How Do I Recover Files from USB Flash Drive? [3 Solutions]

If you have accidentally deleted the data or formatted the USB drive, you can proceed straight ahead with USB data recovery. If not, then hold on. Confirm the data loss or identify any other issues that may be preventing you from accessing the USB data.

Verify the File Deletion on the USB Drive

• Check the connection between the USB drive and the port
• Try connecting to a different port or another device
• Verify if the USB files are hidden
• Check if the USB is being recognized on File Explorer or Disk Management

Despite doing all this still you couldn’t find the USB data. Then immediately stop using the device to avoid data overwriting.

Solution 1: Recover USB Data using Data Recovery Software

Finding the right data recovery tool is more like trying to find a needle in a haystack, from the command line interface to the graphical user interface, and endless recovery claims it can be an endless journey.

Be aware that choosing the right tool can make complete USB data recovery easy and efficient. SFware is one such clutter-free tool that any user can understand and get the USB data back the tool can recover data from a corrupted USB to a formatted USB drive.

Step 1: Download and install the software on your computer.

Step 2: Launch the software, select the USB drive, and click on Start Scan.

NOTE: If the USB drive is not visible on the home screen click on Can’t find the drive? Option to locate it.

Step 3: Locate the recovered data from the Lost and Found Files and Lost Partitions folders.

(use the Search box and Filters options to locate the files you need)

Step 4: Double-click to preview the recovered files.

Step 5: After previewing, select the files you need and click on Save to restore the files to your preferred location.

Solution 2: Recover from Backup

Do you have a backup of the USB drive? Then you can recover the USB drive data without software with a 100% success rate.

Open the location where the backup is saved and start restoring the USB files that you care about.

Solution 3: Recover from Previous Versions

This works only if you have enabled this feature on your Windows computer, You can restore a file to a previous date using this feature.

• Open Control panel and choose System and security.



• Open FIle History.



• Choose the type of file that you would like to recover.



• Preview and click on Restore(green button)

This will restore the data to it's original location

DON’T DO THIS:

All the above solutions are safe, and anyone can try to retrieve the USB data. However, we noticed some articles on the internet claiming that CHKDSK will recover data from the USB drive.

Sorry to say this, but it won’t do what you are expecting; instead, it will cause damage to the data recovery process. We recommend not to try it if you are serious about recovering your USB data.

Tips to Protect USB Drive

USB drives are always on the go so it's very easy to lose data from them, To prevent data loss accidents follow these simple tips to keep your USB data safe.

• Regularly backup the data to an external drive or a cloud storage.
• Scan the USB drive regularly using an updated antivirus tool.
• Enable write protection to prevent data modification or deletion.
• Make sure you always eject the drive properly after data transfer.
• Protect from physical damages.

Conclusion:

We would like to conclude by saying data loss is something you don’t anticipate but you can be prepared and take precautionary measures to avoid it as much as possible.

The solutions listed in this article are safe and secure to try out in any order of your preference. We’d recommend you have an easy-to-use and dependable recovery tool like SFWare as a part of your disaster management plan.