Mac External Hard Drive Data Recovery: How to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive

Here's the translation for "4 Ways of External Hard Drive Data Recovery Mac" in English: "4 Methods for External Hard Drive Data Recovery on Mac"

Most Mac users purchase an external hard drive to expand the storage of their MacBook or iMac. The most popular brands are Western Digital, Buffalo, G-Technology, Samsung, Seagate, and LaCie. As far as we know, upgrading the internal hard drive is usually difficult. The more frequently you run your Mac on an external hard drive, the higher the chance of data loss. For instance, accidental deletion, disk formatting, improper ejection, or the hard drive itself is about to fail.

Essentially, there are four possible ways to recover deleted files from an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or memory card on Mac. Each method applies to a specific data loss scenario, which we'll explain in detail.

• 1. Recover from the Recycle Bin
• 2. Restore from a Backup File
• 3. Use a Data Recovery Software
• 4. Try Manual Data Recovery Services

How to Recover Files Deleted from an External Hard Drive on Mac

If you lost data from an external hard drive by dragging it to the Trash, check the Trash first. You can send files to the Trash by right-clicking them and selecting Move to Trash or using the keyboard shortcut Command-Delete. Files are not permanently erased until you empty the Trash. Here's how to recover files from the Trash.

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

Step 2: Go to the Trash and find the file you want to recover. Use the Copy Item command to copy it back to its original location. By the way, Put Back does the same thing.

2. Restore External Hard Drive on Mac from Backup

Since Mac offers secure safety mechanisms by backing up essential hard drive files to the Cloud or to a Time Machine backup device, restoring deleted files from the backup is a good approach.

For example, to restore a Mac file from Time Machine, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar, and choose Enter Time Machine.

Step 2: Find the specific file within the backup, and spacebar-preview it to make sure it's the one you want.

Step 3: Click the “Cloud” icon to download and view the snapshot. This way, you can view the snapshot even if the external drive is disconnected from your Mac.

Step 4. Click "Recover" to restore the selected files.

3. Recover External Hard Drive on Mac with Data Recovery Software

When you are unable to access or find files in the Trash, backups, or never created any, the only option left is to download a powerful Mac external hard drive data recovery software and recover the data as soon as possible.

With over 10 years of experience, deep scanning features, and compatibility with all macOS and Mac OS X, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has established itself as a renowned solution in the field of data recovery. Whenever you face data loss issues on your Mac and urgently need a simple yet effective recovery solution, it's the go-to choice.

How does the software work in various data loss scenarios? Let's give you some examples.

• You permanently deleted files from an external hard drive on Mac, for instance, by using Command-Shift-Delete to empty the Trash or Option-Command-Delete (labeled as "Delete Immediately") to bypass the Trash.
• You reformatted the external hard drive with Disk Utility or another third-party disk formatting tool.
• The files were accidentally hidden somewhere, and you lost access to them.
• The external hard drive experienced other logical issues that later prevented access.

How to use Data Recovery Wizard tool to recover data from an external hard drive on Mac?

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

On macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, and the latest Ventura, select the disk location where you want to search for the lost file (it can be either an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, click on the “Search Lost Files” button.

Step 2: Check the scan results

Mac Data Recovery Wizard immediately scans the disk volume you select and displays the scan results.

Step 3. Select the files and recover them

In the scan results, select the files you want to preview and then click the “Recover” button to get them back.

4. How to Manually Mount an External Hard Drive on a Mac

Apart from most of the logical errors that usually result in data loss from external storage devices, Mac data recovery software can certainly help in retrieving the lost data in many cases, where you cannot simply get your data back, especially when the drive is severely damaged. For example, the hard drive has too many bad sectors, there is a physical failure with the hard disk, it makes clicking or beeping sounds, and so on.

If you find yourself in a situation similar to the one from the example above, don't rely on any Mac data recovery software available on the market – it's time to turn to IT experts skilled in manual data retrieval (you can check the average hard drive data recovery cost if interested). Most of the time, hard drive repair comes before data recovery through a local data recovery service. To make sure the team is reliable, you need to check a few things.

• Must be an ISO-certified service center
• Offers data recovery guarantee post-analysis
• Should have a Class 100 clean room
• Service must be secure and reliable

According to our research, Ontrack is reliable and secure; if you have a physically damaged external hard drive, it's worth getting in touch.

How to Prevent Data Loss on External Hard Drives (with Bonus Tips)

Why not protect it in the first place? Data recovery can be expensive; the best option is to protect your data in advance.

1. Always think before deleting files or formatting an external hard drive. 2. Eject the drive properly. If you eject an external hard drive while it's in use, you risk losing data. 3. Avoid physical damage to the device for any reason. 4. Scan the device with antivirus software to protect against virus attacks. 5. Back up important files using cloud drives, professional backup and recovery software, or by manually copying them.

In short

There are four ways to recover deleted files from an external hard drive on a Mac. First, check the Trash. If that doesn't work, try restoring the file from a backup. If you don't have a backup, use a Mac data recovery software to scan and retrieve the deleted files from the external storage device. Lastly, if data loss on the Mac external hard drive is due to physical damage, professional manual service will be required.

FAQs on External Hard Drive Data Recovery for Mac

Here are some common questions that might interest you. See if any apply to your situation.

How to recover deleted files from Mac hard drive?

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

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

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

Step 3: Select the External hard drive from the Disk list.

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

What is the best hard drive recovery software for Mac?

Mac Data Recovery Wizard is the best software for Mac hard drive recovery. This powerful recovery technology has an intuitive and user-friendly interface that anyone can use on their Mac. For more information, you can refer to the article on the "Top 5 Free Data Recovery Software for Mac".

How can I recover files from an external hard drive on my 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 “ Recover Now ” to get them back.

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

Starting from the basics:

• Make sure the drive is connected properly • Use Disk Utility to mount and verify the drive • Check the cable • Restart your Mac