The USB stick, also called a USB memory stick or USB flash drive, is commonly used for storing files like photos and videos. They are convenient to use and allow easy access to data at any time and place. However, as with any storage device, frequent use can lead to problems. These include being unrecognized by the computer, missing data, and sudden failure. That’s why USB data recovery has become crucial.

In this article, we will discuss some USB data recovery techniques to recover files from USB sticks or USB flash drives.

Part 1. What can Cause Data Lossin USB?

Here are some of the leading reasons why you might lose data from your USB:

1. Hardware Issues – Hardware problems are the most common reason data gets lost or corrupted on USB drives. These include overheating, physical damage, water damage, and more.

2. Human Errors – Mistakes like accidental deletion or formatting can cause data loss from a USB drive.

3. Virus Attacks – Viruses and malware can corrupt or delete your files.

3. Driver Failure – Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause your USB drive to malfunction leading to data loss or corruption. You can update the drivers to resolve the issue.

4. Partitioning Mistake – incorrectly partitioning or repartitioning a USB drive can lead to data loss.

5. File System Errors – File system errors occur when there is an issue with the file structure of the USB drive itself. This can cause data loss.

6. Connection Problem – A faulty connection between the USB drive and the computer can also lead to data loss.

7. Software Crashes – If the software running in the USB drive crashes unexpectedly, it can lead to data loss.

Part 2. Recover Deleted Files from USB via Data Recovery Tool

There are several data recovery tools available online, but it is essential to use one that is reliable and safe. We recommend you use WondershareRecoverit. Recoverit can recover lost, deleted or corrupted files like photos, videos and audio from various storage devices such as damaged computers, USB flash drives, SD cards, and NAS drives. The software can recover almost all popular file formats and file systems, including FAT, APFS, ExFAT, and NTFS.

Steps to recover files from USB with Recoverit:

Here is how you can use WondershareRecoverit to recover deleted files from USB:

Step 1. Download and launch the WondershareRecoverit

Download and launch the WondershareRecoverit software on your Mac or Windows.

Step 2. Launch Recoverit

Launch Recoverit on your computer, connect the USB drive to the PC and select it to get started.

Step 3. Scan The USB Drive

Recoverit USB Recovery will begin scanning the drive to search for lost files. The process can take around a few minutes. When the software finds the files in the drive, they will be listed in the scanned items menu.

Step 4. Preview and Recover Files from USB Drive

Check all recovered data and files when the scanning completes. Recoverit lets users preview the recovered files like photos, videos, audio files, Word documents, Excel, PPT, PDF, and more. Select your files and click the “Recover” button to restore them. Also, if you find the file you need during the scanning process, you can pause the process and recover the file directly.

More Features of WondershareRecoverit

Apart from regular file recovery, Recoverit offers some additional features:

Crashed Computer Recovery

If your computer has crashed and you cannot access your lost data, Recoverit can assist you in recovering it by creating a bootable USB drive.

NAS Recovery

Recoverit can assist in retrieving lost or erased data from corrupted NAS servers, including popular brands such as Western Digital, Seagate, Synology, and others. All you need is to fill the information of the NAS server while using Recoverit to connect it.

Video Repair

Recoverit’s video repair feature allows you to fix corrupted or damaged videos, no matter how extensive the damage is.

Enhanced Video Recovery

Recoverit utilizes patented technology that collects and matches the fragments of your Ultra HD, 8K, and 4K videos to help you get the complete large-size video, instead of the video’s fragments as other regular video recovery software does.

Supported Files

Supported Documents

• Supported Documents: PDF /. DOCX /. PPTX /. XLSX /. DOCM /. XLSM /. PPTM /. PSD /. AI, etc.
• Supported Video: MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, etc.
• Supported Photo: JPEG, PNG, JPG, CR3, DNG, ARW, GPR, TIF, TIFF, etc.
• Supported Audio: MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, AAC
• Supported Devices:  Windows & Mac computer disks, memory sticks, SD cards, recording studios, recording software, apps, etc.

Tech Specs

Part 3. Recover USB Drive without Software

If you don’t want to use Recoverit and any other data recovery software, the following methods can help you recover deleted or corrupted files from your USB drive.

1. Using CMD to restore lost files

Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

Step 2. If the system recognizes the drive, press the Windows key and R simultaneously. The Run window will show. Type cmd, and press enter.

Step 3. Type in: chkdskX: /f, and press Enter. (Xrefers to the drive letter of the USB drive.)

Step 4. Press Y and press Enter.

Step 5. Enter the drive letter, then, press Enter.

Step 6: Type in: H:\>attrib –h –r –s /s /d *.*and press Enter. (H is the drive letter of the USB drive.)

Step 7.  Wait for the process to finish.

2. Restore Your Data from Previous Versions

Step 1. Right-click on the folder wherethe files were deleted.

Step 2: Click on Restore Previous Versions.

Step 3: Out of the listed version, click on a date before the deletion and click Restore.

3. Hire USB Data Recovery Services

Suppose you don’t want to use data recovery software or the two methods to recover your lost or deleted data. In that case, you may consider hiring professionals specializing in USB data recovery services. Professional data recovery companies can help you recover difficult-to-access or lost files from USB drives.

4. Use Windows File History

If you’re using a Windows PC, you can use the Windows File History feature to recover lost USB data. This feature allows users to restore files that have been deleted or modified from their computer as well as access older versions of existing files on their computer. To use this feature, open up the Settings app and search for “File History” in the search bar.

Part 4. How to Stay Away from Losing USB Data in the Future?

You can avoid future data loss from USB drives by following these tips:

1. Always back up your important files to external storage devices or cloud servers.
2. Don’t abruptly remove your USB drive from the computer. Always eject your USB drive before you remove it from your computer.
3. When connecting an external USB drive to your PC, check for updates and patches for any bugs. This will protect the drive from any potential viruses or malware.
4. Regularly check your USB drive for any errors. If you notice anything unusual, scan with WondershareRecoverit or any other data recovery software so you can identify and fix any issues before it causes data loss.

Conclusion

Losing important files stored on USB drives is common, but you can recover your data with data recovery software such as WondershareRecoverit or other methods like CMD. But remember that these methods can’t fully recover all your lost data. That’s why we always recommend you create backups of all your files. Creating regular backups saves time when recovering lost data from a USB drive. However, if data is lost, use recovery software like Recoverit USB Data Recovery to restore your data.