How To Recover Data From An External Hard Drive?

Lost some important data and files on your external hard drive? Well, before you cry yourself to sleep, let me tell you that you can recover data from an external hard drive easily. All you have to do is explore the reason behind the incident and then act accordingly.

Well, don’t worry, if you still cannot get the files back. I would suggest that you seek professional help or use data recovery software. Having said that, if you still feel helpless, continue reading below, and I will make the process of recovering the data very easy and swift.

Understanding Data Loss on External Hard Drives

Before we move further, in my opinion, we need to understand what data loss is on external drives. Well, let me tell you that when you delete a file, it does not immediately vanish from the drive. Actually, our operating system marks the space occupied by that file as available for new data. Therefore, the actual data remains until it’s overwritten.

Secondly, just in case if you have formatted the data from the external drive, it may look like the drive is empty, but the data can still be recovered with specialized tools. This is because, when you format the drive, the system first prepares the drive for new data by creating a new file system.

However, lastly, many of us eject the drive abruptly, which can cause data loss. Moreover, physical damage to the drive is also one of the reasons leading to data loss, as the drive becomes unreadable.

Well, above, we understood what data loss is on an external drive. Now, we will get deeper into the issue and get our files back, so hang tight!

Find The Problem First

Let’s be real – before getting into the solution, you need to find the reason behind the problem. Therefore, you need to find the reason behind the data loss.

There can be two situations that you may face. Firstly, your drive is fine and readable, but the files are lost. Maybe you have deleted the files from the drive by mistake, or the files are not opening for some reason.

However, just in case your drive is not working or the system is not able to detect it, that means your drive is damaged.

What To Do After Identifying The Problem?

Well, once you know what is wrong with your drive, it is now time to recover the files. Now, you need to safely disconnect the drive from the system to avoid any further damage. Moreover, do not try to save any new files or install any new software onto the affected external hard drive.

Once you do these basic things, go to the Recycle Bin/Trash. I know that most of you have already checked the bin, but just in case, it is important to check the trash. This is because anything that you might have deleted accidentally from the drive will go directly to the trash. You can easily restore the deleted files in just a few seconds.

Having said that, check whether you have any backup solution like Windows File History or macOS Time Machine. If yes, you can easily restore the files.

Moreover, you can also use trusted data recovery software. Well, these tools and software can easily analyze the raw data on your external hard drive and search for file signatures and try to reconstruct files based on their remnants.

Just make sure that you use reputable software with good reviews and features that match your data loss situation, and recover your files. However, if nothing is helping you to recover the data from the External Drive, then you may need to put in some extra effort.

Recover Data Using Stellar Data Recovery Software

If your drive is logically corrupted, deleted, or formatted, Windows Data Recovery Software is one of the most trusted tools you can use.

About Stellar:

Windows Data Recovery software of Stellar helps you retrieve deleted, lost, or inaccessible files from external drives, SSDs, and other devices. It works even if the drive was accidentally formatted or suffered a crash.

Key Features:

Recover documents, photos, videos, and more from any external storage.
Supports recovery from NTFS, exFAT, FAT, APFS, and HFS+ file systems.
Deep Scan Mode for complex recoveries.
Preview recoverable files before saving them.

Steps to Recover Data with Stellar Data Recovery Software:

Download and Install: Install the software on your system (do not install it on the drive you want to recover).
Connect Your External Hard Drive: Use a working USB cable or port.
Select File Types: Choose the type of data you want to recover (or select “All Data”).
Choose External Drive: Select the external hard drive from the list of connected drives.
Scan the Drive: Perform a Quick Scan. If files don’t show up, go for a Deep Scan.
Preview and Recover: Preview recoverable files and save them to a different drive (never save to the same affected drive).

Using Stellar makes the recovery process safe and user-friendly even for beginners!

When to Seek Professional Data Recovery Services

If nothing is working for you, then you may need to seek some professional data recovery services. Well, if your external hard drive has been physically damaged, don’t try to be a doctor and immediately take your drive to the service center.

Moreover, if your drive is making some alien noises like clicking and grinding, again, don’t try to fix it yourself. Having said that, if you cannot find your files or if the file system is severely corrupted, professional help is recommended.

If anything like the above has happened, you must know that you should seek professional help and have some patience.

What Things Should You Keep In Mind For The Future?

I know that losing data from the external drive is scary. However, if you are cautious enough, you may not have to face this situation. Even though, due to some situations, you lose the data, if you follow the steps below, you can easily recover everything in a jiffy.

Regular Backups: If you are regularly backing up your data on another external drive or cloud storage, you can easily access any file if anything goes wrong with the original drive.
Eject Properly: While we are always in a hurry, when ejecting the drive, you need to keep a little patience. Instead of abruptly removing it from the system, first eject your external hard drive through the operating system and then remove it from the device.
Be Careful With The Drive: Any physical damage to the drive can also lead to the loss of files and data. Therefore, make sure you properly take care of the drive and protect it from any high temperatures or moisture.
Choose The Right Hardware: Well, you may not consider anything serious while purchasing the hardware. However, let me tell you that investing in a quality hard drive is a smart thing. That is why, choosing a reputable brand for the hard drive is always recommended.
Choose Cloud Storage: I am sure that you already know that one of the smartest things you could do is choose cloud storage for backing up your important files and photos. Well, the cloud storage keeps everything safe and secure and this way, you can easily access them, and there is no risk of losing the data due to any damage.

Conclusion

If you have recently lost your data from an external hard drive, then I know it can be very frustrating. Trust me, I have been there too. However, I was able to recover the files by following the same steps I have mentioned above.

Moreover, now I make sure to back up my files at different sources so that I no longer have to go through the same panic. In the end I would say that tools like Stellar Data Recovery Software make it easy to retrieve your lost data safely and efficiently.

Personally, I recommend keeping Stellar installed for peace of mind — it’s fast, reliable, and a true lifesaver during unexpected data loss situations.

I hope this was helpful, and all the best in recovering the files. Just keep some patience and calm while you are trying to recover the data.