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How to Recover Data from WD External Hard Drive on Windows—Best Practices
When you face accidental deletion, disk corruption, mechanical issues and more issues, do you know how to recover data from WD external hard disk? Get expert tips to safely recover photos, documents, and more from your WD external drive without complicating the process.
By Aria / Updated on April 9, 2026
Can Data be Recovered from an WD External Hard Drive?
I’m really hoping someone can help me out here, this drive has years of family photos and important files I never backed up elsewhere. Here’s what happened:
I have a WD My Book 1TB external hard drive, pretty old. I took the drive apart, removed the controller board, and connected the bare SATA HDD directly to my PC using SATA cables. When I opened File Explorer… it showed 930GB free out of 930GB total, like the drive was empty. But I know there was over 600GB of data on it before it stopped working. I panicked, shut down my PC immediately, and haven’t touched the drive since - didn’t want to risk overwriting anything.
- Question from LA Dessert
WD external hard drive are portable storage devices known for their reliability and large storage capacities, ideal for backing up files, storing media, or expanding device storage. They come in various models suitable for personal and professional use, such as My passport, My Book, WD Elements, WD Black and more.
However, like any storage device, WD external hard drives can sometimes fail, whether due to accidental formatting, corruption, or even physical damage. The encouraging thing is that data recovery from the external hard drive is often possible with right methods, even if the drive is not functioning as expected.
How to Recover Data from WD External Hard Drive on Windows
Experiencing data loss from an external hard drive can be a distressing affair. However, if you take prompt action, your valuable data isn't necessarily lost forever. In many cases, it's possible to retrieve them.
This section will explore several practical techniques for recovering data from WD external hard drive on Windows 10 and 11. Let’s dive into each step and find a solution that works for your situation.
- Notes:✎...
- When using the following methods, don't forget the most important thing: connect the WD external hard drive to your Windows with a suitable connector, ensuring the connection is correct.
Recover with Acronis True Image for Western Digital (Backup Required)
This tool is a free version co-launched by WD and Acronis, exclusively for WD hard drive users. It supports backing up files or even entire hard drives to local storage, generates ".tib" backup files, and is only compatible with WD devices. If you created a backup before losing your files, you can restore data from My Passport, My Book and more product models using the following steps.
Step 1. Download and install Acronis True Image for Western Digital from the Western Digital official site.
Step 2. Launch it and select a backup you want restore files from, then click "Next".
Step 3. Choose to restore the entire hard drive or specific files/folders, and select the items to recover.
Step 4. Select a new location to save the recovered files, confirm the recovery settings and click "Proceed" to start the recovery process.
Run Windows File Recovery Command (For Permanently Deleted Files)
If you accidentally delete data from a WD external hard drive or the drive gets formatted, running the Window File Recovery command can help retrieve the data.
Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery on your computer from the official Microsoft channel.
Step 2. Launch Windows File Recovery and run it as administrator.
Step 3. Type the command "Winfr F: E: /regular" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letters "F" and "E" with your actual drive letters.
- ★Tips:
- F: the source drive letter.
- E: the destination drive letter.
- Regular: perform a quick scan. If you accidentally format the WD hard drive, you can switch to "extensive" mode.
Moreover, if you want to recover a specific file, folder or file type, you can add filtering requirements after the basic command. For example:
Use Professional Data Recovery Tool: MyRecover (Cover All Data Loss Scenarios)
The methods above are designed for specific situations, but in real-world cases, it’s not always easy to identify exactly what happened to your WD drive, whether files were deleted, the drive was formatted, or it has become inaccessible. In more complex scenarios, such as a corrupted or RAW drive, or even a disk that’s no longer detected, a more flexible solution is often needed.
This is where MyRecover stands out. As an all-in-one data recovery tool, it is built to handle a wide range of data loss situations, from permanently deleted files and formatted drives to encrypted external drives like WD My Passport or My Elements. Instead of switching between different methods, you can rely on a single solution to scan your drive and recover the files you need in a straightforward and efficient way.
MyRecover- Intuitive interface requiring no technical expertise.
- Faster scanning compared to command-line tools.
- Higher success rate for permanently deleted files.
- Compatible with all Windows operating systems.
- Work on HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, memory card, etc.
100% Secure4 Steps to Recover Data from WD External Hard Drive
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your Windows supported computer from Microsoft Store or its official website.
Step 2. Launch it and select the WD external hard drive to scan for lost files and click "Scan".
Step 3. Locate the files you want to recover quickly using the "Filter" function or the "Type" tab. Select the files you attempt to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Choose a safe location (not the WD external hard drive) to save the recovered files.
Upon completion of the process, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. Then you can access and check them by clicking the destination folder on the pop-up window.
Run CHKDSK Command (For Corrupted Drive)
The CHKDSK command in Windows is used to check the integrity of a file system and file system metadata on a disk. It can also be used to scan for bad sectors and attempt to recover readable information from them. If your WD external hard drive is inaccessible on Windows, you can try using this command to fix it.
Step 1. Type "command prompt" in the Start menu and run it as administrator.
Step 2. Type the command "chkdsk G: /f/ r" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letter "G" with your actual drive letter. Then the command will scan and repair the founded errors.
Professional Data Recovery Service (For Physical Damage)
If your WD hard drive suffers severe physical damage, none of the above methods will work. You should immediately stop using it, store it carefully to prevent secondary damage, and contact WD's official data recovery service, which is the most reliable option in this case.
FAQs:
1. How to recover data from an external hard drive that won't power on?
Sometimes, your external hard drive might not power on, leaving you unsure of what to do next. This could be due to faulty power cables, issues with the USB port, or internal hardware failure. You can try connecting the hard drive to different interfaces or devices and check if it appears in Disk Management. If it still fails to power on, the best approach is to seek help from professional data recovery services.
2. How do I recover permanently deleted files from my hard drive?
To recover permanently deleted files from a WD external hard drive, you need to use professional data recovery tools like Windows File Recovery and MyRecover. These professional data recovery tools can easily recover your lost files without requiring a prior backup. Remember to save the recovered files to a different drive to prevent overwriting the original data.
3. Can I recover data from a failed WD drive?
Yes, data can often be recovered from a failed WD hard drive, although the process is more complicated and expensive. It's highly recommended to seek assistance from WD's official data recovery service.
4. How to restore an external hard drive without losing data?
To restore an external hard drive without losing data, firstly, avoid formatting or writing new data to the drive. Use a reliable data recovery tool such as MyRecover to scan and recover important files to another location. After securing your data, you can repair the drive using tools like CHKDSK or Disk Management to fix errors without risking permanent data loss.
5. How to recover data from WD elements hard drive?
Connect the WD Elements drive to a working computer and avoid saving new data to it. Use a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover to scan the drive and locate lost or inaccessible files. After scanning, preview the results and recover the needed data to a different storage device to prevent overwriting.
6. How to recover data from WD external hard disk which is not detecting?
First, check connections, cables, and USB ports to ensure the drive is properly connected. If still not detected, try accessing it via Disk Management. If the drive appears but is inaccessible, use a recovery tool such as MyRecover to recover data. For completely undetected drives, consider using another enclosure or professional recovery services.
Summary
Recovering data from WD external hard drive is often possible with the right tools and methods. Remember, it's essential to stop using the affected drive immediately to avoid overwriting data and improve the chances of successful recovery.
A comprehensive data recovery tool like MyRecover is a worthy investment. With it, you no longer need to worry about the risk of data loss. Additionally, the Professional and Technician editions of MyRecover offer more advanced features, such as recovering data from unbootable system drive and providing unlimited data recovery capacity.