My external drive shows almost full in properties, but when I open it, most folders are empty or gone. The space is used but the files are invisible.
Where are files that take space but do not show?
Files and folders missing from an external hard drive but still taking space
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Barry Allen October 8, 2020
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Space used but files invisible is a very specific and usually recoverable signature, because the files existing to take space means they are physically there, just not displayed and the causes are mostly about visibility rather than loss. In order of likelihood:
Hidden files, the benign common cause: the files may simply be hidden, by a setting or by malware that set them hidden and they take space while not showing. In File Explorer, View, Options, View tab, enable Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide protected operating system files and hidden files reappear. If they show now, the fix is unhiding them permanently, attrib -h -s -r /s /d on the drive from a command prompt clearing the hidden, system and read only attributes that malware or a glitch set.
The malware angle specifically, since it is common on external drives: a class of malware hides real files and folders and sometimes replaces them with shortcuts, the files intact but attributed hidden, which the attrib command above reveals and restores. If you see shortcuts where folders should be, this is likely the cause, covered further in the shortcuts thread linked alongside and a malware scan of the drive plus the attrib fix recovers the files.
The corruption angle, when unhiding does not reveal them: filesystem corruption can make files take space while the directory entries pointing at them are damaged, so the files exist but the index does not show them. chkdsk on the drive, chkdsk X: /f, repairs the filesystem and often restores missing entries, sometimes into a FOUND folder as recovered fragments. Run this when the files are genuinely not just hidden.
The order and the caution: check hidden files first since it is instant and non destructive, run the attrib fix if malware hid them, then chkdsk if corruption is the cause and if files matter and chkdsk does not restore them, run recovery tools before anything that writes to the drive, since a corrupted filesystem holding invisible files is recoverable until overwritten. The space is used because the data is there, which is genuinely good news for getting it back.
Malware had hidden everything and left shortcuts, the attrib -h -s -r command brought back every folder that looked gone, all intact. Ran a malware scan afterward to clear the cause. The space is used means the data is there framing kept me calm instead of assuming catastrophic loss. Everything recovered.