Folder Disappeared from External Hard Drive? Fixed!

Why do files/folders disappear from external hard drive?

External hard drives bring great convenience for users to store and transfer data. However, data loss may be an unavoidable situation for most people. Below is a real user case:  

Don't worry, it's possible to fix files/folders disappeared from external hard drive. Here's a table showing the possible reasons and recommended methods:

When there are files disappear from external hard drive in Windows 10 or 11, don’t write new data to your device if you want to recover missing folders with a higher success rate. Because any written performance could overwrite these missing folders.

How to fix the folder disappeared from external hard drive

There are many ways to recover disappeared files from external hard drive, here are 5 different ways provided, you can choose one that works best for you.

▶ Method 1. Recover deleted/lost files with data recovery software

FastRecovery is a reliable and user-friendly data recovery software for Windows to recover external hard drive missing files in Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server. 

Step 1. Select your scenario

Install and run FastRecovery, click Deleted Files Recovery, specifically designed for quick recovery. You can also choose a more suitable alternative. All of them can help you retrieve data without causing any damage.

Step 2. Scan the external hard drive

Find your connected external HDD and click Scan.

Step 4. Scan for the disappeared folder

It will automatically start Quick Scan to find the disappeared folder. You don't need to wait too long. Scan time mainly depends on disk size and health, especially regarding bad sectors or file system corruption.

Step 4. Find disappeared folder quickly

Wait for the process to complete. Type the folder name of the disappeared folder in the search box and press Enter. Click the arrow next to type, size, date modified, etc., to sort files. Once found, double-click to preview files.

Step 5. Recover folder disappeared from external hard dirve

Select the disappeared folder and click Recover. Please select a new path to save the recovered files or folders.

▶ Method 2. Show hidden folders 

If you are sure your files/folders are on external hard drive but you can't access them, it may be hidden. You need to unhide files or folders to gain access. Let’s see how it works.

Using Windows File Explorer

It's the most common method to show hidden files. 

Step 1. Press “Windows + E” to open “Windows File Explorer”. Then, click your external hard drive > “View” > “Options”.

Step 2. Under the View tab, go to the "Advanced settings" section, and check the “Show hidden files, folder, and drives” option. Then, click “Apply” > “OK”.

Using the Attrib command 

The Attrib command allows you to change the hidden file attributes of a storage device. Try it if you want to unhide missing files and folders. 

Step 1.  Open CMD with administrator. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator.

Step 2.  Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d E: *.* and press Enter to execute. Please replace E: with your drive letter. 

Using the Registry Editor 

The virus may change the CheckedValue setting in the Registry if you fail to set the folder attribute. In this case, you need to change folder settings in “Registry” manually.

Step 1. Press “Windows + R” to open and type “regedit” in the Run command window. Then click “OK” or hit “Enter”.

Step 2. Go to this route: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden\SHOWALL

Step 3. Confirm whether the “CheckedValue” is “1”. If not, right-click on it and hit “Delete”. Then right-click on the blank space, and click “New” > “DWORD (32-bit) Value”. After that, set the value data as “1”.

▶ Method 3. Use the disk check tool 

The corrupted file system could prevent you from viewing files/folders on the external hard drive. If you want to reappear your missing folders, please fix file system errors by checking the external hard drive.

Step 1. Connect the external hard disk to your PC. Then click “This PC” > right-click on your connected external hard drive > “Properties”.

Step 2. Under the Tools tab, click “check” to start the error-checking process.

Step 3. Click “Automatically fix file system errors” > “Start”. After the process, you can open Windows File Explorer again to check whether these folders are visible to you or not.

▶ Method 4. Scan the disk for viruses and remove 

Virus infection can also be a common cause behind the “folder disappeared from external hard drive” issue. We strongly recommend you run antivirus software to check and remove the virus first. Directly use Windows Defender if you don't want to download any software.

Step 1. Press "Win + I" to openWindows Settings. Then, click “Update & Security“ >“Windows Security“ and select “Virus & threat protection“.

Step 2. Click “Scan options“.

Step 3. Select “Microsoft Defender Offline scan“ to thoroughly scan the disk for viruses. Then, click “Scan now“ to proceed.

▶ Method 5. Use Windows File Recovery

You can also try Windows File Recovery to recover lost files from internal and external hard drives, SSD drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other electronic devices. It's a free command-line data recovery utility, released by Microsoft, and only available on Windows 10 and 11. 

Note you need to use the command prompt to recover the deleted files/folders because it lacks a GUI (graphical user interface) interface. Before using it, you need to learn the syntax and necessary parameters, such as switches, and recovery mode.  

Step 1. Check the file system of your external hard disk. Connect the external hard drive to your computer, and click “This PC” > right-click on it > “Properties”.

Step 2. Select a recommended mode according to the file system of your external hard disk and data loss scenarios.

File system	Scenarios	Recommended mode
NTFS	Deleted recently	Regular
NTFS	Deleted a while ago	Extensive
NTFS	After formatting a disk	Extensive
NTFS	A corrupted disk	Extensive
FAT and exFAT	Any	Extensive

Step 3. Choose your needed switches from the following form.

Switches	Definition	Supported mode(s)
/n	Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc.	All
/y:	Recover specific extension groups.	Signature
/k	Recovers system files.	NTFS Segment​​​​​
/u	Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.	NTFS Segment

Step 4. Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store by clicking the “Get” button. Then, install and “Open” it on the computer.

Step 5. Type the winfr command to recover disappeared files. For example, to restore recently deleted ZIP folder from external hard drive (E:) to the destination drive (D:), you need to type as follows and press “y” to go on.

winfr E: D: /regular /n *.ZIP

After recovery, you can open the destination drive to locate your retrieved folders. If you need to stop the recovery process, press the “Ctrl + C” keys.

Bonus tip - Prevent external hard drive data loss  

After solving the "folder disappearing from external hard drive" problem, some users raise questions such as “is there any way for external hard drive data loss prevention?” It turns out there is, that's, create copies of files using reliable backup software. 

Step 1. Connect your external hard disk to the computer. Install and launch AOMEI Backupper on your PC. Then, click “Backup” > “File Backup”.

Step 2. Click “Add folder” or “Add file” > “This PC” > “Devices and drives” to add files or folders. Then, click the folder-shaped button to select a path to save your files. 

Step 3. At last, click the “Start Backup” button. It will create a copy of selected files.  Click “Finish” to exit the window after the operation is completed.

Conclusion

It's frustrating to find the files or folders disappeared from external hard drive. Fortunately, this article provides 5 effective ways to get them back. You can built-in Windows features or 3rd-party tools like FastRecovery to scan and recover files from an external hard disk.