External drives · Mounting and drive problems
Can I recover files from an external drive I erased by mistake?
Short answer: Stop using the drive at once. Erased hard disks can sometimes be recovered with recovery software or a professional service; erased SSDs usually can't, because they clear data in the background. A backup is the only dependable way back.
Sometimes, but not reliably — and every write to the drive lowers the odds. Stop using the drive immediately. Don't copy anything to it, and don't run First Aid or erase it again.
What decides your chances:
- SSDs usually clear erased data quickly in the background, so recovery from an erased SSD rarely works.
- Hard disks often still hold the old data after a quick erase, so recovery software or a professional data-recovery service may get files back.
The dependable route is a backup: Time Machine, a copy on another drive, or a cloud copy. For a drive Storage Studio used, see if your fast drive was lost or broken.