx files and choose a new location to save the restored files. Otherwise, the deleted data may be overwritten.

Notes: ★ Except for Word files, you could also use it to restore Excel files, PPT, PDF, videos, music, etc. ★ You can still recover deleted files in Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, etc.

▶ Option 2. Recover deleted files from Windows backup

If you create a file backup with Backup and Restore, you can choose to restore deleted files from external hard drive. It will include all the files and changes if you enable its schedule backup feature.

Step 1. Navigate to Control Panel > System and Security and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Click on Restore my files to selectively recover permanently deleted files.

Or You can also choose Restore all users’ files to get all deleted files back.

Step 2. Search for your deleted files or use the Browse for files or Browse for folders option to find it. Then, click Next.

★ Note: The Browse for files option will list all the deleted files while Browse for Folders lists folders containing deleted files.

Step 3. Choose the original or new location to save files in the backup and click Restore to recover deleted files from external hard drive.

▶ Option 3. Retrieve deleted files from external hard drive using CMD

You can also recover deleted files from external hard drive using the CHKDSK and Attrib command. It helps to deal with data loss due to virus attacks and file attributes loss, or recover hidden files.

Step 1. Plug in your external hard drive into your computer. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2. Input chkdsk G: /f and pres Enter. Please replace G: with the drive letter of your external hard drive

Step 3. Type Y if you are asked to run chkdsk at the next system restart.

Step 4. Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d G:*.*. and press Enter. Please replace G: with the drive letter of your external hard drive

▶ Option 4. Recover deleted files using Windows File Recovery

Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery is a command-line utility to help you recover deleted or lost files from external hard disks for free. It requires you to learn the syntax, recover mode, and switches.

The syntax: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
The source and target drives must not be the same.
The tool only works with Windows 10 versions 2004 and up.
The switches narrow down your search.
The file system is a key element in deciding the recovery mode. Go to This PC> right-click on the drive > click Properties to check it.

For more details, you can check: how to use Windows File Recovery.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. Then, open it.

Step 2. Open CMD and run as administrator. Enter commands based on the following format and example:

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

To recover deleted pdf files from F: drive (the external hard drive) to D: drive, then the command will be like:

winfr F: D: /regular /n *.pdf

You can try Windows File Recovery, but it may not retrieve your deleted files every time. You may also encounter different errors during the file recovery process, such as, “Winfr.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command”, “WinFR requires admin privileges to run”, etc.

▶ Option 5. Fix corrupted files on external hard drive

System File Checker(SFC)is a utility in Microsoft Windows that allows users to scan the disk and repair missing or corrupted system files.

⚠️Please run Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) beforehand if you are using Windows 11/10/8.1/8. For Windows 7/Vista, you can run Windows System File Checker directly.

Step 1. Be sure your external hard disk is detected. Open CMD with administrator priority.

Step 2. Type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealthand press Enter.

Step 3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Step 4. Type exit and press Enter to close this window.

▶ Option 6. Recover lost/deleted partition on external hard drive

If the partitions in your external hard drive are disappeared due to accident deletion or unknown reasons, the simplest method is try partition recovery to save the partitions and files together.

Step 1. Go to Recover > Partition Recovery on the main interface. When you get into the partition recovery wizard, select a disk that you want to recover. Click Next.

Step 2. Select Fast Search. It is recommended that you select this option the first time as it is faster than Full Search. If you are unable to recover the lost partition using Fast Search then I recommend you try the Full Search option.

Step 3. Select the lost partition and click Proceed.

Step 4. Click Finish to exit this window after you see the congratulations message.

Option 7. Recover files from external hard drive not detected

If your external hard drive is not recognized, the first thing is to make it available on your PC or Windows Explorer. The following are some useful methods you can try:

Check the connection and cables. If the connection is loose, reconnect it. If the cable looks worn, replace it. Also, you can try a different cable.
Try a different USB port or computer.
Check and update disk drivers in Device Manager.

