8 External Hard Drive Recovery Software in 2024 (Free & Paid)

The convenience of hard drives is indisputable, as they allow us move around terabytes of data effortlessly. However, we can't ignore the fact they are also prone to data loss caused by malfunction, accidental deletion, etc.Today, one of the biggest problems many external hard drive users face is data loss. And chances are more and more people are likely to experience such a problem. So, if you're in a similar situation and wondering how you can recover your data quickly, you need the help of a hard drive recovery software.

To help you out, we've curated a list of the best external hard drive recovery software, including free and paid that you can always count on anytime you experience data loss on your external hard drive.

Part 1: Can I recover data from a hard disk that is not detecting?

Yes, you can recover your lost data from a hard disk that is not detecting.The steps involved are quite technical, using several low-level tools to recover the data.This type of error can be fixed but it is important to understand the reasons behind the “hard drive not coming up” problem and to consider the value of your data.

Part 2: 5 Best Paid External Hard Drive Recovery Software in 2024

Software Name	Platform	Price	Best For	Star Rating
Eassiy Data Recovery	Windows and Mac	$39.99/Month; $49.99/Year; $69.99/Lifetime	Recovery of Valuable Data From a Wide Range Of Storage Devices Within A Few Clicks
EaseUs Data Recovery	Windows and Mac	$69.95/Month (Standard) $89.95/Month (Ultimate)	Easy Data Recovery For Damaged External Hard Drive
Stellar Data Recovery	Windows and Mac	$39.99/Month (Standard) $69.99/Month (Professional)	Recovery of deleted data with advanced features
Disk Drill Data Recovery	Windows and Mac	$95.68/Month (Pro) $536.43/Enterprise	Recovery of deleted or lost files from Mac or PC
Wondershare Repairit Data Recovery	Windows and Mac	$69.99/year (Essential) $79.99/Year (Standard)  $89.99/year (Premium)	Professional data recovery, especially for photo and video files

1. Eassiy Data Recovery Software

Best For - Recovery of Valuable Data From a Wide Range Of Storage Devices Within A Few Clicks

Eassiy is the best in recovering data from hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, and lots more. The Eassiy data recovery software is designed specifically to restore lost data from storage devices without compromising quality.

This provides top-notch data recovery solutions for over 2000 types of storage devices, including hard drives, allowing you to easily recover a wide range of file types such as photos, music, videos, and documents, while maintaining their original quality.

Moreover, it surpasses its competitors by supporting a vast array of file formats, enabling recovery from various data loss scenarios. And it software supports a deep scan mode, which is especially useful for retrieving data from severely damaged or seemingly unrecoverable hard drives, going beyond the capabilities of typical online recovery tools.

Key Features:

• Facilitates seamless data recovery from damaged flash drives, regardless of the cause.
• Extensive file and storage device support, encompassing over 1000 file types across 2000 storage devices.
• Enjoy the flexibility of both quick and deep scan modes, ensuring comprehensive retrieval options.
• With its user-friendly interface, you can effortlessly recover your files from any storage device.
• Supports the pause and resume feature, allowing you to halt and continue the data recovery process without any disruption.

Pros:

• Easily preview recovered data before restoration.
• It's easy to operate.
• Lightning-fast data recovery process.
• It's compatible with both Mac and Windows systems.

Cons:

• You must upgrade to the paid plan to access all available features.

Pricing Plan: $39.99/Month; $49.99/Year; $69.99/Lifetime

Supported OS: Mac OS & Windows

Verdict: Eassiy Data Recovery is a robust data recovery tool that utilizes modern AI tech to recover more than 1000 types of lost or deleted data from over 2000 types of storage devices losslessly.

2. EaseUS Data Recovery

Best For: Easy Data Recovery For Damaged External Hard Drive

EaseUS Data Recovery is one of the prominent programs trusted by professionals for restoring data from different types of damaged storage devices, including external hard drives. Though it does not support as many storage devices as Eassiy Data Recovery. With this software, you can easily restore data lost due to any scenario from your external hard drive with a few clicks. Besides, thanks to its simple interface, navigating your way around the tool’s interface during the recovery process won't be difficult. It does not matter whether you're tech-savvy or not.

Key Features:

• It is compatible with a wide range of external storage devices.
• Recover data from damaged or corrupted hard drives within a few clicks.
• Supports recovery of different types of data, including photos, videos, emails, etc.
• Recover up to 2GB of data for free on Windows computer.

Pros:

• It's easy to operate.
• Supports different types of files and storage devices.
• Great recovery results.

Cons:

• Slow recovery scanning process.
• Some users might find the premium plans pretty expensive.

