Recover deleted files from a USB flash drive without losing data

Losing files from a USB flash drive can be frustrating, especially when you don’t have a backup.

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.

Even simple mistakes, such as unplugging the flash drive in the middle of a transfer to the computer, can make all the data on it inaccessible.

Although USB flash drives are one of the most convenient ways to store data, whether documents, MP3s, images or videos, they’re also prone to corruption errors and malware that can make your data inaccessible.

If this has happened to you and you want to recover the information on your USB flash drive, we’ll show you how it can be done and explain some of the situations that lead to this kind of data loss.

01Is it possible to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive?

To put your mind at ease, let’s start by saying that yes, in most cases it’s possible to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive.

However, to do so, you need to take a few basic precautions:

• As soon as you realize you’ve lost data on your USB flash drive, stop using it immediately so you don’t lose the data for good;
• Eject the USB flash drive safely from the computer and keep it somewhere safe until you start the data recovery process;
• Don’t save or copy anything to the USB flash drive, because new data can overwrite the deleted files.

02Causes of file loss on USB flash drives

There are several reasons why files can go missing from a USB flash drive. It’s a common problem and can be caused by:

Accidental deletion

This can happen to anyone, and chances are it’s happened to you at least once.

You may have pressed the wrong key combination and deleted the data, or deleted files thinking you had a backup of them when you didn’t.

Either way, the good news is that, if you act quickly, the consequences of accidental deletion can be greatly reduced.

Formatting

People sometimes forget they have important files on a USB flash drive and click the format button too soon.

Fortunately, a quick format is not as destructive as it may seem, at least not right away: it usually leaves the data in place, so recovery is often possible. A full format in recent versions of Windows, however, overwrites the whole drive, and the data can no longer be recovered.

Virus attack

New strains of malware are created all the time, and many of them can make files on a USB flash drive disappear, either by hiding them or by deleting them.

The file system becomes RAW

RAW is a file system error which means that the operating system can’t recognize or access the file system on the USB flash drive.

Common reasons for a USB flash drive becoming RAW include unsafe removal, file system corruption, virus attacks and too many bad sectors, among others.

Another possible cause of the RAW error is a file system that Windows doesn’t support.

For example, if you connect a USB flash drive formatted as APFS (Apple File System) to a PC, Windows will treat it as a RAW drive, because it doesn’t support that file system. In this case, don’t accept Windows’ offer to format it.

The files are hidden

Hidden files are usually created by the system or by applications. They’re often used to store settings or anything else the average user shouldn’t touch.

That said, any file can be marked as hidden, which is why hidden files are such a common cause of apparent data loss on USB flash drives.

03How do I recover data from a USB flash drive?

Now that you know some of the reasons behind data loss on USB flash drives, let’s look at how the data can be recovered.

Here are a few methods that can help:

1. Use Windows error checking

If you use Windows, the first thing you can try is the built-in “Error checking” tool.

This native Windows tool can check for and fix simple file system errors on flash drives such as USB flash drives.

When you run it, the tool scans the drive and fixes any errors it finds. Keep in mind that it repairs the file system; it doesn’t bring back deleted files.

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Open “This PC” and right-click the USB flash drive you want to recover information from;
2. Click “Properties”;
3. In the “Tools” tab, under “Error checking”, click “Check”;
4. Then choose “Scan and repair drive”.

Wait for the process to finish and check whether the information on your USB flash drive is accessible again.

2. Use CHKDSK and ATTRIB

This option requires some technical knowledge and familiarity with CMD, the Windows Command Prompt.

Remember that commands such as CHKDSK write to the drive and can make data loss worse.

So if you’re not confident doing this yourself, leave the data recovery to a specialized company such as Bot.

With that in mind, here’s how to do it step by step:

• Connect the USB flash drive to your computer;
• Open the “Start” menu, type “cmd”, right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”;
• In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk X: /f and press “Enter”, replacing “X” with the letter assigned to your USB flash drive;
• Then type attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:\*.* and press “Enter” (again, replace “X” with the letter of your USB flash drive). This command removes the hidden, read-only and system attributes from all files and folders;
• Wait for the process to finish.

If the method works, files that had been hidden will reappear on the USB flash drive. Fragments recovered by CHKDSK may also appear in a new FOUND.000 folder as .CHK files.

3. Use file recovery software

There are many file recovery programs that promise to bring back data from USB flash drives.

However, keep in mind that their success often depends on using them correctly, which requires technical knowledge and familiarity with the process.

What’s more, there’s no guarantee that this software will actually recover the data on your USB flash drive.

Not to mention the risk of making the data loss worse and even making it impossible to recover your files and documents.

So we’ll show you the steps, but please bear in mind that we can’t be held responsible if the files can’t be recovered or if the method makes the situation worse.

For the best chance of recovering your data, we recommend sending your USB flash drive to a company that specializes in data recovery, such as Bot.

With that in mind, here are the steps:

• Choose the recovery software best suited to your case. Here are some suggestions;
• Download, install and run the software of your choice on your computer, never on the USB flash drive;
• Once the software is open, select the USB flash drive you want to recover files from and start the scan;
• When the scan is finished, the software will show the recoverable files. Select the ones you want and click “Recover”;
• Make sure you save the recovered files to a different, safe location, never to the USB flash drive itself.

04Conclusion

Even though USB flash drives have no moving parts, they’re not immune to data loss.

Common causes of file loss on USB flash drives include accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, RAW file systems and hidden files.

The good news is that it’s usually possible to recover information from a USB flash drive, as long as you stop using it as soon as you notice the data loss.

The first option for recovering data from a USB flash drive is to run Windows error checking (if you use Windows).

Windows users can also use the CHKDSK and ATTRIB commands in CMD (the Command Prompt). This option is best suited to people who are already comfortable with technical tools.

There’s also file recovery software that can help. However, keep in mind that none of these methods is guaranteed to work and that using them requires solid technical knowledge.

Of all these options, the best is to turn to a company that specializes in data recovery, which offers the safest way to recover your files without damaging your USB flash drive.

Bot is one such company, with more than two decades of experience recovering data from USB flash drives of all makes and models.

What’s more, at Bot we offer fast turnaround times, with options of up to 48 h, 24 h or 12 h, and a free standard diagnosis.

Count on our 96% success rate: start your data recovery with us now!