Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac [2024]

Mac computers also let users back up important data from an external drive to iCloud:

1. Launch Time Machine on your Mac.
2. Navigate to the folder where the missing file was located from the external hard drive.
3. To preview the file, press the spacebar.
4. Click on the cloud icon to download the file.
5. Hit "Restore" to recover the lost file. Read more...

4 Ways to Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac

Most Mac users purchase an external hard drive to expand the storage of their MacBook or iMac. Popular brands include Western Digital, Buffalo, G-Technology, Samsung, Seagate, and Lacie. Data loss on an external hard drive can occur due to accidental deletion, formatting, improper ejection, or simply a faulty hard drive – among many other reasons.

Essentially, there are four possible ways to recover files from an external hard drive on Mac when they go missing. Each method applies to a specific data loss scenario, and we'll explain them in detail.

Solution 1: Recover Data from External Hard Drive on Mac with Data Recovery Tool Step 1: Connect

If you cannot access or locate the Trash, or if you never created a backup in the first place, your only option is to download a powerful Mac external hard drive data recovery tool and recover the data as soon as possible.

tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is renowned in the data recovery field. With over 10 years of experience, deep scan capabilities, and compatibility with all macOS and Mac OS X systems, including the latest macOS Sonoma, it's the go-to solution for any Mac data loss issue, providing you with a simple and effective way to recover your lost data.

How does the software work in various data loss scenarios? Let's look at some examples:

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• Recover permanently deleted files on Mac, or from external HDD, when you've emptied the Trash using Command-Shift-Delete, or used Option-Command-Delete (which is "Delete Immediately, Not through Trash").
• Recover formatted hard drive on Mac, as well as formatted external hard drives after erasing with Disk Utility.
• Support for video, photo, document, and audio recovery when there's a logical error with your external hard drive.
• Restore data from a damaged external hard drive without a backup, supporting most file systems.

How to use Data Recovery Wizard Professional for Mac to retrieve data from an external hard drive? Please refer to the following tutorial for more information:

Step 1. Connect your Mac and the external hard drive properly. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard tool (which supports most file systems) and open the external drive. To locate missing or deleted files on the external device, click "Find Lost Files." The software can even help you with data recovery on an unmounted external hard drive on Mac.

Select the external hard drive and click "Find Lost Files".

Step 2. During and after the scan, the left panel shows all file types. Select the file type to find the required files from the external device.

Step 3: Preview the files, and select the ones you want to recover. Click the “Recover” button (the software can also fix damaged files). Save your recovered files to a new location, either locally or in the cloud, to avoid overwriting any lost data.

Here are the pros and cons of using recovery software to retrieve lost data from an external hard drive on Mac:

This tool is well-known in the industry, and you can also use its Windows version to perform data recovery from an external hard drive on the Windows operating system. It can help you recover lost data from various devices like external hard drives, HDDs, SSDs, USBs, SD cards, and more. Please share it with your friends.

Solution 2: Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive from Mac Trash

If you lost data from an external hard drive by dragging it to the trash or accidentally deleting files, check your Trash first. You can send a file to the Trash by right-clicking it and selecting Move to Trash or using the Move to Trash shortcut, which is Command-Delete. Files aren't permanently deleted until you Empty the Trash on a Mac. Here's how to recover deleted files from the Trash on a Mac.

Step 1: Connect the external drive to your Mac and open the Trash.

Step 2: Find the deleted file in the Trash and use the "Copy Item" feature to restore deleted files on Mac and put it back where it was. By the way, the "Put Back" command serves the same purpose.

Here are the pros and cons of recovering data from an external hard drive through Mac Trash:

Solution 3: Recover External Hard Drive on Mac with Time Machine

Since Mac offers its users a secure mechanism to back up essential hard drive files to the Cloud or a backup device through Time Machine, restoring deleted files from a backup is a good way out.

For example, to restore your Mac from Time Machine, see the video and steps:

• 00:11 How to restore specific items from a Time Machine backup
• 00:34 Search your backups
• 00:49 Browse through your backups
• 01:13 Preview files

Step 1: Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and choose “Enter Time Machine.”

Step 2: Find the specific file in the backup and tap Space to preview it to confirm whether it is the one you need.

Step 3: Click the "Cloud" icon to download a snapshot for viewing. This allows you to view the snapshot even if you unplug the external storage device from your Mac.

Step 4. Click “Recover” to retrieve the selected files.

