How to Recover WD My Cloud Drive for Free

How to recover WD My Cloud drive after files were permanently deleted? 4 useful tips are provided here, including trying third-party WD My Cloud data recovery software, Linux CD, CMD, and Windows File Recovery.

Zoey

By Zoey / Updated on December 11, 2024

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WD My Cloud drive, a product provided by Western Digital, is popular and famous all around the world. WD My Cloud drive has nice storage and sharing features. You can take advantage of it when you need to collaborate with multiple computers.

However, you may encounter different accidental situations that lead to data loss on the WD My Cloud drive. For this, how we recover WD My Cloud drive effectively? Please continue reading to learn more useful tips. 

Help! My Cloud is dead and needs to recover data

 

MyCloud is dead and WD sent me a new one. I bought an external hard drive enclosure and installed the drive in the enclosure. connected a new external drive to my computer through a USB connection. 6 local disk drives appear. all are not accessible unless I reformat. I canceled and got the following message: The volume does not contain a recognized file system Please make sure that all necessary file system drivers are loaded and that the volume is not corrupted. Any suggestions on recovering the data other than sending it out to a data recovery expert for $500?

- Question from community.wd.com

If you receive a volume that does not contain a recognized file system error, it means your disk is damaged, the file system is corrupted, incompatible, or RAW or the disk has bad sectors, is infected by viruses or malware, etc.

At this time, you cannot access your disk File Explorer. Meanwhile, there is a risk of losing your data forever if you don't recover them. Don't worry, please continue reading. Read this page, and you will get 4 methods for WD data recovery for free.

How to recover WD My Cloud drive - 4 Methods

For WD My Cloud data recovery, here we will introduce 4 efficient solutions for you. If your drive is recognized well on a Windows PC, try highly praised data recovery software to scan your disk for recoverable data or other methods. If not, try the Linux bootable disc.

▶ Way 1. Try powerful WD My Cloud data recovery software - MyRecover

When you need to find lost file on external hard drive, one of the best ways to use professional data recovery software is to help you.

Here we recommend an easy data recovery software called MyRecover first. It is a user-friendly tool for anyone who does not know much about computers. No matter how your WD My Cloud drive data was lost, MyRecover can help you get it back with ease.

MyRecover MyRecover
Recover WD My Cloud drive Effortlessly
  • Has a high recovery rate, up to 95%, and fast speed. With its scanning algorithms, you are able to find all the deleted or lost files in several minutes or longer.
  • Compatible with multiple file types (e.g.: documents, images, videos, etc.)and 200+ file formats, such as Word, Excel, PPT, JPG, PNG, MP3, SVG, MP4, WMV, 3FR, X3F, ZIP, etc.
  • Highlight features: Filter deleted or lost files on WD My Cloud drive quickly and preview them. Keep the recovered files with their original filename, format, quality, and path.
  • All-inclusive: Recover data from format, deletion, virus attacks, system crashes, etc.

Now, you can get such an efficient data recovery tool for free. It supports almost all Windows operating systems: Win 11/10/8/7 SP1 & Server. Then follow the steps below to recover data from WD My Clouddrive with ease.

1. First, choose the WD My Cloud drive on this page. Then hover the mouse over the drive, and click Scan.

Select External Hard Drive Start Scan

2. You will see all your deleted files and other missing files from your WD My Cloud drive after Quick Scan and Deep Scan automatically by MyRecover.

Scanning External Hard Drive

🌟Tip:

If you want to find your lost data quickly, you can type the filename in the search box or use the Filter feature to see certain types or formats of data.

3. Check the scanning result and select the desired files. After the above, click on the Recover X files button and select a new location to begin WD My Cloud data recovery.

Select Files To Recover From External Hard Drive

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download
⚠️Notes:
  • Recovering data to the original disk or partition may result in data overwriting, making recovery more difficult.

  • In addition, you can also use MyRecover to recover deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7 or from external hard drives, flash drives, CDs, etc.

  • MyRecover currently supports performing WD My Cloud recovery for free, up to 30 MB. Once exceeds, please upgrade MyRecover and subscribe to the Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime edition.

