How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac
Due to its large capacity and portability, an external hard drive is a good option for storing precious memories, important documents, or backup data. If you are a Mac user and facing the issue of data loss in it, then you are at the right place. Here, we will provide many ways to help you recover data from an external hard drive on a Mac, even if the disk is is corrupted.
- Table of contents
- Part 1. Why My Files Lost/Disappeared In the External Hard Disk
- Part 2. How to Maximize the Success Rate of Data Recovery from Mac External Hard Drive
- Part 3. How to Retrieve Files from External Hard Drive on Mac Without Software
- Part 4. How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac With Software
- Part 5. How to Repair Corrupted External Hard Disk on Mac to Get My Files
- Part 6. External Hard Drive Recovery Last Resort
- Part 7. Tips for Keeping Your External Disk Data Safe
- Part 8. Conclusion
- Part 9. Frequently Asked Questions
Why My Files Lost/Disappeared In the External Hard Disk
There are many reasons why this can happen, which you can learn about before you start external hard drive recovery Mac.
- 💢 You accidentally delete important files or initialize the external hard drive on a Mac without a copy.
- ⚠️ Corruption in the file system can make your storage device inaccessible, resulting in the loss of data stored on it.
- ⏏️ Not safely ejecting the external hard disk on a Mac can cause data corruption.
- ⁉️ Errors during file transfers or software malfunctions can result in data loss.
- 🦠 Virus or Malware may hide or corrupt the files on your external hard drive or even permanently remove them.
- 🔋 Sudden power surges can damage the drive and lead to data loss.
- 💽 Over time, your external hard drive can develop bad sectors where data becomes unreadable.
Although there are many reasons that data may be lost from an external hard drive, but this does not mean that it will be lost forever.
How to Maximize the Success Rate of Data Recovery from Mac External Hard Drive
Regardless of the type of loss, your files are usually still stored on the external hard drive, and their status has only changed. This means you can restore data from an external hard drive on the Mac. Do you want to get better at this process? Follow these tips:
- ⛔ Please stop using this removable hard disk immediately after the file loss. This will prevent them from being overwritten by new data.
- ⚠️ Do not try commands or repair tools to find missing items. They may corrupt the disappeared data and make them irretrievable or impossible to open after recovery.
- ⏰ Start the external disk recovery Mac work as soon as possible. The longer the time, the greater the chance that the files are gone forever.
How to Retrieve Files from External Hard Drive on Mac Without Software
Did you know that you can still get these lost files back without the help of external hard drive recovery software Mac? This is a simple process. So, you can choose one of the following methods that fits your situation.
Ways 1. Check Trash Folder
When you accidentally delete files, both Mac and external disk have a location to store them temporarily. So you can quickly recover deleted files from external hard drive on Mac using the following methods.
From Mac's Trash:
- Click the Trash icon at the bottom right of macOS to open it.
- Browse its stored files.
- When you find what you need, select them.
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Right-click and choose "Put Back" to save it again.
When your removed file is not found, the following external HDD recovery Mac method may help you.
From Trash Folder of External Hard Drive:
- Connect the external disk to your Mac.
- Open your external hard drive on Mac and click "Command + Shift + ."
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After refreshing, you will see the.Trashes folder that shows a semi-transparent.
- Open it and view the files you accidentally deleted.
- Once found, copy them to a new location.
Ways 2. From iCloud Drive
This is the easiest method for Mac users who are used to using iCloud to save files. here are guides:
From the Storage File Location:
- Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Click on "iCloud Drive" to see your stored files.
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You can download any files you need directly from here.
Check Recently Deleted Folder:
- Click the "Recently Deleted" option on the left side of the page.
- Find the files you deleted above and select them.
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Right-click and select "Recover."
Restore from Settings:
- Go to "Settings" on iCloud.com.
- Scroll down to the "Advanced" section.
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Click on "Restore Files" to see a list of files that can be restored.
Ways 3. Use Time Machine
Have you used Time Machine to back up these files? If so, you are in luck. Here's how to recover data from an external hard drive on a Mac.
- Connect the storage device as a backup to your Mac.
- Open the Time Machine.
- Click the up and down arrows on the right to browse the data.
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Select the ones you need and click "Restore" to save them.
How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac With Software
Is there any method that works when there is no backup or the file is not in the Trash? Of course! In this case, you can try data recovery software for Mac external hard drive. Here, iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac is a good option.
Best External Hard Drive Recovery Software for Mac
- It can recover over 1000 file formats, including videos, images, documents, audio files, and emails.
- It can very well handle data loss caused by accidental deletion, erasing, external hard drive failure, crash, and other causes.
- Capable of repairing corrupted videos and images during the process of external hard disk recovery Mac.
Steps to Restore External Hard Drive on Mac
- Connect your disk to a Mac computer.
- Download and install iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac.
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Select the target drive and click "Search for Lost Files."
- After the scan is complete, preview the files found and select the ones you need.
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Click "Recover" to save them to your Mac.
If the above methods fail, you can also try the 5 alternative options we provide for you below.
Other 5 Data Recovery Software for Mac External Hard Drive
- R-Studio
- Pros
- Offers disk imaging, RAID recovery, and support for damaged or unbootable disks.
- Can scan storage devices over the network, which is useful for Mac external hard drive recovery on a remote.
