I mistakenly formatted my whole external hard drive. Is it possible to recover it?
A split-second after touching the Enter button you realize that you have accidentally formatted an external hard drive which contained many important folders and files. Panic may be your initial reaction as you assess the damage of the lost data. But as long as you immediately stop using the device, it is very likely that you can recover deleted files from a formatted external hard drive. This article shows you how to perform this magic in five simple steps.
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How to Recover Files From External Hard Drive After Formatting
In this guide we will learn how to recover formatted external hard drive in a few simple steps. Good luck!
Step 1: Learn the Basics
The best chance to undo the effects of an accidental format is to preserve the data that was stored on the device. Stop using it immediately to obtain the best results when attempting data recovery from a formatted external hard disk. Disconnect the drive from your computer until you are ready to restore the data from the HDD. Proceed to the next step to start recovering from your data loss.

Step 2: Download & Install Disk Drill
Install the program by clicking on the downloaded file. You will be prompted for your administrator’s password to allow the tool to make system changes. Without this level of system access, Disk Drill cannot properly scan and recover your lost data. The app will not make any unauthorized changes to your system, so no need to worry about providing your credentials.

Step 3: Connect the Formatted External Hard Drive to a Computer

Step 4: Scan Your External Hard Drive

Step 5: Recover Your Lost Data
Once you have selected a safe storage location for the recovered files, click OK and let Disk Drill restore your valuable data. I’m sure you can breathe a little easier now.

Wrapping Up
Disk Drill data recovery software is the best way to recover files from a formatted external hard drive. Here’s the simplified version of the recovery steps you should follow.
To recover a formatted external hard drive:
- Download and install Disk Drill.
- Connect your external hard drive and launch the application.
- Select the drive from the disk list.
- Click the Search for lost data button to scan the drive.
- Preview and select the files to be recovered.
- Click the Recover button to perform the restore.
Why Format a Hard Drive?
There are several reasons why you would want to format a hard drive. The trick is to make sure it’s the right one before going ahead with the procedure. Choosing the wrong disk or partition will have you firing up Disk Drill to save your data.
Some valid reasons for performing a hard drive format are:
- Recovering from a hard disk crash. Your operating system may require a format before allowing the drive to be accessed or used.
- Discovering firmware faults that are impacting the drive performance or leading to file corruption may require a format to resolve.
- Removing malware or viruses may require you to format a drive. Simply removing the rogue file may not be enough to remove the threat.
How to Increase the Chances of a Successful Recovery
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of immediately ceasing to use the external drive as soon as it is formatted. This goes the same for any type of data deletion or unexplained loss of information. Continued use of the device exposes it to permanent data loss as the files are overwritten and are no longer available to be recovered by a recovery app. If you value the data on the affected drive, disconnect it from your computer until you are ready to perform the recovery.
Did You Know?
The fact that formatting does not erase your data may alert you to the potential dangers of information remaining on the drive if you sell it or give it to someone else. In those cases, you need to wipe the hard drive to remove traces of its previous data. A quick way to accomplish this is to perform a fresh reinstall of the operating system on the drive. This prevents the next owner from discovering your old files and folders.
FAQ
There is a version of Disk Drill that runs on a Mac and provides the same recovery functionality as the Windows application. You can follow these steps to recover a formatted external drive on a Mac:
- Download and install Disk Drill for Mac.
- Connect the external drive and launch Disk Drill.
- Select the drive and click the Recover button to start scanning.
- Preview the files that can be covered and make your selections.
- Click Recover again to restore your deleted data.
Disk Drill for Windows allows you to recover up to 500 MB of data for free and upgrading to the unlimited recovery capabilities of the PRO version only costs $89. This is a far more economical option than the several hundred dollars that it will cost if you use a professional data recovery service.
Disk Drill can be used to recover files from a drive that indicates it needs to be formatted. Connect it to your computer and see if Disk Drill locates the drive. If it does, a deep scan should be used to recover your data.