Formatting an External hard drive is helpful in multiple ways. It improves performance, removes unnecessary data, fixes file system errors, and prepares your drive for new storage tasks. However, when you format any device, including your External hard drives, all its stored data gets deleted. Formatting an external hard drive can feel like a nightmare, especially if it contains precious photos and memories.
Luckily, there are several reliable methods available to recover photos from External hard drives. This guide will explore some best ways to recover photos from a formatted external hard drive while optimizing the previously created backups or via a third-party photo recovery tool.
What Happens When You Format An External Drive?
When you format an external hard drive, the operating system typically removes the file system reference table, making your file invisible. However, the data is not immediately removed. It remains on the drive until new data overwrites it. Here’s what actually happen:
- File System Initialization: A new file system (e.g., NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT) is created, organizing how data is stored and accessed.
- Data Reference Removal: The references or pointers to stored files are deleted, making the data appear inaccessible, though it’s not immediately removed.
- Data Overwrite Preparation: The drive becomes ready to store new data, and old files can be overwritten when new data is added.
- Error Fixing: Formatting can fix corruption and errors in the file system, improving the drive’s functionality.
Key Tips Before Proceeding with Photo Recovery Methods
Before you proceed with photo recovery methods to recover photos from a formatted hard drive, it’s important to consider the below tips for smooth and hassle-free recovery:
- Avoid Using the Drive: Don’t save new files on the external hard drive. This can overwrite the deleted data, making recovery quite complex.
- Select the Right Photo Recovery Tool: Use reputable photo recovery software to ensure the best results.
- Work with Backups: If you created some backup before data loss, restore your photos from there to save time and effort.
How do I Recover Photos Lost from an External Hard Drive?
Below given are quick and easy methods for photo recovery from external hard drives. Just go with these photo recovery methods one-by-one to restore your lost photos:
Method 01: Use a Professional Photo Recovery Tool
If you are looking for the easiest approach to recover photos from a formatted external hard drive, then a professional photo recovery software is definitely the best option. Stellar Photo Recovery is an all-in-one photo recovery tool which supports recovery of photos lost or deleted due to multiple reasons, including accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes, and many more. Not only photos, you can use this software to recover deleted audio and video files of multiple formats.
Key features of Stellar Photo Recovery software:
- This photo recovery tool allows you to restore lost pictures in multiple file formats, including JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, etc.
- You can use this software to recover photos deleted from any internal or external storage media, such as hard drives, USBs, pen drives, etc.
- The software is compatible with both Windows and Mac devices.
- It is available in multiple versions, varying in features and prices. Just check their features and use the version that best fits your requirements.
Here’s how to recover photos from formatted hard drive using this amazing photo recovery tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your Windows PC/Mac. Also, connect the external drive containing your lost photos to that device.
Step 2: Launch the software and from the homepage, select the storage location where your deleted photos were earlier stored and click Scan.
Step 3: Once the scanning process is completed, preview the recoverable files and choose the photo(s) you need to restore.
Step 4: Click the Recover button to save the recovered photo at the desired location on your device.
Method 02: Recover Lost Photos Using Built-In Backups
Both Windows and macOS come with built-in Backup utilities, i.e. File History and Time Machine, respectively, which allow you to back up your important files and restore them when data loss occurs. For this:
File History (On Windows)
If you’ve synced your Windows PC with File History backup, you can follow the below steps to restore your lost data:
- Firstly, search for File History in the search box of your desktop and click on “Restore your Files with File History”.
- Now, browse through different folders to find the deleted picture that you need to restore.
- Once found, select the photo and click the green Restore button to save it back to the original location.
Time Machine (On Mac)
To recover your lost photos on Mac using the Time Machine backup utility, you need to connect the external hard drive containing your Time Machine backups to your Mac. And then:
- Click the Time Machine icon from the menu bar and then select Enter Time Machine.
- Navigate through the timeline on the right side of the screen and select the date when the photos were intact.
- Browse through the Finder interface within Time Machine to locate the files or folders containing your lost photos.
- Choose the desired photos and click the Restore button to save them to their original location.
Method 03: Consult a Data Recovery Specialist
If the above methods fail, professional data recovery services may be your best option. These specialists use advanced tools and techniques to recover files from damaged or formatted drives.
When to seek professional help:
- If the drive has physical damage.
- When recovery software fails to retrieve data.
- If the photos are of high sentimental or monetary value.
Preventive Measures to Avoid Photo Loss
Here are some additional tips that you can consider to avoid such photo loss instances in the future:
- Regular Backups: Keep multiple copies of important files using external drives or cloud services such as Google Drive, iCloud, etc.
- Antivirus Protection: Protect your device from malicious programs such as viruses or malware that can corrupt or delete data.
- Safeguard Against Accidental Formatting: Double-check before you format any drive. Also, make sure all your important files are properly backed up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I recover all photos from a formatted external hard drive?
Not always. Recovery success depends on whether the data has been overwritten and the condition of the drive.
Are free photo recovery tools effective?
Free tools can recover files in many cases. If they lack, you can check the premium versions or professional services for better results.
How long does recovery take?
The exact recovery duration depends on multiple factors, such as the size of your lost data and the complexity of the recovery.
Final Thoughts
Recovering photos from a formatted external hard drive may seem a challenging process, but the aforementioned methods and photo recovery tools are very helpful. Whether you use professional photo recovery software, built-in OS tools, or seek expert assistance, acting quickly and carefully is very important. Additionally, you can implement preventive measures to keep your valuable memories safe in the future. Follow the tips outlined here to maximize your chances of a successful recovery!