- Built-in editor for advanced users to analyze and edit file content.
- Cons
- Specific skills are required to use it.
- Slow scan
- TestDisk for Mac
- Pros
- Open-source Tool
- Provide additional features
- Cons
- No user interface
- Can't preview file
- Disk Drill
- Pros
- Supports multiple file systems
- Preview before recovery
- Cons
- Expensive
- Some external drives are not recognized.
- EaseUS Data Recovery for Mac
- Pros
- Supports all file types
- Can extract backup data from Time Machine
- Cons
- The subscription model is unreasonable
- Sometimes it happens that the recovered files get corrupted.
- Recoverit for Mac
- Pros
- It provides two recovery modes
- Fast scanning
- Cons
- Some files cannot be previewed
- Simple filtration system
It is a comprehensive disk recovery and management solution that supports various file systems, including FAT, NTFS, HFS/HFS+, APFS, and more. With its powerful performance, anyone can easily recover data from an external hard drive on a Mac.
This is a free external hard drive recovery software for Mac developed by the legendary cgsecurity.org. It is equally useful for repairing partition tables. This is a good option if you have lost data due to an accidentally erased external hard drive on a Mac.
It is a data recovery utility developed by CleverFiles and available for both Windows and macOS. With the user-friendly interface, Deep Scan and Quick Scan allow efficient data recovery from external hard drives on Mac. In addition, DiskDrill also provides attachment options to help you better manage your files.
It is an easy-to-use tool that quickly and efficiently recovers large amounts of deleted items on external hard disks on Macs. This software uses advanced algorithms to accurately scan and detect lost images, videos, and other files. With built-in navigation, you can quickly complete the process whether you are new to Mac or an experienced user.
Have you accidentally erased an external hard drive with Disk Utility? With enhanced video and photo recovery capabilities, Recoverit is a choice. Many users trust it for its high recovery rate, ease of use, and good customer service.
How to Repair Corrupted External Hard Disk on Mac to Get My Files
One reason for such accidents is the loss of stored data due to accidental damage to external storage devices. So, you can try the following ways to deal with it.
Ways 1. Use Disk Utility
- Open "Finder" and go to "Applications > Utilities folder."
- Find the "Disk Utility" app and open it.
- From the list on the left, select your external hard drive.
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Click "First Aid" on the page-top menu.
- Click "Run" in the dialog box that appears.
Ways 2. Use Terminal
- Open Terminal from the Utilities folder.
- Type "diskutil list" to find the drive letter that represents your external disk.
- Type "diskutil repairDisk /dev/diskX" (replace X with your disk's drive letter).
Tip: For PC users, you can also click here to view more methods on how to repair external hard drive.
External Hard Drive Recovery Last Resort
If all the above methods fail, then seeking help from a data recovery service will be the last hope. For this, you can search for relevant services. Here are some situations where it is applicable:
- When to choose:
- Physical Damage: If your external hard disk has suffered physical damage due to drops, water exposure, or electrical surges.
- Complex Data Loss: In cases involving RAID arrays or repeat erasing your external hard drive with Disk Utility.
- Critical Data: When the lost data is extremely important or sensitive, and you want to ensure the highest chance of successful external hard drive data recovery without risking further loss.
- limitation:
- Time-consuming and expensive
Tips for Keeping Your External Hard Disk Data Safe
At this point, you should have successfully recovered files from an external hard drive on the Mac using the methods we provided. However, do you want to avoid such a problem from happening again? Here are some tips:
- 📤 Regularly back up the data stored on your external hard drive to another safe location, such as a cloud service or Time Machine.
- ⏏️ Always safely eject an external hard drive before unplugging it from your Mac. This prevents data corruption and disk file system errors.
- 🔒 Encrypt the data on your external hard drive to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
- ⚠️ To prevent virus infection, avoid using public or shared computers to access data on external hard drives.
- 🚫 Do not place data in extreme environments to avoid physical damage that can cause it to be lost forever.
Conclusion
Whatever the reason, losing the data can be very frustrating. Luckily, there are multiple ways to ensure that you can successfully perform external HDD recovery on Mac, from using built-in utilities like Trash, Time Machine, and iCloud to leveraging powerful third-party software.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Unlike your computer's internal hard drive, when you delete a file from an external drive, it is gone but not immediately removed. The space it occupies is marked as available for new data. Therefore, you can usually get it back using recovery software for Mac.
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There are many reasons why this happens. If your wrong settings hide them, click "Command + Shift + ." to show them. Suppose a malware attack, accidental deletion, formatting, etc., caused them to disappear. In that case, you can also rely on iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac to recover data from external hard drive on Mac.
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After you use USB to connect to Mac, as long as you can find the damaged drive in Disk Utility, you can use iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac to scan it and restore the files.
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If the connection is fine and the external hard drive shows up in Disk Utility, you can easily extract the data from it using iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac. If not, your external hard drive is physically damaged. In this case, you need to seek help from professionals.
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As long as you have not stored any new data on it after formatting, iBeesoft recovery software can easily recover files from external hard drive on Mac. It uses special algorithms that can handle similar situations very efficiently.
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If you ever backed up the external drive, you can quickly get these files after losing them. If not, you can rely only on external hard drive recovery software like iBeesoft data recovery software to help you.