Recover Data From Formatted Transcend External Hard Drive

Your Transcend external hard disk may be formatted for subjective or objective reasons. Data stored on the drive should be completely removed after formatting. Here this post on MiniTool Software is intended to show you how to recover data from formatted Transcend external hard drive with the best file recovery software.

Transcend is a well-known memory module manufacturer. Its portable external hard drives are deeply trusted and used due to their high-speed transmission, large-capacity storage, and super shock-proof technology. However, during daily use, many users found that their Transcend external drive was formatted. This may be caused by careless human operation or hard drive failure. As we all know, formatting can cause disk data to be completely removed, thus, many users are looking for reliable data recovery methods.

Is there still any chance to recover data when the Transcend external hard drive is formatted?

Is It Possible to Recover Formatted Transcend External Hard Disk

Generally, we divide disk formatting into two types: Quick Format & Full Format. A quick format is a process of removing files and rebuilding the file system and volume label, which is faster than a full format. Hard disk bad sectors are not checked for during a quick format process. Contrary to quick format, full format checks the disk for bad sectors and reallocates sectors, which results in longer disk formatting time.

If the Transcend external hard disk is quickly formatted, you will have the chance to recover files. On the contrary, if the drive is fully formatted, it is almost impossible to rescue its data.

How to Recover Data From Formatted Transcend External Hard Drive

Way 1. Use MiniTool Power Data Recovery

When it comes to external hard drive data recovery, MiniTool Power Data Recovery has to be mentioned. This file restore tool provides you with the ultimate convenience in data recovery thanks to the following key features.

Multifunctionality: It supports almost all types of file storage devices, such as computer internal HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, USB flash drives, CF cards, SD cards, CDs/DVDs, etc. It allows you to search deep inside the storage device for traces of erased files (documents, photos, videos, audio, emails, and so on). MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free allows you to recover 1 GB of files for free.
Assortments of data loss/inaccessibility situations: This MiniTool file restoration tool provides you with a wide range of data recovery scopes. It can not only recover data from formatted disks but also retrieve files from unrecognized hard drives or disks with a damaged file system. Moreover, this tool works perfectly even when the computer has a blue screen or a black screen.
Safe read-only feature: As one of the most secure data recovery services, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is read-only. This means that it scans for and recovers your files without bringing any damage to the original data and the file storage device.
User-friendly interfaces: It offers you clear and concise interfaces, giving you have perfect visual and data recovery experience.
Comprehensive compatibility: This PC recovery software is fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7.

Now you should have a basic understanding of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, and it is time to download it and recover your files.

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Major Steps to Recover Formatted Transcend External Hard Disk

Step 1. Connect the Transcend external hard drive to your computer where MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free is installed. Next, launch the software to get its main interface.

Under Logical Drives, hover your mouse cursor over the formatted Transcend hard drive and then click the Scan button. After that, this file recovery service will start to scan the selected drive, and the scan duration is mainly associated with the amount of data. For the best data recovery effect, you are suggested to wait until the full scan is completed.

select the formatted Transcend external hard drive to scan

Step 2. After scanning, all found data, including deleted files, lost files, and existing files, will be categorized under the Path tab. To reduce the time it takes to find the required files, you can make use of the Type, Filter, and Search features.

Type: Compared with the Path category list, the Type tab makes it easier to view listed items by file type rather than file path location.
Filter: If there are lots of files listed, you may need to filter out unwanted items. The Filter feature enables you to filter files by file type, file size, file modification date, and file category.
Search: By typing a partial or complete file name in the search box and pressing the Enter key, you will get the search results showing the target file(s). This feature plays a huge role when you need to find a specific file/folder.

Another feature worth noting is Preview. This function is especially important for the free edition of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, as it only supports the recovery of files up to 1 GB for free. If the recovered files exceed this limitation, you are required to upgrade to an advanced edition. Regarding file preview, you can double-click on the file or select a file and click the Preview button.

Step 3. Finally, make sure all required files are selected. Then, click the Save button to choose a file storage location separate from the original formatted Transcend external hard drive. This is done to prevent lost data from being overwritten.

My Transcend external hard drive was formatted accidentally. Fortunately, I found MiniTool Power Data Recovery and used it to recover formatted Transcend external hard disk.Click to Tweet

Way 2. Use RecoveRx

Apart from MiniTool Power Data Recovery, there is another file recovery software you can try – RecoveRx. It is a file recovery software developed by Transcend Information that is designed to search deep within various file storage devices for lost files. Supported file types to recover include digital photos, documents, music, and videos. Supported data storage devices include memory cards, USB flash drives, external hard drives, and solid-state drives.

