Accidentally deleting files from your external hard drive can be devastating, especially if you don’t have backups of those files. Even worse is if you have formatted the external hard drive, as this deletes all files on the drive and prepares it for reuse.
Fortunately, there are ways you can attempt to recover deleted files from a formatted external hard drive. While the process becomes more difficult the more you have used the drive after formatting, recovery is still possible in many cases if you act quickly and use the right software.
Why files can be recovered from a formatted external hard drive
When you format an external hard drive, the drive is not completely erased right away. The formatting process only removes references to the files on the drive so that the space they previously occupied can be overwritten with new data.
However, until new data is written over the deleted files, they still physically exist on the drive. Recovery software looks for these remaining file fragments and uses them to rebuild the original deleted files.
The more you write new data to the formatted drive, the more likely old deleted files will get overwritten. So for the best chance of recovery, you need to avoid using the drive after formatting and use recovery software as soon as possible.
Steps to recover deleted files from external hard drive
Follow these steps to attempt recovery of deleted files from a formatted external hard drive:
1. Stop using the external hard drive
As soon as you realize important files are deleted from the external hard drive, unplug it from your computer. The more you use the drive and write new data to it, the more it reduces your chances of recovering deleted files.
2. Download data recovery software
Many data recovery software products are available both free and commercially. Some popular ones include:
– Recuva – Free windows recovery tool from Piriform
– TestDisk – Open source recovery software that works on Windows, Mac and Linux
– EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard – User-friendly recovery software for Windows with free and paid versions
– Stellar Data Recovery – Data recovery for Windows, Mac and Linux. Free and premium versions available.
Look for recovery software that supports your operating system and external hard drive file system. Be cautious with free software and read reviews to avoid malware. Paid software typically provides better features and recovery quality.
3. Connect the external hard drive to your computer
Connect your formatted external hard drive to your computer system directly using a USB port. Avoid any network connections as they could lead to further data overwriting.
The computer should recognize the external hard drive, though no files and folders will be visible. Recovery software scans hard drive sectors for recoverable data, so drive recognition is important.
4. Scan the external hard drive with recovery software
Open your chosen data recovery software and select the external hard drive to scan. An initial scan should detect existing files and previously deleted files that can still be recovered.
Scanning times can range from minutes to hours depending on the software, drive size and amount of data. Once complete, you will see files available for recovery.
5. Select and recover deleted files
Preview and select the deleted files you wish to recover. Avoid recovering duplicate or unnecessary files to speed up the process.
Be selective in choosing files for recovery to avoid errors. Too much data recovery at once can crash your system.
Specify a target folder on another drive or your computer to save the recovered files to. Start the recovery process. Again this can take some time depending on data size and destination drive speed.
6. Check recovered data integrity
Once recovery completes, open some recovered files to verify they have been recovered properly without errors or corruption.
Image, video, document and audio files should open and be viewable. You may find partial data in corrupted files.
If needed, repeat recovery process focusing on corrupted or missing files. You can also try alternative recovery software for improved results on stubborn files.
Tips to improve file recovery from formatted external hard drive
Follow these tips when attempting data recovery from a formatted external hard drive:
– Act quickly to avoid overwritten files. The sooner you scan and recover, the better.
– Use read-only recovery software to avoid altering existing data. Don’t install tools on the formatted drive.
– If necessary, make a disk image to recover files from as a backup if things go wrong.
– Recover data in batches and check integrity to avoid system crashes from overload.
– Don’t save recovered files back to the formatted drive to avoid overwriting originals.
– Keep trying alternative software if initial results aren’t satisfactory. But don’t rewrite more data.
When is recovery not possible from a formatted hard drive?
In some cases, it will be impossible to recover deleted files from an external hard drive after formatting, including:
– Drive has been reused and rewritten multiple times. New data overrides old fragments.
– Drive has been physically damaged or electronically corrupted.
– Encrypted drive has been formatted. Encryption removes access without correct keys.
– Full overwriting of drive sectors has taken place. Some tools completely delete data.
– Deleted files were already corrupted or damaged before formatting.
If the formatted drive has been reused extensively afterward, your chances of meaningful file recovery drop exponentially. The more you write over it, the less recoverable data remains.
Alternative data recovery options
If you are unable to recover deleted files from a formatted external hard drive, all is not lost. Consider these alternative data recovery options:
Cloud backups
If you have cloud backups enabled, you may be able to restore deleted files from external hard drive online backups. Services like iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox preserve earlier versions of files.
Local backups
Check any local computer backups, like Time Machine on Mac or File History on Windows. An attached backup drive or system image may contain external hard drive files.
Data recovery services
As a last resort, data recovery specialists can attempt more advanced methods. This is an expensive option only warranted for highly critical lost data.
How to avoid needing file recovery from external hard drives
The best solution is to avoid needing deleted file recovery from external hard drives by taking preventative measures:
– Always safely eject the drive before removal to flush caches.
– Enable drive passwords to prevent unauthorized access and data loss.
– Keep backups, either to the cloud or another physical drive.
– Use versioning services to preserve previous file states.
– Refrain from using the same drive for backup and primary data usage.
– Be cautious of reformatting drives with important data. Only do so when essential.
Recovering deleted files: Final summary
– Deleted files can be recovered from a formatted external hard drive using data recovery software.
– Recovery becomes difficult the more new data is written after formatting.
– Stop using the drive immediately and recover files ASAP after noticing loss.
– Select reputable recovery software for your operating system and drive file system.
– Scan, select and recover lost files cautiously to another drive. Avoid overwriting existing data.
– Check integrity of recovered files afterwards before relying on them again.
– If initial recovery fails, try alternative software or services. But don’t rewrite more data.
– Going forward, prevent data loss by backing up regularly and safely ejecting drives.
With the right steps, you stand a good chance of recovering deleted files from an external hard drive after accidentally reformatting it. Just act quickly before too much new data gets written over your lost files.
