How can I recover deleted files from an external hard drive on my Mac?

I accidentally deleted some important files from my external hard drive while using my Mac. These files are crucial for a project I’m working on. I haven’t done any backups. Is there any way to recover them? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Accidentally deleting important files can be a nightmare, but there’s hope. First thing, stop using the external hard drive immediately to prevent overwritten data. This increases your chances of recovery.

You might want to consider using Disk Drill for Mac. It’s a solid data recovery tool that can help you recover deleted files from your external hard drive. I’ve used it, and it’s pretty straightforward. You just need to download it, select your drive and click recover. Seriously, it can be a lifesaver.

Additionally, in case you want to dig deeper into ways to recover data from erased hard drives or any other storage devices, check out this comprehensive guide on recovering data from an erased hard disk. It walks you through different methods and tools:

recover data from an erased hard disk

Good luck with your recovery process!

Hey, so yeah, @chasseurdetoiles has a good point about using Disk Drill for Mac. It’s definitely one of the more reliable tools out there for recovering deleted files. Just make sure you don’t write any new data to the external hard drive, as that could overwrite the deleted files and make recovery impossible.

But if you’re looking for alternatives or want to double-check, you can also try PhotoRec. It’s an open-source tool that works across multiple platforms, including macOS, and it can recover a wide range of file types. The only downside is its user interface isn’t as user-friendly as Disk Drill, but it does get the job done. Plus, it’s free, so no harm in giving it a shot.

Another thing to consider: if you’re up for some DIY, you can use Terminal on your Mac to attempt data recovery. This is a bit more technical, but there are plenty of guides online that can walk you through the process. It involves using sudo commands and utilities like dd, which can help create a disk image of your external hard drive. From there, tools like TestDisk can come in handy to analyze and attempt recovery. Again, this is more of a last-resort method.

You might also want to check out this detailed guide. It covers various methods and tools for data recovery, which could be handy if Disk Drill or PhotoRec doesn’t work out for you: recover data from an erased hard disk.

Good luck with getting your files back, and maybe consider setting up a regular backup routine next time. Better safe than sorry!