How to Recover Files from a USB Flash Drive Without Formatting

USB flash drives are a great way to store data alongside your computer’s internal drive. Because they are portable, they make it easy to move files from one place to another.

If the data cannot be lost, talk to people who do this every day: see Bot’s flash drive data recovery, which starts with a free diagnosis.

However, USB flash drives can suddenly stop working, become unreadable or stop being recognized if they become corrupted or their file system is damaged.

When this happens, you can no longer access the files on the flash drive, and the usual way to make it usable again is to format it.

The problem is that formatting erases the files stored on the drive.

So if your flash drive holds important data you don’t want to lose, formatting is not the answer.

So how do you recover files from a USB flash drive without formatting it? In this article, we have put together some simple and effective solutions.

01Common causes of data loss on USB flash drives

Many factors can put the data on a USB flash drive at risk. The causes of data loss fall into a few main categories.

Let’s look at each one more closely and see what to do to recover data from a USB flash drive in each situation.

The USB flash drive doesn’t show any files

In this case, you cannot see or open the files on your flash drive. The most likely cause is a virus.

Some viruses not only infect your files but also hide them, replacing your files and folders with shortcuts that lead nowhere.

The USB flash drive shows up as RAW or inaccessible

RAW means that the operating system cannot recognize the flash drive’s file system.

Common reasons why a file system becomes RAW include removing the flash drive without ejecting it safely, file system corruption, viruses and too many bad sectors, among others.

Another possible cause of the RAW error is a file system that the operating system does not support.

For example, if you plug a flash drive formatted as APFS (Apple File System) into a Windows PC, Windows will treat it as RAW, because it does not support that file system.

Windows says the USB flash drive is not formatted

Windows shows the “You need to format the disk” error when you connect a flash drive whose file system is damaged or not recognized.

Windows then asks you to format the drive before you can use it. If you need the files, click “Cancel”: formatting will erase them.

The USB flash drive is damaged or corrupted

If your flash drive is damaged or corrupted, you may also be unable to access the data stored on it.

Some signs that your USB flash drive is damaged or corrupted:

• Windows keeps asking you to format the drive;
• The flash drive has been infected by a virus and its files are corrupted;
• The drive’s file system is not supported;
• The flash drive appears empty, shows 0 bytes or says “This folder is empty”;
• The drive is not recognized or its data cannot be read.

Accidental deletion

Accidental deletion is another cause of data loss on USB flash drives, whether you deleted files by mistake or formatted the drive without meaning to.

02Can deleted files be recovered from a USB flash drive?

Often, yes. When files become inaccessible because they were deleted, because of a quick format or for other logical reasons, the data usually remains on the flash drive until it is overwritten. A full format, however, overwrites the data, and a physically damaged drive needs specialist help.

So, if you have not saved anything new to the drive, there is a good chance your files can still be recovered.

03How to recover files from a USB flash drive

Now that you know it is often possible to recover data from a USB flash drive, let’s look at how to do it:

Use a professional data recovery service

This is the safest way to recover files from a USB flash drive without formatting it.

A professional data recovery service is also the best way to protect the flash drive itself from further damage while your data is recovered.

Use a recovery program

You can also try data recovery software. In this list, we have selected some of the best programs, with the pros and cons of each.

Bear in mind, though, that this option requires some technical knowledge and can make the data loss worse if done incorrectly. Always save the recovered files to a different drive.

Restore from a backup

If you make regular backups, you can restore the flash drive’s files from them, with no need to format it.

Use CMD

The command prompt (CMD) lets you repair the flash drive’s file system with chkdsk without formatting it. Note that chkdsk does not recover deleted files, and its repairs can make some files disappear or end up as fragments in a FOUND.000 folder, so if the data is important, try a recovery first. To use it:

• Plug the flash drive into a USB port on your computer;
• Click “Start”, type “cmd”, right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”;
• In the command window, type chkdsk F: /f /x (replacing F with your flash drive’s letter) and press Enter;
• If the repair is successful, the command window will display the message “Windows has made corrections to the file system”.

You can then open the flash drive and check whether your files are accessible again.

04How to fix a corrupted USB flash drive without formatting

If the data on your flash drive has become inaccessible because of some kind of corruption, here are some ways to fix the problem without formatting:

Try another USB port

A faulty USB port could be why your flash drive isn’t working properly, so try plugging it into other USB ports on your computer.

Connect it to another computer

The problem might be with your computer rather than the flash drive.

To test this, plug the flash drive into another computer and try to open it. If it works there, the problem is with your PC.

Change the drive letter

To do this:

• Open the “Control Panel”, select “System and Security” and then “Windows Tools” (or “Administrative Tools”);
• Open “Computer Management” and then “Disk Management”;
• Right-click the volume of your USB flash drive and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”;
• Click “Add” (or “Change”, if the drive already has a letter);
• Assign the flash drive a new letter that no other drive is using, then click “OK” to finish.

Updating or reinstalling the drivers can also get your USB flash drive working properly again. To do this:

• Press “Win+R” to open the “Run” dialog box and type devmgmt.msc;
• Expand the “Disk drives” category and look for devices with a yellow exclamation mark. If you find one, right-click it and select “Update driver”;
• If that doesn’t work, uninstall and reinstall the driver: click “Uninstall device” and restart your computer. The driver will be reinstalled automatically.

Use Error Checking

If the flash drive has logical errors, you can try repairing its file system so that it can be used again. As with chkdsk, this repair writes to the drive, so recover any important data first.

Follow these steps:

Windows 7:

• Connect the flash drive to the PC;
• Open “Computer”, right-click the “Removable Disk” and select “Properties”;
• Click the “Tools” tab and then the “Check now” button;
• You will see two options: “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”;
• Tick the first option and click “Start” (the bad sector scan puts a lot of strain on a failing drive, so only tick it if the data is not important);
• The scan will begin;
• When the check is complete, click “Close”.

Windows 10:

• Connect the flash drive to the PC;
• Open “This PC”, right-click the “Removable Disk” and select “Properties”;
• Click the “Tools” tab, click “Check” and then “Scan and repair drive”;
• The scan will begin;
• When the check is complete, click “Close”.
• When it has finished, right-click the USB drive icon, select “Eject” and unplug the flash drive.

Then plug the flash drive back in and check whether the problem has been fixed.

Use chkdsk

chkdsk checks a drive’s file system and status and fixes the errors it finds.

To use it:

• Open the Start menu and type cmd in the search box;
• “Command Prompt” will appear in the results;
• Right-click it and select “Run as administrator”;
• Type chkdsk U: /r and press Enter (replace “U” with your flash drive’s letter). The /r option also scans for bad sectors, which takes longer and strains the drive; if the data matters, use /f only, or recover the data first.

Windows will start repairing the flash drive. Wait until the process is complete.

05Conclusion

When a USB flash drive (or any other drive) shows an error, the first instinct is often to format it.

However, if the flash drive holds important files and documents, formatting it can cause you to lose them for good.

In that case, there are other solutions: restoring your files from a backup, using CMD, using recovery software or, the most recommended option, a professional data recovery service, like the one we offer at Bot!

Our data recovery service starts with a careful analysis of your USB flash drive, while preserving the integrity of the device.

With more than two decades of experience and more than 200,000 cases, we diagnose your USB flash drive free of charge within 48 hours, and we can then recover your data quickly.

If you have any questions about our recovery process, get in touch with us on our social networks: we offer 24/7 support and will be happy to help.

And, for your convenience, we collect your USB flash drive free of charge (islands not included).

Don’t waste any time: start your data recovery with us now.