▶ Way 2. Recover data from WD My Cloud  drive using Linux CD

If your Windows system keeps crashing, try to boot from a Linux CD and get your data back from WD My Cloud drive. 

1. Remove the WD My Cloud drive and connect it to your computer via a cable.

2. Connect a bootable Linux CD and boot your computer from it. If you don't have one, follow this guide to create a bootable disc first.

3. Install a program that is able to access your partition in Windows PC. You will then be able to access your WD My Cloud and data on it. Copy and paste it to another location.

▶ Way 3. Recover WD My Cloud drive with CMD

If you do not want to download extra software on your computer, you can consider this method - recovering files from hard drive using CMD. It contains a series of commands, such as attrib, to show hidden files. Before using it, you need to learn some parameters, which can be quite difficult for some users.

1. Open the Windows menu and search for cmd. Choose Run as administrator.

Run As Administrator

2. Input command like ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D X:*.* (X refers to the drive letter of your WD My Cloud drive)

Execution Commands

▶ Way 4. Recover WD My Cloud drive with Windows File Recovery

There is a command-line tool provided by Microsoft - Windows File Recovery, which is available in Windows 10, version 2004, or later versions of Windows. If your data is lost from formatted, corrupted drives, you can consider this method.

First, you need to learn something about command lines.

🔹 The basic command is winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

🔹 The [/switches] you can use has been listed below:

Swithces

🔹 The [/mode] you can use has been listed as well:

Wfr Mode

Then, check the file system of your  WD My Cloud to recover deleted files:

Right-click the WD My Cloud drive and select Properties. Then, go to the General tab and scroll down to the File System section. It can be NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc.

Check File System

After the above, you can follow the steps below and recover data from WD My Cloud drive.

1. Go to the Microsoft Store to click on Get and then install Windows File Recovery.

Microsoft Store Get

2. Next, find it in the Windows menu, and click on Run as administrator.

Windows File Recovery Run As Administrator

3. Input the command like

winfr F: D: /extensive /n *.jpg

This command means recovering .jpg files from the F drive to the D drive.

Winfr Extensive Jpg

Where is WD My Cloud Recycle Bin?

This is how you need to find the Recycle Bin: go to Control Panel > Shares. Select a share and add the Recycle Bin. Now, under the “Sharing Profile: Active Shares” option, open the Recycle Bin. You can check the Recycle Bin by going to “Network Places”.

Then, how to retrieve deleted files from WD My Cloud Recycle Bin?  Go to Settings > Setup Sharing. Under that option, you can see if the Recycle Bin is open or not. If your Recycle Bin is open, you will see that it is named “Recycle Bin - Volume_1”, then you can recover it. If not, it is advisable for you to try MyRecover to recover your data easily.

FAQs about WD My Cloud

1. Why can't I access my WD My Cloud?
 
This is a common issue about WD My Cloud drive. To solve it, you can add a Windows Credential for your WD My Cloud account to the credentials list on your Windows computer. You can do it in the Windows menu.
2. How can I backup the PC to WD My Cloud?
 
Go to Settings > Show all network locations > Backups. Click Add Drive. Here you can configure Backup to WD My Cloud, Backup Frequency, Backup Folder, and Backup Delete Time.
3. Can I connect WD My Cloud directly to the computer?
 
Sometimes you may need to access your WD My Cloud but you do not have a router at that time. Just connect the Ethernet wire from the WD My Cloud drive to your computer's networking port directly.

The bottom line

There are 4 efficient ways to recover WD My Cloud drive in this post. Now you can make your own decision for WD My Cloud data recovery. If you do not know a lot about command lines or yet not have a Linux bootable disc, an easy data recovery tool like MyRecover is more suitable for you.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

In order to prevent data loss in the future, it's suggested to backup data on WD My Cloud drive and save it to a safe location. Windows backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard can do you a big favor. It supports backing up local disk, external disk, NAS drive,  etc.

Zoey
Zoey · Editor
Zoey works as an English editor of AOMEI Technology. She provides tech information about backup and restore, mobile data transfer, and so on for AOMEI. She hopes that her articles will be greatly helpful for users. She is fond of music, film, and photography.