Recover Deleted Files from USB Flash Drive without Software

How to recover deleted files from a flash drive using CMD: 1. First, connect your flash drive to your computer's USB port. 2. Open the Command Prompt (CMD). You can find it by typing "cmd" in the search bar and pressing Enter. 3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command to identify your flash drive's letter. It usually appears as a letter like E, F, G, etc. Type "diskpart" and press Enter. 4. Next, input "list disk" and press Enter. This will display all the disks connected to your computer. 5. Locate the number of your flash drive (usually the one with a smaller capacity), then type "select disk X" (replace X with your flash drive's number) and press Enter. 6. Input "attributes disk clear readonly" and press Enter to remove the read-only attribute (if applicable). 7. Type "create partition primary" and press Enter to create a primary partition. 8. Input "format fs=fat32 quick" (or choose a file system like NTFS, if needed) and press Enter to format the drive quickly. Warning: This will delete all data, but if the files were recently deleted, they might still be recoverable. 9. After formatting, type "exit" twice to exit Diskpart and CMD. 10. Now, you can use a data recovery software to attempt to recover the deleted files. Free options include Recuva or tools Data Recovery Wizard. Download and install the software, then scan your flash drive. 11. The software will scan the drive and list recoverable files. Select the files you wish to recover and follow the software's instructions to proceed. Please note that this method does not guarantee the recovery of all deleted files, as new data may have overwritten them. Perform this process as soon as possible after deleting the files for a higher chance of success.

1. Hold down the Windows key and press R to open the "Run" dialog box. 2. Type **CMD** and click **OK** to launch Command Prompt as an administrator. 3. In the Command Prompt, type **ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D G:\*.***. 4. Read on for more...

There can be various reasons for losing files from a USB flash drive or pen drive, such as accidental deletion, formatting of the hard drive, hardware failure, and virus infection. Among these, accidental deletion is the most common cause of data loss from USB devices.

Where do deleted files on USB go?

What happens when you delete files from a USB flash drive? Since a USB flash drive or pen drive is an external device, the deleted files will be permanently removed from the USB and not sent to the Recycle Bin, so you cannot perform Recycle Bin Recovery to retrieve files from USB. However, you can still use some effective methods to recover deleted files from USB.

To increase the chances of successful USB delete file recovery, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

This page will introduce 4 ways to help you recover deleted files from USB without software, or get back lost files from USB with professional file recovery software.

Recover Deleted Files from a USB Flash Drive Using File Recovery Software When you accidentally delete files from your USB drive or format it, don't panic. You can use professional file recovery software to get your lost data back. Here's a simple guide: ### Choose the Right File Recovery Software First things first, grab a reliable and user-friendly recovery tool, such as Recuva, tools Data Recovery Wizard, or Stellar Data Recovery. Ensure the software is compatible with your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux). ### Download and Install the Software 1. Head over to the software developer's website and download the version that matches your OS. 2. After downloading, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install it. ### Connect the USB Flash Drive Plug the USB drive into your computer's USB port. ### Recover Your Files 1. Launch the file recovery software. It should automatically detect your connected USB drive when you open it. 2. If it doesn't show up, look for an option like "External Storage Device" or something similar within the software and select your USB drive manually. 3. Click "Scan" or "Start Scan" – the software will search for deleted files. This may take a few minutes to hours, depending on the drive's size. 4. Once the scan is complete, all found files will be displayed. Preview supported file types if possible to confirm which ones to recover. 5. Check the boxes next to the files you want to restore and click "Restore" or "Save." The software will attempt to restore them to a location you choose, probably another partition on your PC or another external storage device. ### Important Tips - Avoid using the USB drive for anything else during the recovery process to prevent overwriting files. - Recover your files as soon as possible since new data might overwrite the deleted content, making recovery more difficult. - Save the recovered files elsewhere to avoid overwriting the original data. - Not all deleted files can be fully recovered, depending on how they were deleted and the drive's condition. Follow these steps, and you should be able to smoothly recover deleted files from your USB drive. If you encounter issues, consult the software's help documentation or contact their technical support for additional assistance.

The most effective and likely way to recover deleted files from a USB or even a pen drive is by using a professional data recovery software. The Tool Data Recovery Wizard is a top-rated data recovery tool that can fully restore deleted files lost from a USB flash drive due to accidental deletion, formatting of the device, USB damage, or a virus attack.

With just a few clicks, you can recover deleted files from Pen Drive/USB drive by following the steps below.

Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan

Run the data recovery wizard, select the USB drive where you lost your important files, and click “Scan” to start.

