Table of Content
    Mac Data Recovery

    Comprehensive Guide to Seagate External Hard Drive Recovery on Mac


    Table of Content

      Summary: Have you mistakenly deleted essential files from your Seagate external hard drive, or is your Seagate external hard drive not working on your Mac system? Don't worry - your data is still recoverable. To help you resolve this, we will understand common causes of data loss, how to troubleshoot a non-working Seagate hard drive, and how to use Stellar Data Recovery software for Seagate External Hard Drive Recovery on Mac.

      Seagate external hard drives are most commonly used by mac users for their reliability and plug and play setup. However, an external hard drive can fail due to various factors leading to loss of personal, financial, or business files. Though a prompt action and applying certain do’s and don’ts can easily rescue lost data. In this blog we will discuss some important do’s and don’ts, troubleshooting steps, and instructions for using Stellar data recovery software for hard drive recovery and repair. Taking the right steps from the start helps data recovery from your Seagate external hard drive.

      Do’s and Don’ts for Seagate Hard Drive Recovery

      Some simple guidelines of do’s and don’ts are crucial to ensuring a successful and safe Seagate external hard drive recovery on Mac. Here is a list of the do’s and don’ts to adhere to:

      Do’s

      • Stop using the Seagate external hard drive if you face data loss or drive failure. Usage of the hard drive can potentially cause permanent deletion.
      • Ensure the Seagate external hard drive is connected properly to your Mac with stable connections.
      • Use reliable data recovery software or professional data recovery services for severe data loss situations.
      • Keep the external hard drive in a safe and enclosed area to prevent any further damage.
      • Back up your recovered data to a different storage device to avoid repeated data loss incidents.

      Don’ts

      • Don’t disassemble the Seagate external hard drive on your own, as this can cause damage will be against the warranty policies.
      • Don’t use unreliable data recovery software, as it might lead to permanent data loss or damage the drive.
      • Don’t ignore any unusual noises, vibrations, coming from the external hard drive. These could be signs of potential failure, and may require immediate attention.
      • Don’t save any new data or files to the Seagate external hard drive, as it can overwrite the lost data.

      Common Causes of Data Loss from Seagate Hard Drive

      Data loss from Seagate external hard drives can occur due to two potential categories of failures, logical and physical.

      Logical failures are associated with issues such as virus or malware attacks, corrupted files, human errors or bad sectors. Whereas, physical failures involve overheating, physical damage, and water or fire damage.

      Here is a list of possible causes of data loss from Seagate external hard drives, including logical and physical failures.

      Logical Failures:

      Virus or Malware Attack: Sometimes malicious virus can infect the external hard drive files, this will lead to data corruption or loss.

      Bad Sectors on the Hard Drive: As a hard drive becomes old, the number of bad sectors may increase, this can lead to data inaccessibility.

      Power Failure: Sudden power fluctuations or outages while using your hard drive to read write or erase data can lead to data corruption or loss on the hard drive.

      Human Error:  Mistakenly deleting, formatting or modifying files can also result in data loss on a hard drive.

      Physical Failures:

      Fire or Water Damage: Exposure to moisture, water or fire can cause damage to the hard drive, resulting in loss of data.

      Physical Damage: Physical damage due to mishandling can lead to the hard drive data being inaccessible or hard drive non-operational.

      Overheating: Continuous operation at high temperatures can also lead to hard drive failure and loss of data.

      Mechanical Failure: Wear and tear of moving parts within the hard drive can lead to mechanical failure and data loss. Strange mechanical noises such as clicking, screeching may also denote a mechanical failure.

      While nature of physical failures require a dedicated data recovery service, Logical failures can be addressed with in-built troubleshooting tips and data recovery software.

      Troubleshooting a Non-Working Seagate Hard Drive on Mac

      It’s essential to perform troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve issues with a non-working Seagate external hard drive on your Mac. By following these simple troubleshooting steps, you can improve your chances of recovering valuable data and restoring the functionality of your external hard drive.

      1. Check Physical Connections

      Ensure the Seagate external hard drive is properly connected to your Mac or not. Check the USB cables or connectors for any damage and try connecting the hard drive to different USB or ports on your Mac. This helps in identifying any underlying issues with connection.

      2. Check for System Software Updates

      Check to ensure your Mac system software is up to date. Outdated system software can sometimes lead to compatibility issues with external hardware, including Seagate external hard drives. Check and install any available updates for your Mac’s operating system.

      3. Try on Another Computer

      Check the non-working Seagate external hard drive on another Mac system. This can help decide if the issue is specific to that Mac system or if the hard drive is experiencing any problems.

      4. Run Disk Utility

      Utilize the built-in Disk Utility feature on your Mac to diagnose and repair potential issues with the Seagate external hard drive.

      • Connect the Seagate External Hard Drive to your Mac.
      • Find Disk Utility by going to Finder > Go> Utilities and then clicking on Disk Utility to launch the application.
      • In the Disk Utility window, locate the list of available devices and select the Seagate external hard drive under the External section.
      disk utility in mac
      • Click on the “First Aid” button located in the upper side of the Disk Utility window. Click on “Run” to start the repair process.
      first aid in disk utility
      • Once the repair process is complete, Disk Utility will display the results. Disk Utility will attempt to repair the issues. Safely eject after repair.

