Restore data from external hard drive mac​

External hard drives are commonly used to store large amounts of data or for backup purposes. However, data loss can occur for various reasons, such as accidental deletion, corruption, or hardware failure. When an external hard drive is connected to a Mac, users may face difficulties accessing their files or even experience the drive not mounting. If you are experiencing such issues, don’t panic—data recovery is possible.

Before jumping into data restoration, it’s crucial to understand the potential causes of data loss. By identifying the root cause, you can determine the best course of action for recovery. Here are some common reasons:

Accidental Deletion: Files may have been deleted by mistake or during an unexpected system shutdown.

File System Corruption: A drive may become corrupted due to improper ejection, bad sectors, or a virus attack. Mac users often encounter errors like “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.”

Hardware Failure: Physical damage to the drive’s components can result in the drive becoming inaccessible.

Virus or Malware: Malicious software may corrupt or hide files, causing them to become invisible or inaccessible.

Unintentional Formatting: The external hard drive may have been formatted without backing up data, leading to potential data loss.

Step 1: Verify the External Hard Drive’s Connection

Before starting the recovery process, ensure that your external hard drive is properly connected to your Mac. Follow these steps:

Check the Cable and Port: Examine the USB or Thunderbolt cable for any visible damage and try connecting the external drive to a different port on your Mac. Sometimes, a faulty cable or port may prevent the drive from being recognized.

Power Supply: If your external drive requires an external power source, ensure that it’s correctly plugged in. Some larger external hard drives require more power than others, and not supplying the necessary power can lead to issues.

Try Another Mac: If possible, connect the external hard drive to a different Mac to rule out any issues with your Mac’s hardware or settings.

Disk Utility Check: Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility) and check if the drive appears in the list. If it does, proceed to the next steps. If the drive isn’t visible, it may indicate a more serious issue.

Step 2: Troubleshoot Mounting Issues

If the external hard drive shows up in Disk Utility but fails to mount, the drive may have file system issues. Here’s what you can do:

First Aid: In Disk Utility, select the external hard drive and click “First Aid” to check for errors. This built-in tool scans and repairs common issues like file system corruption or minor errors.

Mount the Drive Manually: If the First Aid tool doesn’t solve the problem, you can try mounting the drive manually. Go to Disk Utility, select the external hard drive, and click the “Mount” button. If this works, your drive will be accessible again.

Check for Hidden Files: In some cases, files might be hidden due to a corrupted file system. You can reveal hidden files by pressing Command + Shift + Period in Finder. This will allow you to see files that are normally hidden.

Step 3: Use macOS Terminal for Data Recovery

If the drive still isn’t accessible through the standard Mac interface, you can use Terminal commands to attempt mounting the drive or recovering files. Here’s how:

Open Terminal: You can find Terminal by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

List Connected Drives: Type the following command to list all connected drives:

diskutil list

This will display all drives, including the external hard drive. Note the identifier for your external drive (e.g., disk2).

Mount the Drive: To mount the drive manually, type the following command:

bash

sudo diskutil mount /dev/diskX

Replace “X” with the correct identifier for your drive.

Use the ls Command: If the drive is mounted, but you still can’t access your files, you can navigate through directories using the ls command to list the contents and look for your missing files.

Step 4: Data Recovery Software for Mac

Panda Assistant is a versatile and reliable data recovery software designed to help users retrieve lost, deleted, or corrupted files from various types of storage devices, including hard drives, external drives, USB flash drives, and memory cards. Whether files are accidentally deleted, lost due to a system crash, or become inaccessible because of file corruption, Panda Assistant offers a comprehensive solution to restore important data.

Key Features of Panda Assistant

User-Friendly Interface: Panda Assistant is designed with simplicity in mind, making it easy to use for both novice and advanced users. The intuitive interface guides users through the data recovery process without requiring any technical expertise.

Wide Compatibility: Panda Assistant supports a wide range of file systems, including FAT, NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, and APFS, making it a suitable tool for users with different devices and operating systems, including both Windows and Mac.

Comprehensive Recovery: Panda Assistant can recover a variety of file types, including documents, images, videos, audio files, and more. It also offers deep scanning capabilities, allowing for the restoration of files that may not be visible through a standard file system scan.

Preview Feature: Before proceeding with recovery, Panda Assistant allows users to preview recoverable files. This ensures that only the necessary files are restored, saving time and storage space.

Safe and Secure: Panda Assistant prioritizes data integrity. It performs a read-only scan, ensuring that no additional data is written to the storage device, which could potentially overwrite recoverable files.

Quick and Deep Scanning Options: Whether you need a quick scan to recover recently deleted files or a more thorough deep scan to recover data from a damaged or corrupted drive, Panda Assistant offers both options for efficient recovery.

Step 5: Professional Data Recovery Services

If your external hard drive is physically damaged or if software solutions are unable to recover the data, professional data recovery services may be required. These services are equipped with specialized tools and expertise to recover data from physically damaged or corrupted drives.

Data Recovery Companies: Companies like Ontrack, DriveSavers, and Secure Data Recovery offer professional services for external hard drive data recovery. These services often come at a higher cost, but they are highly effective, especially for drives with severe issues.

Consulting with a Specialist: Before sending your drive to a data recovery service, it’s a good idea to consult with a specialist who can help assess the damage and recommend the best course of action.

Pricing: The cost of professional data recovery varies depending on the severity of the problem. For simple cases, it might cost a few hundred dollars, but for more complex cases, it could reach into the thousands.

Step 6: Prevent Future Data Loss

Once you’ve successfully restored your data, it’s crucial to take steps to prevent future data loss. Here are a few best practices:

Regular Backups: Use Time Machine or other backup solutions to ensure your data is regularly backed up. Time Machine is a built-in Mac tool that automatically creates backups of your system, including external drives.

Safely Eject External Drives: Always eject your external hard drive properly before unplugging it. Failing to do so can result in file system corruption.

Disk Health Monitoring: Use Disk Utility or third-party tools to regularly check the health of your external hard drive. Early detection of issues can help prevent data loss.

Cloud Storage: Consider using cloud storage solutions like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox to back up important files in real-time.