Input “devmgmt.msc” in the search box and press Enter to open Device Manager. Then, locate and right-click the external hard drive, and select Uninstall device. After that, restart your PC and plug in the external hard drive, it will install the necessary drivers.

Format a corrupt or RAW disk to make it recognized (if necessary).

Bonus to protect files on external hard drive

You may not want to lose any data on external hard drive in case you need it oneday. You can take some measure to protect them.

Try Some Simple Solutions

Label external hard drives to make them unique.
Keep your external disk out of direct sunlight and not subject to extreme temperature or moisture.
Verify the files on external disk before deleting or formatting.
Avoid interruption while transferring files from one hard drive to another one.
Run antivirus software and scan all your external disks regularly.

Know signs of problems with external hard drive

Problems like accidentally deleted files from external hard drive can be easily noticed, but some of them are insignificant at first and slowly it can become worse or even cause a big problem. Here are some signs that your disk is experiencing problems:

Scratching or clicking sounds coming from the external drive. This may be a sign of the physical components are wearing out.
Slow response time when accessing the drive.
System or software crashes when using external disks. This may be a sign of a failing or damaged disk.
Unexplained errors when reading or writing to external disks. This may be a sign of physical disk damage or corruption.

If you are experiencing one or more signs above, it’s suggested to create a disk backup containing all the data on it.

Create a copy of files automatically

In addition, you can choose to create a set-and-forget schedule file backup which is the best practice to protect files.

⚠️ Backup and Restore, File History, and third-party software like AOMEI Backupper Standard are great choices, but I prefer using third-party software due to its flexible and rich features. With it, you can backup the entire disk. Here, I’ll show you how to use it in simple steps.

Step 1. Download and install Windows backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then, click Backup > Disk Backup to backup entire disk and data on it.

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Step 2. Set the Task Name to distinguish the backup task from each other. Click Add Disk to choose the external hard disk.

Step 3. Select a location to store all the data on your external disk. You can create a disk-to-disk backup, or backup to a USB flash drive, network drive, NAS device, cloud drive, etc.

Step 4. Click Schedule Backup and enable Daily, Weekly, and Monthly to backup disk automatically. Thus, you will not lose any change made on the disk.

Step 5. Click Start Backup to carry out disk backup and wait until the operation is complete. Click Finish to exit the interface.

Conclusion

This post mainly introduces how to recover deleted files from external hard drive for free on Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11. Thus, you can find a suitable solution no matter whether you accidentally deleted your files, formatted the disk, or the files are lost or corrupted due to other reasons.

Instead of recovering files, it’s suggested to prevent data loss beforehand. There are many methods to help you and the best way is to backup files on your external hard drive using a free backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard.

FAQs

✍What if I accidentally deleted files from my external hard drive?

If you accidentally deleted files on the external hard drive, please stop using this drive. Don’t add new data to it, format disk, rebuild partition, etc. In addition, the best time to recover files is you realize you lost files.

✍Does an external hard drive have a Recycle Bin?

The external hard drive also has a Recycle Bin folder. To make it accessible, you need to enable the “Show Hidden Files and Folders” feature in Windows Explorer. Then, check if there is a folder named $recycle.bin.

✍Can permanently deleted files be recovered?

The permanently deleted files are still on the disk, you just cannot access it. The fastest method is to use data recovery software like MyRecover. If you have a file backup, you can choose to restore files from backup. In addition, you still can try CMD, previous version, Windows File Recovery, etc.

✍What to do if your external hard drive is corrupt?

If your external hard drive is corrupt, you may lose data on it. At this time, the first thing is to recover data from external hard drive with data recovery software. The reason may be system or software failure, virus infection, bad sectors, power loss.

✍How can I recover deleted files from external hard drive on Mac?

There are two ways to recover deleted files from external hard drive on a Mac. First, you can just put back files from the Trash. Second, you can use the Time Machine, which generates backups on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis. Here's how:

Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, find Time Machine, and click Enter Time Machine.

Use the up and down arrows to locate the deleted files.
Click Restore to recover the selected files. Wait until the recovery process is complete, then your lost data will come back to the previous location.