Pricing Plan: $69.95/Month (Standard); $89.95/Month (Ultimate)

Supported OS: Mac OS & Windows

Verdict: Despite having a slow recovery scanning process, EaseUS Data Recovery offers efficient features that makes it easy to restore lost files.

3. Stellar Data Recovery

Best For: Recovery of deleted data with advanced features

Stellar Data Recovery is an exceptional software solution that offers a comprehensive range of features for recovering lost or deleted files, photos, critical documents, and more. Whether you have accidentally deleted data, formatted your drive, or encountered a system crash, Stellar Data Recovery is there to help.

This software can recover data from various storage devices, including external hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, 4K media drives, or even CDs, DVDs, HD DVDs, etc. Plus, it supports multiple file system formats, including NTFS, exFAT, and FAT. Another notable aspect of Stellar Data Recovery is its capability to recover data from encrypted or corrupted drives. It can tackle even the most challenging data loss scenarios, including unbootable systems and completely crashed drives.

Key Features:

• Supports the recovery of different types of lost or damaged data within a few clicks.
• RAW Recovery for Physical & Removable Drives.
• Easily recover data from formatted hard drive and crashed systems.
• Supports data recovery from NTFS, exFAT, and FAT formatted drives.

Pros:

• Efficient quick scanning process.
• Powerful advanced features.
• It's easy to operate.

Cons:

• You must restore files to a separate hard drive.
• Slow deep scan recovery process.

Pricing Plan: $39.99/Month (Standard) ; $69.99/Month (Professional) ; $79.99/Month (Premium)

Supported OS: Mac OS & Windows

Verdict: Stellar Data Recovery is a comprehensive data recovery software with many simple, yet effective features. But it has a pretty slow scanning process.

4. DiskDrill Data Recovery Software

Best For: Recovery of deleted or lost files from Mac or PC

Disk Drill is one the best data recovery software for Windows and Mac due to its ability to effortlessly recover lost or deleted data from internal and external storage devices, regardless of their file system. It's an excellent tool for professional and casual home users alike, providing you with an easy data recovery process.

One of the standout offerings of Disk Drill is its free data recovery of up to 500 MB, allowing users to retrieve their lost files without any financial commitment. And unlike the prior mentioned hard drive recovery tools, Didk Drill offers free byte-level backups, which allows you to create comprehensive backups of your external hard drive, ensuring the safety and availability of your important files.

Key Features:

• Recover up to 500 MB of data for free.
• Safeguard your data with free data protection using Recovery Vault.
• Create byte-level backups of your storage media at no cost.
• Preview lost files before initiating the recovery process.
• Easily determine the likelihood of successful file recoverability.

Pros:

• Lost partition search.
• Data protection and backup feature.
• Intuitive user interface.

Cons:

• No phone support.
• Average scan speed.
• It's expensive.

Pricing Plan: Free; $95.68/Month (Pro); $536.43/Enterprise

Supported OS: Mac OS & Windows

Verdict: DiskDrill is an all-in-one disk solution that offers helpful features to easily recover lost data from hard drives, create data backup, and do lots more within a few clicks. Though it has a pretty expensive paid plan.

5. Wondershare Recoverit

Best for: Professional data recovery, especially for photo and video files.

Wondershare Recoverit is an exceptional software that offers a comprehensive and reliable solution for data recovery. Whether you have accidentally deleted files, encountered a formatted or corrupted drive, or experienced a system crash, Recoverit is there to help you retrieve your valuable data.

This software can recover various types of files, including documents, photos, videos, audio, and more. It does not matter whether your data is stored on internal or external hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, or more. Besides, Recoverit provides a user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate and operate, even for users with limited technical expertise. And with the availability of the preview feature, you can easily preview recoverable files before initiating the recovery process, ensuring you only restore the files you need.

Key Features:

• High compatibility with both Mac and Windows computer.
• Recover data loss due to different scenarios, including accidental loss, formatting, virus attack, etc.
• Enhanced photo and video recovery.
• Preview recovered data.

Pros:

• The repair process is reliable and virus-free.
• You can preview the video files you have added to the interface after the repair process.
• It can be used by tech novices because of the simple and interactive user interface.

Cons:

• To gain access to more advanced features, you need to get the paid version of the app.
• The free version is limited in features.

Pricing Plan: $69.99/year (Essential); $79.99/Year (Standard); 89.99/year (Premium)

Supported OS: Mac OS & Windows

Verdict: Recoverit is a trustworthy data recovery tool that is proven to facilitate the best recovery of different types of lost files, especially photo and video files.

