Copied RAW Photos to WD Elements, Formatted the SSD, Then Found Missing Folders
Disconnect and preserve both drives; do not click Disk Utility Restore. In this photographer's WD Elements backup case on Reddit, about 900GB of wedding and client RAW folders were copied from an SSD to a 16TB WD Elements. The photographer opened and checked images, then formatted the SSD for reuse. Later the HDD showed only three folders and about 473GB used, leaving roughly 500GB apparently missing. The HDD has not knowingly been written to since, but there is currently no separate drive with enough room to recover the originals.
Why Opening Copied Photos Did Not Guarantee a Complete Backup
Being able to open some RAW files does not prove that every subfolder or byte was durably copied. A cancelled or incomplete transfer, a directory-display issue, or a damaged file system could each lead to a different next step. The post does not establish the cause. In particular, it does not prove that the WD drive itself lost 500GB after a complete and verified copy.
Preserve both potential sources. Even though the SSD has been formatted, its exact format method, file system, TRIM behavior and later reuse are unknown. Do not assume either that all original RAW data can be recovered from the SSD or that it is definitely gone.
Do Not Use Restore, First Aid or Another Copy Until the Destination Is Ready
Apple's Disk Utility Restore instructions warn that restoring one volume onto another erases all files on the destination. It is a copy/overwrite operation, not a way to roll the WD Elements back to its prior state.
Protect Client Photos in the Right Order
- Stop writes on both source candidates: do not reconnect either for editing, backup synchronization, First Aid or formatting.
- Obtain sufficient healthy space first: arrange a separate destination for a disk image where feasible and for recovered RAW folders. Do not store scans or recovered data on the 16TB WD Elements or on the formatted SSD.
- Inspect before recovering: identify the operating system and file systems of both disks, check whether the WD shows the expected folder paths on a read-only image, and verify whether missing files are recoverable from one source or the other.
- Export and validate: recover client folders to the healthy destination, opening representative RAWs and checking shoot completeness before putting either original drive back into use.
For irreplaceable paid-client photos, professional assessment is sensible before DIY changes, especially with only one remaining apparent copy. Recoverit Hard Drive Recovery can scan a healthy detectable local drive for missing files, but scanning either original repeatedly or paying before obtaining a safe output location does not close this backup-integrity problem.