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11 June 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Learn how to perform the external hard drive data recovery on mac effortlessly. Follow our simple, effective method for reliable data retrieval.



Table of contents

table iconI. How to restore external hard disk data on a Mac computer?
table iconII. How to repair a damaged external hard drive on a Mac computer?
table iconIII. Suggestions to prevent data loss of external hard disk
external hard drive data recovery mac

I. How to restore external hard disk data on a Mac computer?

When we delete files from a external hard disk or lose important data due to erasing the hard disk, the storage space occupied by the deleted/lost files is marked as empty, allowing new data to be written. In this case, there is still a chance to recover the deleted data. Stop using the hard drive immediately to avoid overwriting the deleted/lost file data. Then, use professional data recovery software to scan and restore it. One practical data recovery software is Renee Undeleter, which supports both Mac and Windows systems.

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is designed to restore various data files. Whether you’ve accidentally deleted important files, emptied the recycle bin, or formatted the disk/storage, this tool can retrieve lost data. It features four modules: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, addressing all data loss problems comprehensively. Compatible with built-in hard disks, external hard disks, SD cards, USB sticks, and other storage devices, the software scans and restores files once connected to a computer. It also supports file preview to help users accurately identify files for recovery.
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Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan;

Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

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2. How to use Renee Undeleter to recover lost/deleted external hard disk data?

Step 1: Download, install, and run Renee Undeleter on a Mac. Select the (Whole Partition Scan) option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install on the disk that needs to restore data, so as not to cause data overwriting.
select whole partition scan in renee undeleter on mac
Data Recovery Function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Recover files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze partition information and fully scan the entire disk.
  • Image Creation – Create an image of a partition to back up its current state.
Step 2: Select the hard drive and click (Next).
click to select a target drive in whole partition scan in renee undeleter on mac
Step 3: Wait for the scan to complete; the duration depends on the hard disk partition size. During scanning, double-click a file to preview it. If you find the file you need, check it and click the Recover button to terminate the scan and start recovery. Alternatively, wait for the scan to finish, select the files to recover from the results, and click the Recover button to save them to another hard disk.
double click to select files in whole partition in renee undeleter on mac
If the data is still unrecoverable, it may have been overwritten or the hard disk might be damaged. Please refer to the following hard disk repair methods.
TipsIf your Mac doesn’t recognize the external hard disk, please check the reasons and solutions here.

II. How to repair a damaged external hard drive on a Mac computer?

Mac users can try to use Disk Utility to repair the damaged external hard disk, the specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Find and click (Disk Utility) in the launchpad; you can also click (Finder) > (Applications) > (Utilities) and open (Disk Utility).
open disk utility in macos
Step 2: Select your hard disk on the left, and then select the (First Aid) function.
find first aid in disk utility
Step 3: Click First Aid. A confirmation window will appear, explaining that First Aid will check and repair the volume for errors. Click Run to start the process.
run first aid in mac disk utility

III. Suggestions to prevent data loss of external hard disk

Data on a external hard disk can be lost due to improper removal, virus infection, impact, aging, and other issues. It’s recommended to frequently back up the data to prevent loss.
There are two main methods for backing up a external hard disk: periodically uploading important data to network drives like Baidu Netdisk, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive, or backing up important data to other internal or external hard disks. This ensures that if data is lost from the external hard disk, it can still be retrieved from the network drive or other hard disks.