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Are you struggling with USB flash drive data lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, or other issues? Then you need to learn how to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive using Disk Drill, a powerful recovery tool that lets you reclaim your lost data with ease.
Data loss in USB/pen drives is a frequent issue faced by users, who are not always aware of its possible causes. Identify the cause as your first step toward choosing the best recovery approach.
The most common cause of USB flash drive data loss is the accidental deletion of files. Users often delete files mistakenly or realize the need for these files after deletion.
It’s easy to make a mistake when formatting a USB flash drive. Depending on the severity of the mistake, the result may be extensive data loss.
Malicious software can hide and delete files, making them inaccessible even though such files may still be present on the USB flash drive and recoverable.
USB drives are tiny and fragile, and it doesn’t take much to damage them. Fortunately, lightly damaged USB drives can usually be repaired and recovered.
A sudden loss of power may prevent important data transfer processes from finishing correctly and leave you with some data missing.
The fact is that most software applications contain bugs, and some bugs may lead to data loss causing crashes.
Improper removal of a USB drive can interrupt read/write processes and often leads to flash drive corruption, which may require specialized tools to recover data.
Careless partitioning can render your USB drive RAW or otherwise inaccessible, but restoring data from a RAW USB drive is often possible
There’s no need to enter panic mode when you accidentally format your trusty USB flash drive or lose valuable files to corruption because there are several ways how you can turn the situation around and save your data. We recommend you start with a popular USB data recovery software tool called Disk Drill because it offers many important benefits, including:
Intuitive user interface that takes very little time to get acquainted with.
Support for all standard USB flash drive file systems, including FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, EXT2/3/4, and APFS + HFS (Mac version only).
Instant file preview of recoverable files and smart recovery chance predictions.
Alerts you to create backups when bad sectors are found when recovering a corrupted USB flash drive.
Free recovery of up to 500 MB of lost data.
It doesn’t matter which type of USB drive you have because our favorite USB recovery solution described on this page, Disk Drill, can be used to recover lost files from all USB drives.
A, Mini-A, B, Mini-B
A, Mini-A, B, Mini-B, Micro-B
A, B, Micro-B, USB-C
Disk Drill can be applied to recover data from any USB mass storage device, including:
Patriot®, Kingston®, SanDisk®
Verbatim®, PNY®, Samsung®
Buffalo®, Western Digital®, Adata®
Samsung®, iPhone®, Huawei®
Nikon®, Canon®, Olympus®
Astell & Kern®, JBL®, FiiO®
*Note: USB Mobile devices are only supported in Disk Drill for Mac at the moment
Follow the steps below to recover files from a USB drive with Disk Drill.
Start by downloading the free version of Disk Drill. Launch the setup file as an administrator and complete the installation process. With the free version of Disk Drill (Windows version), you can recover up to 500 MB of data from any USB flash drive. You can also preview an unlimited number of files to verify their recoverability before you upgrade to the Pro version to unlock unlimited recovery.
Have you been able to successfully install Disk Drill on your computer? Great! You can now go ahead and connect your USB flash drive. Wait until you hear the familiar notification sound to tell you that it has been successfully recognized and mounted, and verify this by checking if the drive appears in File Explorer or (if it doesn’t) the Device Management tool (press Win + X to open it). Any USB flash drive that’s correctly recognized by the Device Management Tool can be scanned by Disk Drill.
You’re now ready to launch Disk Drill. Give it a few seconds to collect information about all connected storage devices and present it in the main window. Select your USB flash drive and then click the Search for lost data button to initiate a scan. Disk Drill will automatically run all recovery methods in the optimal order to recover as many files as possible. All you need to do is wait for the scan to finish.
Tip: Disk Drill offers the ability to create exact byte-by-byte USB flash drive images for safe recovery.
After the scan, you will see all recoverable files organized into up to three major categories (Deleted or lost, Existing, and Reconstructed). You can select any file to see its preview or narrow down the list of files using the filters in the left pane. When you find a file that you want to recover, check the small checkbox next to it to add it to the recovery queue.
To recover the selected files, you need to click the Recover button below the list of recoverable files and specify the recovery directory. Make sure to choose a recovery directory on a different drive than the USB drive you are recovering from to prevent data overwriting.
USB drives are used to store all kinds of file formats, which is why Disk Drill can recover everything from documents and file archives to pictures, videos, and audio files. In total, the USB data recovery tool supports over 400 file formats, which is more than most users will ever come in contact with.
PROTECT
You can always ensure successful data recovery before it is lost. Activate Recovery Vault to make invisible copies of deleted files and keep them protected from accidental deletion. When active, Recovery Vault helps make the recovery process fast (a matter of a few seconds) and 100% efficient. All the original metadata stays intact. Keep in mind that you’ll need to enable data protection to benefit with Recovery Vault.
If you don’t want to install a USB data recovery software application, there are other ways to recover deleted files from a pendrive.
Provided you’re comfortable using the command prompt in Windows, you may be able to restore deleted files from a USB drive with just a few commands. This method delivers the best results when dealing with corrupted USB drives and hidden files, but you shouldn’t expect it to recover permanently deleted files the same way data recovery tools like Disk Drill can.