Now, you can download RecoveRx from its official site and install it to recover formatted Transcend external hard drive.

Step 1. Insert the Transend external hard drive into your computer, and launch RecoveRx. On its home page, click the Recover option.

Step 2. Expand the target Transcend disk and select the partition from which you’d like to recover files. Next, select a file path for storing the recovered files. After that, click the Next button.

select the partition and file storage location

Step 3. In the new window, select the file types you want to recover, and click Start.

The scan may take a long time. It is recommended that you wait patiently until the progress reaches 100%. Afterward, you can view and use the recovered files in the file storage location you selected earlier.

Although RecoveRx is also an option to recover formatted Transcend external disks, it has some limitations, such as longer scan duration, inability to preview files, and fewer recoverable file types. In a word, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is the most ideal file restore solution.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

What Should You Do Before Formatting a Drive

Common Reasons for Hard Disk Formatting

Formatting a disk is a process that deletes all data on the disk and reallocates storage space. You may need to format an internal/external disk for a variety of reasons, some of which are as follows:

File deletion: If there are a large number of unwanted files stored in the hard drive, you can format the disk to remove them all at once rather than delete them one by one.
Disk space release: You will be prompted that “There is not enough free space on partition XX” if the disk is running out of space, and formatting is the most effective solution to free up disk space.
Hard drive repair: The disk may have bad sectors or file system damage due to various reasons, and formatting can help restore the disk to its original state.
File system conversion: Formatting is the process of changing the file system or partition label to meet device compatibility or file storage type requirements.
Preparation for Windows installation: USB drives (and external hard drives) can be used as Windows installation media to store the files and drivers needed to install Windows. During the Windows installation media creation process, the drive should be formatted.

Back up Files Before Formatting a Hard Drive

No matter why you format a disk, the data on it will be erased. As long as you can’t 100% guarantee that the files on the disk will no longer be used, you should back up files. Many cloud drives have free storage space, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. You can move files to the cloud drive for storage before formatting the disk.

If you prefer to use a reliable file backup software for data backup, MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth a try. It is capable of backing up files/folders to computer internal/external hard drives, USB drives, etc., or vice versa. Furthermore, MiniTool ShadowMaker not only works as a file backup tool but also as a partition/disk/system backup software that helps protect your partitions, disks, and Windows operating system.

With just a few clicks, your files are well-protected and resistant to data loss disasters. You can click the button below to get MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial (30-day free trial) installed and start safeguarding your data.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Use Quick Format Instead of Full Format

As mentioned before, suppose you untick the Quick Format option while formatting a hard drive, the formatted drive is unable to be recovered. Therefore, as long as you do not decide to destroy the files, you are suggested to perform a quick format instead of a full format.

To Sum Up

All in all, it is possible to recover data from formatted Transcend external hard drive as long as you use MiniTool Power Data Recovery. With just a few steps, you can get your files back.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Besides, remember to extract important files before performing disk formatting for data backup.

Should you need any further assistance from the MiniTool support team, please feel free to send an email to [email protected].

Formatted Transcend External Hard Drive Recovery FAQ

Is it possible to recover files from a formatted external hard drive?

Yes! With the help of MiniTool Power Data Recovery, you can get files back from formatted external hard drives. Most brands of external drives are supported, such as Transcend, Seagate, SanDisk, Samsung, Western Digital, etc.

Can I recover a wiped external hard drive?

Wipe is performed directly on the file system level and writes some specific data to the hard disk to overwrite the original data stored on the disk. Partitions erased using professional disk erasure tools such as MiniTool Partition Wizard cannot be recovered.

What if I formatted my external hard drive by mistake?

Once a disk is accidentally formatted, you should immediately stop using the drive to avoid data overwriting. Then, you need to immediately use professional and reliable data recovery software, such as MiniTool Power Data Recovery, to recover the data or seek help from a professional data recovery agency.

Will formatting a hard drive fix errors?

Not all disk errors can be solved by formatting. Generally speaking, formatting a disk can repair a damaged file system or save you from the “you need to format the disk before you can use it” error, but physical bad sectors on a disk cannot be repaired by formatting.

About The Author

Shirley Follow Us

Position: Columnist

Shirley graduated from English major and is currently an editor of MiniTool Team. She likes browsing and writing IT-related articles, and is committed to becoming a professional IT problem solver. The topic of her articles are generally about data recovery, data backup, and computer disk management, as well as other IT issues. In spare time, she likes watching movies, hiking and fishing.