If you've deleted a Time Machine backup, read this to restore from a backup:

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Verification Method | How to Recover Deleted Time Machine Backup

Accidentally deleting a Time Machine backup from an external hard drive is not uncommon. Read More >>

Here are the pros and cons of restoring external drive data from a Time Machine backup:

Fix 4: Recover Data from Your External Hard Drive on Mac with Data Recovery Services If you've tried all the methods above and still can't fix your external hard drive, you might consider using professional data recovery services. These services specialize in providing solutions to retrieve lost data from various storage devices. Make sure to choose a reputable service provider and back up any important data before sending it in for repair, as the recovery process might overwrite existing information. Please note that this option may come with a cost and doesn't guarantee the recovery of all files. Weigh the costs against the importance of your data before choosing this route.

In addition to most of the logical errors that can lead to data loss from external storage devices, what tools can Mac data recovery software help recover lost data? Sometimes, you cannot simply retrieve the data, especially when the disk has serious issues. For instance, a damaged hard drive file system, too many bad sectors, a clicking sound/whining noise indicating a failing hard drive, and so on.

When your external hard drive fails, you need to either repair the external hard drive on Mac, or hand it over to a skilled IT expert for manual recovery/repair (you might be interested in the average cost of hard drive recovery). Most of the time, local data recovery services will attempt hard drive repair first, before proceeding with data retrieval. To ensure reliability, you must check the following.

• ⭐Must be certified by ISO
• ⭐Offers data recovery guarantee after analysis
• ⭐Should have a Class 100 clean room
• ⭐Service must be secure and reliable

The tool is reliable and safe; in case of physical damage to an external storage device, you can seek help from our professional team.

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External Hard Drive Repair Service

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Consult our Data Recovery Specialist for personalized manual recovery assistance. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following services:

• Repair of damaged RAID structures, unbootable Windows OS, and corrupted virtual disk files
• Recovery/repair of lost partitions and repartitioned drives
• Undo disk utility formatting and fix RAW drives (including Bitlocker encrypted drives)
• Solution for External hard drive not showing up in Mac Disk Utility

Here, you can check the pros and cons of recovering external hard drive data from Mac Trash:

Additional Tip: How to Prevent Data Loss on External Hard Drives Extra Tip: How to Avoid Data Loss on External Hard Drives

Why not protect it in the first place? External hard-drive recovery can be very expensive; the best protection is to back up your data in advance.

Think twice before deleting files or formatting an external hard drive. Eject the hard drive properly. If you eject an external drive while it's in use, you risk losing data. Avoid physical damage for any reason. Scan your device with an antivirus to protect against viruses. Back up important files using cloud storage, dedicated backup software, or by manually copying them. Find a free data recovery tool for Mac.

After going through all the external hard drive recovery methods and extra tips, don't forget to share this useful information with more readers!

In short

There are four ways to recover deleted files from an external Mac hard drive. First, check the Trash. If that fails, you can restore the files from a backup on the external hard drive. If there's no backup available, use the best Mac data recovery software, such as tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, to scan and retrieve deleted files from the external storage device. Lastly, if data loss on your external Mac hard drive is due to physical damage, seek professional manual service.

Frequently Asked Questions on External Hard Drive Data Recovery for Mac

Here are some common questions that might interest you, see if any of them apply to your situation:

How to Recover Deleted Files from a Mac Hard Drive?

To recover lost files from an external hard drive on a Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download, install and run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard.

Step 2. Connect the external hard drive to your computer.

Step 3: Select your external drive from the list of disks.

4. Click on the “Scan” button. Preview the recoverable files. Click on the “Recover” button to restore deleted files from your external Mac hard drive.

What is the best hard drive recovery software for Mac?

Mac Data Recovery Wizard is the best Mac hard drive recovery software. Anyone with a Mac can use this powerful recovery technology via an intuitive and user-friendly interface. For more options, check out the Top 5 Free Mac Data Recovery Software.

How to Recover Files from an External Hard Drive on a Mac?

Recover Lost Files from External Hard Drive on Mac:

Step 1: Download, install and run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard.

Step 2: Connect the external hard drive to your computer. Select it from the list of disks and click “Scan.”

Step 3: Once the scan is over, select the files you want to restore and click on the “ Recover Now ” button to get them back.

What should I do if my external hard drive is not recognized by my Mac?

Start with the basics:

• Verify that the drive is connected properly
• Use Disk Utility to mount and verify the drive
• Check the data cable
• Restart your Mac