{"id":48623,"date":"2023-09-05T18:28:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=48623"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:09:38","slug":"how-to-restore-data-that-has-disappeared-from-an-external-hard-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/files-disappeared-from-external-hard-drive.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Restore Data That Has Disappeared from an External Hard Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you opened your external hard drive and your files were suddenly nowhere to be found, there are several reasons that might have happened. The good news is that most of them are often fixable. Below, we\u2019ll walk through different methods that can help you figure out what went wrong and give you the best chance to recover files that disappeared from an external hard drive.<\/p>\r\n

If you’re eager to jump directly into the data recovery tutorial, simply click here<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>Why Files Disappear From External Hard Drives<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Before jumping to the recovery techniques, here\u2019s a brief overview of what causes file disappearance in the first place:<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Reasons<\/b><\/td>\r\nDescription<\/b><\/td>\r\nSolution<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Files and folders are hidden<\/td>\r\nIf you are certain that the files are present on your PC but can\u2019t access them, chances are that the files and folders are hidden.<\/td>\r\nUnhide Missing Files & Folders<\/a> by using Windows\u2019 built-in features.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Accidental deletion or formatting<\/td>\r\nHuman errors like accidentally deleting or formatting your external hard drive.<\/td>\r\nUse data recovery software<\/a> to recover data from the external hard drive.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Viruses or malware infection<\/td>\r\nViruses and dangerous malware like trojans can result in abrupt file deletion and disappearance.<\/td>\r\nScan and disinfect your external hard drive<\/a>, then attempt data recovery first, then try to recover hidden files from the external hard disk storage if the malware changed file attributes, hid folders, or made the data appear missing.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
A damaged boot sector<\/td>\r\nA damaged boot sector on NTFS drives can prevent Windows from reading the file system properly and make files seem missing.<\/td>\r\nFix the external hard drive errors using CHKDSK<\/a> (in some cases, it may be able to repair an NTFS boot sector by using the backup copy).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Physical damage<\/td>\r\nMechanical damage arising from physical blunt force, hard disk head platter damage, moisture, power outages, etc.<\/td>\r\nIf you are dealing with significant physical damage and your PC doesn’t detect the external hard drive, consult a data recovery service center<\/a>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

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