Restore Backup or Files from Seagate External Hard Drive

Seagate external hard drive is one of the most popular storage devices & backup drives due to its fast speed, reliable quality, huge capacity & convenient, so many users use it to store favorite photos, music, movies, documents, and even games as well as backup your files on the computer.

However, due to different reasons, you may delete files mistakenly or format the entire disk, resulting in data loss. How to recover deleted files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc? Here are 3 excellent ideas you can follow:

✍ Restore backup from Seagate external hard drive if you backup files on it in advance. You can use Seagate Toolkit, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) or other backup software that you create backup with.

✍ Directly use data recovery software like MyRecover or Seagate Rescue Service. It will automatically scan deleted or lost files on internal or external disk, USB drive, SD card, etc and recover them in a short time successfully.

✍  Other methods like CHKDSK command, reinstall drivers & show hidden files and folders.

What can cause Seagate data loss?

You could experience a data loss issue if your Seagate external hard drive stops functioning or the files on it disappear. Typically, the following factors lead to the majority of data loss cases:

✍ Logical failure:  format, deletion, system corruption, and virus assault.

✍ Physical Damage: Power surges, water damage, and overheating are typical physical issues. More seriously, your disk is damaged, making data recovery more challenging and time-consuming.

✍ Mechanical Failure: The most common are file corruption, relatively slow functioning, hard drive not mounting, etc. And it usually occurs when stress or wear causes HDD's moving parts to stop functioning, preventing users from accessing data.

✍ ...

No matter what data loss situation you encountered, you still have a chance to recover files from Seagate external hard drive as long as they are not overwritten.

Case 1. Restore backup from Seagate external hard drive [2 ways]

If you backup files on Seagate external hard drive with backup software like Seagate Toolkit, Backup and Restore, or other backup software, you can try to restore backup from Seagate external hard drive. If not, try other methods in the Case 2.

Way 1. Restore files from Seagate external hard drive using Seagate Toolkit

Seagate Toolkit is one of the official backup software from Seagate that can easily protect users' data and give you a chance to restore files from Seagate external hard drive in Windows 10 or later. 

Step 1. Connect your Seagate external hard drive and be sure it’s recognized. Launch Seagate Toolkit. Go to Activities and click Restore.

Step 2. Select the recommended backup plan to restore your data. If it is not working, you can try to scan and find other backup plans.

Step 3. Then, you will see your backup files. Select it and click NEXT.

Step 4. By default, it will restore backup to original location. You can also select a new location to receive the backup image. Finally, click RESTORE to restore backup from Seagate external hard drive.

Way 2. Retrieve files from Seagate external hard drive with Backup and Restore

Some users may also use Windows built-in backup software - Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to backup files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc. Follow the steps below if it’s your backup software.

Step 1. Connect your Seagate external hard drive. Then, open Control Panel > System and Security and click Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Under the Restore section, click Restore my files.

Step 3. According to your demand, choose Browse for files or Browse for folders. Select the target files, and click Next.

Step 4. Choose where to restore your files - original location or new location. Then, click Restore to retrieve files from Seagate external hard drive.

Case 2. Restore files from Seagate external hard drive without backup [5 ways]

If you don’t have backup images, you can also try data recovery service or software as well as other methods. And I’ll introduce you to 5 effective methods below.

Way 1. Ask Seagate Rescue Service for Help

If you are using a Seagate backup plus drive and still under warranty, it will offer you a free data recovery plan in case data loss on this drive. You can check this benefit under your warranty card.

Now, send your Seagate external hard drive to them and ask to recover photos, music, videos, etc. They will return your data through online cloud storage or a new external drive.

Way 2: Recover files from Seagate external hard drive with MyRecover

Also, if you want an easy and fast way to recover files from Seagate external hard drive, try all-inclusive data recovery software like MyRecover instead of Seagate Rescue Service. It might take much more time.

• Has a high speed and recovery rate and is easy to operate. You can recover your data in only 4 simple steps.
• Recover files from all brands of external disks including Seagate, WD, Samsung, Intel, SanDisk, etc.
• Recover deleted or lost data up to 200+ file types, such as Word documents, Excel files, PPT, pictures, music, videos, etc. And it will keep its original format and quality.
• Recover specific files or folder during the scanning process. You don’t need to wait for the scanning result.
• Work on all versions of Windows operating systems: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server.

Now Download and install Windows data recovery software - MyRecover on your computer. To restore files from Seagate external hard drive, please connect it in advance. Then, follow the next steps below carefully.