      5. Data Recovery Software

      If the non-working Seagate external hard drive is still inaccessible after performing the above steps, consider using data recovery software specifically designed for data recovery from Seagate external hard disk. Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is a reliable and efficient tool that helps in safely recovering data from a Seagate External Hard Drive.

      How to perform Seagate external hard drive recovery with Stellar Data Recovery?

      While MacOS provides some built-in utilities for recovering files, they come with limited capabilities in recovering lost data. This is where third-party data recovery software can help. Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is a popular solution for recovering files from Seagate external drives on a Mac.

      Here’s a step by step guide to recover data from Seagate external hard drive with a Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.

      Step 1. Download and Install the Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac by clicking on the “Free Download” button on this page.

      download button

      Step 2. Connect the non-working Seagate external data drive to your mac system. Run the Stellar Data Recovery Professional software on your Mac device.

      Step 3. In the “Select What to Recover” page select the type of files you want to recover.

      image step 1 1

      Step 4. In the next page select “Can’t Find Drive”, this will scan your Mac system and display all the external and internal hard drives that were not visible earlier.

      image step 2 cant find volume

      Step 5. Select your Hard Drive from the list of drives displayed in the “Select Disk to Search Lost Volume” page and click on Scan.

      Step 6. The software will scan the selected Seagate External hard drive to find the list of recoverable files.   

      Step 8. Once scan is completed, click OK, this will display all the available/recoverable files in the device.

      Step 7. Look for the files you want to recover in the preview page, select any file to preview before recovery.

      Step 9. In the next page, hit Recover, this will prompt for Activation. To proceed further and save the files to a desired location, please purchase a license key and activate the product.

      step 6

      Step 10. At last click Save, to store your recovered files at a desired location.

      Conclusion

      Recovering data from a Seagate external hard drive on a Mac isn’t complicated. There are several options available for help. Though its essential to create regular backups and important to act quickly if your drive fails or corrupts, and choose a recovery tool based on your need. Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac comes as a handy tool to recover any lost data with an easy to use interface. We hope this blog will help recover your lost files safely. Let us know if you have any other questions.

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      About The Author

      Vishal linkdin

      Vishal is a data recovery expert @Stellar. He addresses data loss scenarios on a Mac. He intends to help people solve their macOS problems. Besides, Vishal prefers to read about astronomy and autobiography, and his favorite is Steve Jobs - The man who thought different written by Karen Bluementhal.

      11 comments

      1. Hi, I stupidly was trying to format my seagate backup hard drive and went online and followed steps that ended up erasing the entire hard drive = losing all my files, I tried to run disk aid, etc but no luck and now I am trying to run your deep recovery, is this something that might work? I cannot believe I did this

        1. Hi Paola,

          You can recover your data with Stellar Mac Data Recovery. Hopefully, you have not used your hard drive further and once the deep scan is over you can preview all the recoverable data. Please note: To save the recoverable files you require to register the software. Please let me know further.

      2. I’m trying to recover files from an external device — A marantz recording device– I’ve run the Stellar software and I can see the .WAV deleted files I’m after. When I click recover it takes the time to appear to be downloading them, but when I open the “Root Folder” it’s empty.

        Please advise!

        Thanks much,
        Paige

        1. Hi Paige,

          Please check the size of the ROOT Folder. If it’s not 0 KB then your files are hidden. Please go through the KB to unhide your recovered files.

          Read More

      3. Hello Vishal,
        I have accidentally deleted some folders from the Seagate Hard Drive. they are folders contains Photos both RAW and JPEGS. I have run the Quick Scan. After the scan i checked the left panel for the missing folders but could not find just the ones that are accidentally deleted and it shows everything else.

        Should i try the advanced option ? or am i missing something

        OS Version: OS X EI Capitan 10.11.16, Macbook Pro late 2013 Model

        Please advise/help

        1. Hi Mayur,

          Please run Deleted Recovery on your Seagate external hard drive to recover your deleted RAW and JPEG Photos. Also, you can use RAW Recovery << Recover Photos option to recover just the media files. Do inform us about your further developments. Thanks.

      4. Thanks Stellar Mac Data Recovery. After my Seagate drive was dropped by my little sister, it went missing on the Desktop. I ran your tool and it recovered most of the important files from it. I am so glad my files are saved. Thanks again.

      5. Vishal Does the Mac external hard drive recovery software mentioned in this article also recovers the data from macOS Sierra APHS formatted hard drive?

        1. Yes, Stellar Mac external hard drive recovery software supports all the major file format system, i.e. HFS, HFS+ etc. In addition, there is no size limit when it comes to recovers the deleted or lost data from the Max external hard drive.

      6. Vishal, I have an iMac with 2012 version and recently my hard drive failed without giving any warning. Before failing, I brought my macOS in and a genius helped me do a time machine backup onto a 1t Seagate external hard drive. Now, I can’t figure out how to restore my old information from the external onto my new, restored hard drive.

        1. Hi Mark, you simply need to restore your Time Machine backup onto a new Mac hard drive. If you are first time restoring the Backup, then it will take some time. I suggest you to take the help of this OS X daily article that might help you in restoring and recovering the lost data on your Mac computer.

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