Also available for Mac OS X chkdsk X: /fATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D X:*.*
Backups created by the Windows operating system can also be accessed using the File History tool. The effectiveness of File History depends on whether the data was backed If the files were not backed up before deletion or loss, File History won't be able to retrieve them. By default, File History backs up Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders, so if you’ve ever moved your flash drive data to them (even temporarily), these’s some chance of recovery.
Follow these steps to recover deleted files from flash drive using File History:
Recovering data from a physically damaged USB flash drive is no easy feat since it often requires special equipment and expert technical skills. Instead of attempting to get your data back by yourself and potentially making the situation much worse than it already is, consider contacting a professional data recovery service.
Are you looking for the best USB flash drive recovery software? Our detailed comparison is here to help you effortlessly evaluate several popular options.
 Disk Drill |
 Recoverit USB Flash Drive Recovery |
 EaseUS USB data recovery software |
 MiniTool Power Data Recovery |
 Stellar Data Recovery |
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Usability
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Trial recovery limit
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500 MB |
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The default free space is 500 MB, and you can get another 1.5 GB by sharing the product on social media |
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Price
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$89.00 - PRO (never expires) $499.00 - Enterprise (never expires) |
$79.99 - 1 Month license $99.99 - 1 Year license $159.99 - Lifetime license |
$69.95 - Monthly $99.95 - Yearly $149.95 - Lifetime |
$69.00 - Monthly subscription |
$99.99 - Premium 1 year license $149 - Premium lifetime license |
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Files recovery chances prediction
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Increase scan speed by scanning only free space
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Safe non-intrusive read-only scanning algorithms
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Auto-resuming scans of failing flash drives
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Backup failling flash drives to a disk image
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BitLocker support
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✔ |
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Partial support |
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RAW photo recovery
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✔ |
Partial support |
Partial support |
Limited support |
Partial support |
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Video file recovery (DV, HDV, MPEG-2, AVCHD, H.264, MPEG4, etc.)
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✔ |
✔ |
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Partial support |
Partial support |
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Built-in preview of modern photo/video files
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Limited support |
Limited support |
Limited support |
Limited support |
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Mount recovery results as a virtual disk
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By taking certain precautionary steps, you can avoid USB flash drive data loss and all the hassle associated with it.
If there is one operation that you need to be extra careful with when working with a USB flash drive, it’s formatting. Also, double-check that you’ve selected the right drive before you wipe it clean.
When transferring data to a USB flash drive from a laptop, make sure the laptop’s battery charge level never falls dangerously low. To be extra safe, we recommend you always keep it above 20%.
Outdated software with unpatched bugs is more likely to crash unexpectedly at the worst possible moment, such as when transferring files to a USB flash drive, so keep it up to date.
Certain computer viruses and other kinds of malware can erase all data from USB flash drives, which is why you should always have a reliable antivirus solution installed on your system.
USB flash drives are fragile, and they can be easily damaged if not handled with care. While it’s sometimes possible to recover data from a physically damaged USB flash drive, specialized equipment is often required.
Backups are, by far, the most reliable protection against USB flash drive data loss. If possible, back up your USB flash drive every day to a different storage device and check if your backups are recoverable from time to time.
Updated on by Disk Drill Team
To recover deleted files from a flash drive follow this procedure:
You can recover files from your USB without spending any money with the free version of Disk Drill:
In our testing process, we used a variety of USB drives and simulated different data loss scenarios to measure the effectiveness of each recovery tool. Here’s our top list:
Use Disk Drill to safely recover files from corrupted USB drives. The software can create a backup image first, ensuring you have a secure copy before attempting data recovery. After your data is successfully recovered, run built-in tools such as CHKDSK or Disk Utility to fix logical errors. If physical damage is suspected, professional data recovery services might be required.
Stop using the formatted USB drive immediately to prevent overwriting. A quick format doesn’t erase all data, so you can still recover files. Use Disk Drill data recovery software to scan, preview, and restore your lost data. For full formats, rely on backups or consider professional services if your data is especially critical.
Stop using the pen drive to prevent overwriting lost files. Then, use specialized data recovery software—such as Disk Drill—to scan for recoverable data. If the pen drive is physically damaged or software methods fail, consult a professional data recovery lab.
If your USB device is not recognized, you should first reinstall its driver before you attempt to recover data from it.
That depends on the extent of the damage. If the USB drive is only lightly damaged and recognized by your operating system, you should be able to recover data from it using USB data recovery software. However, if the damage is extensive, you need to send the drive to professionals and hope for the best.
When you delete a file from a USB drive, the storage space occupied by it is made available for other files. However, the file itself remains on the drive until new data is stored in its place, which is why you can recover it using a USB recovery tool.
Here’s how to repair an unreadable flash drive using CMD and recover files from it:
Flash Drive Recovery
and Data Protection
REQUIREMENTS
Windows 10 (64-bit)/11 (64-bit), 27.0 MB
Use Disk Drill 2.x/4.x for Windows XP+
AVERAGE USER RATING
NEWEST RELEASE