Step 1. Open this Windows data recovery software. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. Then it will scan your hard drive quickly and deeply and display all the found files. You can preview or select files need to recover without waiting for the final scanning result.

Step 3. Select all the target files and click Recover x files.

Note: MyRecover displays the number of files to be recovered and their full size. You can use this to determine if you have selected all files on it.

Step 4. Select a new folder and click Select Folder to automatically recover files from Seagate external hard drive. Don’t save them to original location as it may cause data corruption or permanent data loss.

Notes:

• MyRecover allows users to recover files from Seagate external hard drive for free, up to 500MB in total. To recover unlimited files, try advanced editions.
• Except for deleted files, it is able to handle other data loss scenarios well and recover files from formatted hard drive, fix RAW external hard drive without formatting, etc.

Way 3: Repair Disk Errors and Recover Files with CHKDSK Command

If your Seagate hard disk becomes abnormal, you can try to scan this disk and repair error on it. Maybe you will be able to access your files afterward.

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

Step 2. Type chkdsk H: /f /r and press Enter. It will scan and fix all the found disk errors.

Note: If you suspect your disk has bad sectors, please add /x parameter to it. It will mark bad sectors on this disk and recover readable information.

Step 3. You may be asked to execute this command at the next startup, type y and press Enter. You can then restart your system to make it take effect.

Way 4: Show hidden files on Seagate external hard drive

Sometimes your files may be hidden instead of deleted if you can’t find them on your Seagate external hard drive. Try the following steps to show hidden files or folders in File Explorer.

Step 1. Make sure your Seagate external hard drive is connected and detected. Then, press Win + E to open File Explorer and find it.

Step 2. Check your Seagate external hard drive and click View > Options.

Step 3. Then, in the View tab, go to Hidden files and folders and tick Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Finally, click Apply > OK.

Way 5: Reinstall Disk Drivers to Make Your Drive Recognized

There is also a chance that your Seagate external hard drive is not recognized. You can choose to reinstall disk drivers and see if you are able to access your data.

Step 1. Go to This PC. Right-click it and select Manage > Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand Disk Drive, right-click your Seagate external hard drive and select Uninstall Device.

Step 3. Wait until the process is complete, disconnect and reconnect your drive. Your system should read it now.

Tips for Seagate external hard drive data recovery

Restoring backup from Seagate external hard drive is the best methods if you find any data loss in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc. But if you don’t have available backup images, this method will become useless. You can only turn to data recovery software like MyRecover. In addition, here are some tips on data recovery you can follow:

✍ Stop using this drive when it has failure signs. Because any operations (eg: add new data to the disk or format it) will decrease data recovery chance.

✍ Always remove external hard drive with the safe eject option.

✍ Turn to a data recovery service like Seagate Rescue Service, especially when your disk starts to make strange noises and fail to boot your system. Or it becomes inaccessible.

✍ Backup files from or to Seagate external hard drive regularly, depending on the data you want to protect. It allows you to restore files from backup as long as you find any data loss on it. Free backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard is a good choice.

Wrapping up

Regardless of the reason you deleted the file, you can easily recover deleted or lost files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc. This post introduces how to restore backup from Seagate external hard drive as well as other 5 effective methods (without backup) to get your data back quickly.

Among them, MyRecover is one of the most powerful data recovery software, which is able to recover deleted or lost files from Seagate external hard drive, up to 200+ file types. It is worth trying if you don’t have backup images.

FAQs

Does Seagate has auto backup software?

Seagate provides users with a backup software named Seagate Dashboard, which will backup all of your personal files as soon as they change or are added to Windows PC. Following are the brief steps:

• Open your Seagate external hard drive and double-click the installer to install and launch Seagate Dashboard.
• Then, click PC backup on the main page.
• Click Protect Now and Back up Now to backup your files on Seagate external hard drive.

How do I view backed up files on my Seagate external hard drive?

• Open your Seagate external hard drive and find the folder named Backup and with your PC name subsequently.
• Click on the C folder and go to Users > Username>Documents.
• Then, double-click this folder to view your backed up files.

How to recover files from Seagate external hard drive not detected

There are many reasons preventing your Seagate external hard drive from being detected. Before recovering files from it, you need to get the possible reasons below.

• Bad USB port
• Virus infection
• Data corruption
• Physical damage

Then, you can try a different USB port to exclude this possibility. In addition, you can also choose to reinstall drivers, show hidden drive, turn on the root hub, etc.