Users prefer USB drives and pen drives for their convenience in transferring data, but issues like deletion, corruption, formatting, RAW USB errors, and others can threaten the data stored on a jump drive.
The next obvious question is, “Can we retrieve deleted files from a USB drive?” The answer is that the chances are high, depending on two factors:
- Whether you stopped using the jump drive after noticing the data loss?
- The software or utility used for flash drive recovery
Stop using the pendrive right away and follow the upcoming section in the article discussing USB flash drive recovery in detail:
Table of contents
How to Recover Data from Jump Drive?
Since Jump drives don’t have a Recycle bin or Trash folder, Here is what you can do:
Method 1: Check For Hidden Files
Sometimes the files on the USB sticks can be hidden due to viruses or accidental changes, here is how you can unhide them:
Go to File Explorer > View > Hidden Items to reveal hidden files on the jump drive.
Now, check the USB to see if all data is present. If not, proceed with the next solution.
Method 2: Previous Versions
In recent versions of Windows (like Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11), there’s a feature called “Restore previous versions.” It helps you get back deleted files without needing extra software. But here’s the catch: it only works if you turned it on before you deleted your files.
Here’s how to get your deleted stuff back from a USB flash drive:
Step 1: Plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
Step 2: Click on the Start menu, type “This PC,” and press Enter.
Step 3: Right-click on your USB flash drive and pick “Properties.”
Step 4: Go to the “Previous Versions” tab. You’ll see a list of choices for getting your stuff back there.
Step 5: Pick a previous version, and then click “Restore”
If you don’t find any earlier versions, you can’t use this way to get your deleted files back from your flash drive. If that happens, we suggest you go ahead and try the third method, which will definitely work, no matter what.
Method 3: Windows File Recovery Tool to Recover Jump Drive Files
You can use in-built tools like Microsoft Windows File Recovery Utility on Windows 10 version 2004 and newer to get your deleted files back from any USB drive. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have pictures and buttons so it’s a bit harder to use, especially if you are a technophobic.
To get your deleted stuff from a USB flash drive with Microsoft Windows File Recovery Tool follow the steps explained below:
Step 1: First, you need to download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.
Step 2: Plug in your USB flash drive to your computer and remember its letter (like E: or F:).
Step 3: Open Windows Terminal or CMD with administrator rights.
Step 4: Type this command: Winfr E: C: /extensive (but make sure to change E: to your USB drive’s letter and C: to where you want to save the recovered files.)
Step 5: Wait until Windows File Recovery is done.
If the method worked well, you should find all the deleted files in a new folder on your USB drive. If not, you can still try our professional tool Remo Recover.
Method 4: How to Recover Deleted Files from Flash Drive Using Remo Recover
Remo Recover is a professional data recovery tool that can help you with Flash drive recovery. It uses two advanced scanning methods to search deeply and find over 500+ types of files that got deleted, missing, or lost after the jump drive was formatted. You can also check what files you’ve got back by previewing them for free.
Steps To Recover USB Drive Data Using Remo
Step 1: Download and install Remo Recover on your Windows or Mac computer. Then, connect the USB Drive you want to recover deleted files from.
Step 2: Next, click on the Remo Recover icon on your computer’s main screen. The tool will show you a list of drives and folders where you can find your deleted files.
If you can’t see your connected Flash drive, click on the “Can’t find the drive?” option.
Step 3: This scans all connected drives. Choose your drive and click “Scan” to start.
Step 4: The tool begins scanning for data. Use the Dynamic Recovery View to see and recover files, even during the scan.
Step 5: Quick Scan is fast, then it goes to Deep Scanto to recover files from a flash drive. When it’s done, you’ll see a list of all recovered files.
Step 6: Use Advanced Filter to sort files by type, like Images for recovering photos from a USB Drive.
Step 7: Double-click any file to take a quick look.
Step 8: When you’re happy with what you see, choose the files, click “Recover,” pick where to save them, and hit “OK” to start saving your data.
Note: Previous Versions, Microsoft File Recovery Tool, and Remo Recover are a few ways to recover files from the Windows system. You can go through this comprehensive article to learn about more ways to help you recover files from Windows.
Conclusion
We hope this article was helpful in explaining various effective methods for USB flash drive recovery. If the DIY solutions don’t help you recover data from your jump drive, consider trying professional data recovery services. However, keep in mind that these services can be costly. Ensure you choose a reputed service and read their policies before handing in the USB drive
Frequently Asked Questions:
Stop using the flash drive immediately to avoid overwriting the deleted files. Then, follow the recovery steps.
Regularly back up your important files to other storage devices or cloud services.
Securely erase the data or physically destroy the flash drive to prevent data recovery.
You can use powerful data sanitization tools like Remo File Eraser to delete confidential files beyond recovery permanently.