Part 3: 3 Free External Hard Drive Recovery Software

There are lots of free data recovery programs that can help recover or "undelete" your deleted files. Here we would give you 3 different free external hard drive receive very software that has all it takes to suit your requirements.

Software Name	Platform	Price	Best For	Star Rating
Recuva	Windows	Free	Free data recovery on Windows
Purna File Recovery	Windows	Free	Free recovery of lost or deleted data on various devices
Glarysoft File Recovery Free	Windows	Free	Performing Selective File Recovery Free

1. Recuva

Best For: Free data recovery on Windows

Developed by Piriform, a UK-based software company that is now a subsidiary of Avast, Recuva is a powerful data recovery software that has gained immense popularity among users worldwide. This software allows you to recover deleted or lost files from hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards. It is easy to use and provides users with an intuitive interface that makes the recovery process straightforward.

Key Features:

• Unlimited free data recovery with the standard version;
• Deep scan mode for hard-to-find files.
• It's available in a portable version.

Pros:

• Low price
• Free version available
• Preview screen

Cons:

• Can't recover as many files as high-priced rivals.
• The interface is rather outdated.
• Limited support of restoring the original folder trees and file names.

Supported OS: Windows

Verdict: Recuva offers unlimited free data recovery from a wide range of storage devices regardless of the data loss scenario. It also supports deep scan mode to recover severely damaged files.

2. Puran File Recover

Best For: Free Recovery of lost or deleted data on various devices

Puran File Recovery is a data recovery software program developed by Puran Software. This program is designed to help users recover lost or deleted files from their computer, external hard drives, memory cards, and other storage devices. The software supports a wide range of file formats and can recover files that have been lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and other common data loss scenarios.

key feature :

• It support for a wide range of file formats
• The software can recover files like documents, images, videos, music, and archives.
• Supports NTFS, FAT12/16/32 file systems.
• Supports different mode of viewing deleted files.

Pros:

• Supports running as a portable version

• It's easy to see whether the file can be recovered well

Cons:

• It has not been updated since 2016.
• It's free for personal use only.
• It's not compatible with Mac computer.

Supported OS: Windows

Verdict: Puran File Recovery is a great data recovery software with a very intuitive user interface, which makes the data recovery process very easy for any user.

3. Glarysoft File Recovery Free

Best For: Performing Selective File Recovery Free

Glarysoft File Recovery Free is a software designed to help users recover accidentally deleted or lost files from their computer for free. It supports various file formats and can retrieve data from different storage devices, including hard drives, memory cards, and USB drives.

This program employs a user-friendly interface and offers quick and deep scan options to locate and restore files efficiently. Additionally, Glarysoft File Recovery Free supports built-in filter feature, allowing users to find recovered files based on name, size, and date.

Key feature:

• Supports recovery of different types of files.
• Easily analyze the possibility of recovering data and use efficient filtering tools to find data by name, date, and size.
• Supports various file systems, like NTFS, FAT, etc.
• It can be used to recover data from hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.

Pros:

• It's easy to operate.
• It's 100% free to use.
• It's relatively fast.

Cons:

• It has not been updated since 2016.
• It's free for personal use only.
• It supports only Windows computer.

Supported OS: Windows

Verdict: Overall, Glarysoft File Recovery Free is a 100% free data recovery tool that offset fast and straightforward data recovery operation.

Part 4: FAQ

Can a corrupt hard drive be repaired?

Yes it can. Al you just need is a reliable hard drive recovery tool like the ones listed above to be able to carry out the operation

How do I recover data from a dead computer hard drive?

You can recover data from a dead computer hard drive by using Eassiy Data Recovery. The steps below explains how it works.

Step 1:Install the Eassiy Data Recovery software on your Mac or PC. Then, open the installed program and connect the dead hard drive to the computer.

Step 2: Eassiy Data Recovery software should automatically detect the connected drive. Then, select the connected drive from the available devices and click Scan. By clicking Scan, the tool begin a quick scan to recover your lost data. However, if the output of the quick scan mode does not meet up with your expectations, select the Deep Scan mode.

Step 3: Once you choose the Deep scan mode, the tool will begin an in-depth recovery process, scanning out all recoverable data. After that, preview recovered files and click the Recover button to recover the data.

Conclusion

Recovering data from a dead computer hard drive can be a challenging task, but it's possible with the right tools and techniques. If you suspect that your hard drive is physically damaged, it's best to take it to a professional data recovery service. However, if the problem is logical, you can attempt to recover your data yourself using data recovery software. Remember to always back up your data regularly to avoid losing it in the event of a hard drive failure.