Select the USB drive:

Step 2: Preview and select the USB drive data to recover

After the scan is complete, you can use the “Filter” feature and the “Search” option to locate specific types of files quickly.

Step 3: Recover Data from the Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and the lost USB drive files are found, click “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of back to the USB drive.

If you found this guide to file recovery tools useful, remember to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

How to Recover Deleted Files from a USB Flash Drive Without Software

For those users who don't prefer using third-party software to recover files from USB, you can try out the three methods in this section, which include using CMD, Windows Backup, and Previous Versions to retrieve files from USB.

However, these solutions have their limitations and requirements. If you don't have a backup USB, you can only use a tool like the Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve files from USB.

Recover USB Flash Drive using CMD (Only Hidden Files)

The Command Prompt is a Windows application available on all Windows operating systems. If the file hasn't been deleted but is missing from your USB flash drive or portable drive, you can use this method to recover hidden files on USB via CMD.

Steps to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive using CMD:

Step 1: Plug the USB drive into your computer.

2. Click the Search button, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Run the following command lines in order.

Type chkdsk X: /f into the Command Prompt, and press Enter. Make sure to replace "X" with the letter assigned to your USB drive.

Type attrib -h -r -s G:\*.* /s /d and press Enter. (Replace G with the letter assigned to your USB drive, which may be different, depending on your computer.)

Then, wait for the process to complete, and close the window. You can then check if your file has been recovered.

## Restore Deleted Files from an Earlier Version

Aside from using software or CMD to recover permanently deleted files from a USB device, you can also try restoring an earlier version of the file in Windows 10 or Windows 11. Before attempting this method, make sure you have File History set up to automatically back up your files. If you haven't enabled this feature, skip this method and proceed with using a USB drive recovery tool.

Restore deleted files from a USB flash drive with Windows Backup

If you have previously backed up your data, check your backups. Also, review any online or cloud storage services you use, as your files might be synced to a cloud storage service like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. If you have Windows Backup enabled, you can use it to restore your USB data:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel, go to System and Maintenance, and then choose Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2: Click on “Recover my files.”

Step 3: Click “Select File” or “Select Folder” and choose the backup you created earlier.

Step 4: Choose where to save the backup: “In Place” or “To a Different Location.” If there's a conflict, choose “Copy and Replace,” “Don't Copy,” or “Copy But Keep Both Files” as needed.

Step 5: Wait for the recovery process to finish, and then all your permanently deleted files or folders will reappear in their original or new locations.

Don't forget to share these USB deleted file recovery without software methods with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

Conclusions

Deleting files from a USB doesn't mean permanent data loss. In this article, we explain four ways to recover deleted files from a USB drive, whether or not using software. Data recovery software provides the best chance of retrieving files from a USB. It supports deleted file recovery, formatted recovery, raw drive recovery, and more data recovery features.

How to Avoid Losing Data on a USB Flash Drive/Thumb Drive

Protecting your USB data in an effective way is also crucial. If you don't want to experience USB data loss, you can follow these tips to help you:

How can I recover deleted files from a USB without software? FAQ

After reading the above content, you may want to learn more about how to recover files from USB flash drive. Check out the Q&A section below to learn more!

How do I recover deleted files from a USB?

You can easily recover deleted files from a USB flash drive using the Data Recovery Wizard tool in three simple steps.

1. Step 1. Launch the tool: Data Recovery Wizard.
2. Step 2. Select and scan your USB drive to find lost files.
3. Step 3. Preview and recover files from USB or flash drive.

How do I recover deleted files from a USB using the Command Prompt?

Here are the steps to recover hidden files from a USB drive using CMD:

1. Press the "Win + R" keys to open the Run dialog box. 2. Type in "cmd", then press Enter to open the Command Prompt as an administrator. 3. Type "chkdsk E: /f", and then press Enter. Input "Y", followed by Enter. 4. Type "G:", then hit Enter. (G represents the drive letter of your USB drive) 5. Type "attrib -h -r -s G:\*.* /s /d", and then press Enter.

How can I recover corrupted files from a USB without using software?

You may be able to recover corrupted files by repairing the file system on your USB flash drive:

Plug the USB drive into your computer. Right-click it, and then click “Properties.” Click the “Tools” tab, then click the “Check” button under “Error checking.” Windows will scan your USB drive and fix any disk errors.

Can I recover files from USB hard drive without software?

There are three ways to recover corrupted files from a USB drive:

1. Recover hidden files using CMD. 2. Restore Windows to a previous version. 3. Recover files from a Windows backup.