Seagate External Hard Drive Files Disappeared | Solved!

Why did my files disappear from my external hard drive?

Users worldwide are willing to use Seagate external hard drives as their data/backup storage devices due to their capability and speed.

With a considerable amount of data stored on the Seagate external devices, it will be undoubtedly upsetting if Seagate external hard drive files disappeared.

Have you ever met this? You are not the only one. Now, many users are suffering from this issue.

Users will wonder why Seagate hard drive files not showing. Don't be frustrated; this article will give you answers and corresponding solutions.

Causes of file loss from Seagate external hard drives

Many reasons are to blame for data loss on Seagate storage devices.

Unintended deletion. Users might have removed the wrong files and thus lost access to the files. 

Disk formatting. Some users may have accidentally formatted Seagate external hard drives and lost all the content on the devices. 

Hidden files. Files might get hidden due to viruses since viruses will malevolently hide/delete/encrypt your files to extort money. 

Physical damage. The assemblies are so delicate and vulnerable that dropping and jolting can easily damage the hard drives and lead to data loss. 

Loose connection. If the external hard disk is not connected correctly, the computer cannot recognize it, and the files are not accessible.

File system error. The file system decides the means of saving and retrieving data. If the file system goes corrupted, you may lose access to your files.

Files lost due to deletion, Recycle Bin emptying, formatting, and viruses are recoverable.

But, if unlucky, your hard drive was physically damaged, the chance of recovery will be slight. Please send it to a nearby data recovery service.

Fix: Seagate external hard drive files disappeared

This part gathers several solutions that correspond to the causes. Check out and perform Seagate external hard drive recovery.

Solution 1. Make sure the Seagate device is connected correctly

External storage media must be appropriately connected to the computer; thus, the computer can recognize it without difficulties and missing info.

The cables and the port you use might have malfunctioned.

>> Please try changing another cable or connecting the Seagate drive to another port/computer to see if there are problems with the connection.

Also, it is suggested to remove the hardware properly as well. Please do not eject the external hard drive without "Safe to Remove Hardware" because it may also interrupt the data write-in process.

Solution 2. Ensure the files are not hidden

With the hard drive firmly connected and stably running, if you still find Seagate hard drive files not showing up, try to ensure the files are not hidden by virus or human error.

Once viruses infect your computer, your files may get missing. If you notice Windows automatically deleting files, it is the Windows Defender trying to protect your device and data.

Please use antivirus software to scan and remove viruses right now. And then, follow the steps to make your files visible.

Notes:✎...

Windows 7 users could refer to the guide to show hidden files in Windows 7.

Step 1. Please open This PC > head over to the Seagate external hard drive > View > Options > View > Advanced settings.

Step 2. Check the option Show hidden files, folders, and drives.

Now, see if your lost files are accessible.

Solution 3. Run a disk check

The file system facilitates the Windows operating system to manage the data. If something is wrong with the file system, users will lose access to their files.

Sometimes, Windows updates may bring bugs like this. Many users found a File system error (-2147219194) after the Windows 10 1083 update.

To deal with this, users could perform a disk check.

Step 1. Right-click the affected Seagate external hard drive > Properties > Tools > Check.

Step 2. Come to the Repair this drive window > Repair drive > follow the instructions to restart your computer.

Thus, you could fix the "Seagate external hard drive files disappeared" error.

How to restore files from Seagate external hard drives?

Are all these fixes not helpful for you? What if the file deletion leads to the "Seagate external hard drive files disappear" issue?

No matter how prudent users are, it is hard to prevent human error. Users may have mistakenly removed the wrong files they still need. Or viruses can wipe users' data as well.

But there is no need to worry; users can perform Seagate hard drive recovery in a breeze with the help of efficient data recovery tools.

MyRecover is your preferred choice. It is advanced in file recovery, using its excellent data scanning techs and algorithms. Also, other unique features are to help you in multiple aspects.

Apply to several data loss situations, e.g., deletion, formatting, virus, recycle bin emptying, system crash, etc. 

Choose more than 200 types of data to restore, including pictures, videos, documents, emails, etc. 

Perform data recovery from external HDD/SSD/USB/SD cards and internal devices. 

Select data to retrieve while scanning. 

Support Windows 11/10/8/7 SP1 & Server; NTFS/exFAT/FAT32/ReFS.

Notes:✎...

Keep the Seagate external hard drive connected to the computer properly. 

Quick Scan searches for deleted files from NTFS drives, while Deep Scan looks for missing files, applying to all file systems.

Step 1. Install and run the program > connect the Seagate external storage device to your Windows PC> hover the mouse over the Seagate external hard drive, and click Scan.

Step 2. While scanning, input the filenames/extensions to locate the files faster. Also, you can sort the detected files by size, path, type, etc.

Step 3. Go to Deleted files to select the deleted data, or go to Other missing files and select what you need > click Recover x files. For example, click Photos > recover deleted photos from Seagate external hard disks after photo loss.

Using powerful tools makes it an easy task to restore files from Seagate external hard drives.

Wrap things up

Users who have found Seagate external hard drive files disappeared can refer to this article and fix this tricky issue.

By changing cables, unhiding files, running the disk check, and using a professional data recovery app, the Seagate hard drive files not showing up issue won't be tough to cope with.

What's more, to escape from similar problems in the future, we suggest you use backup software for Windows to protect the data.

Seagate has an inbuilt backup tool named Toolkit, which can help you do so.