Solved: Files disappeared from USB drive on Mac, how to recover?

A flash drive is a common portable storage device widely used by Mac users for work and study, especially during conferences or presentations. However, many users have encountered the issue of files disappearing from their flash drive when opened on a Mac.

If this is an issue for your flash drive, don't worry! Read on to learn how to recover files that have disappeared from a flash drive on a Mac in detail.

4 Ways to Recover Lost Files from a Flash Drive (Mac)

We will introduce you to 4 effective ways to fix the issue of missing files from a flash drive on your Mac, such as files copied to USB drive disappear. Let's check them out!

Method 1: Recover Lost Files from USB Flash Drive with Software

Using a professional Mac USB recovery tool could be the best solution to fix the issue of missing files from the flash drive. The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro is the best flash drive data recovery software that can recover lost, deleted, or formatted files from the flash drive.

Even when your USB drive doesn't show up on Mac, you can still recover with the help of a tool. If you're worried about the difficulty of the operation, don't be. The program takes into account the needs of beginner Mac users and makes the data recovery process as simple as possible! Check out the steps below:

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Mac

Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac correctly. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool. Start by selecting the flash drive and clicking “Search Lost Files” to let the software scan for lost files on it.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of your USB drive to prevent further data loss. After backing up the USB drive, the software can recover data from the USB drive backup. You can then safely remove the USB flash drive and use it again.

Step 2. Recover Lost Data from the USB Drive

Upon completion of the scan, all files will be displayed in the left pane of the scan results.

Use the Filter feature to locate lost data on USB devices

Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive

Select the files you want to recover, then click the “Restore” button. To avoid overwriting data, do not save the recovered files onto the USB drive itself.

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Method 2: Recover Disappeared Flash Drive Files from Mac Trash

If your files are missing from the flash drive, you probably deleted them accidentally. In this case, you should try to recover them from Mac's Trash.

Follow the below steps to recover deleted file from Mac Trash:

Step 1: Open the Trash on your desktop or in Finder.

Step 2. Search for the deleted flash drive files in the Recycle Bin.

Step 3. Select the deleted flash drive files you want to recover and right-click on them to display the options menu.

Step 4. Click “Recover” to put them back. You can then find your recovered files in their original locations.

If your trash is emptied, install and launch the data recovery software to perform recover emptied trash on Mac.

If this article helped you, please share it on social media to help others learn how to fix missing files from a flash drive on their Mac.

Method 3: Display Disappeared Files from USB Flash Drive

Can't access files on an external hard drive or flash drive? Maybe the files on the flash drive are hidden! Here are two ways to show them:

Show hidden files using keyboard shortcut

Connect the flash drive to your Mac, then follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the “Finder,” then select the flash drive folder in the Finder window.

Step 2: Press “Command + Shift + .” on your keyboard to show hidden files on the flash drive.

Run the terminal command to display hidden files

You can also use the “Terminal” program that comes built-in on your Mac to show hidden files on a flash drive. Here's how:

Step 1: Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter.

Step 3: Press "Enter" again, and all the hidden files on your USB drive will appear in the folder.

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Method 4: Repair the Flash Drive on Your Mac with Disk Utility

When a flash drive fails, the files on it can become inaccessible. In this case, you can use a built-in Mac feature to check the drive for problems, or format it to be compatible with macOS.

Run a disk utility to repair the flash drive

The Disk Utility app's First Aid feature can help users check the health of a disk and repair disk errors. Here are the steps to run First Aid on a flash drive:

Step 1. Launch Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 2: In the Disk Utility window, select your USB drive, then click "First Aid" in the top menu. If you don't see your USB drive, choose "Show All Devices" from the View menu.

Wait for the process to finish, then open the flash drive folder and check if the missing files have returned.

Format a flash drive

In addition, incompatible file system format can also lead to missing files on the flash drive. Thus, consider backing up important files from the flash drive before reformatting it.

Step 1: Launch Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 2: In the Disk Utility window, select your flash drive, then click “Erase” from the top menu. If you don't see your flash drive, choose “Show All Devices.”

Step 3. Choose a new file system format for your flash drive (ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended) and rename it if needed. Click “Erase” again to confirm the reformatting process.

How to Prevent Files from Disappearing on a Flash Drive

To prevent files from disappearing from your flash drive, try the following:

• Avoid removing the flash drive from your Mac without properly ejecting it first.
• Download third-party software from secure and reputable sources to prevent installing malware that could make your data unreadable.
• Regularly back up important files to multiple storage locations on different devices to guard against data loss.
• Install reliable data recovery software, such as Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro, to maximize the chances of retrieving your data.

Conclusions

This article introduces 4 effective ways to solve the problem of missing files from a flash drive. We recommend a professional and secure data recovery tool, tools Data Recovery Wizard Professional, to recover lost files from your flash drive.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Lost Files from Flash Drive on Mac - UTF-8

Read the following query to gain more information about the issue of missing files from a Flash Drive on Mac:

1. Why have the files on my flash drive disappeared?

Corrupted partitions on the flash drive, incompatibility of the file system with macOS, and accidental deletion are some common reasons that files disappear from a flash drive.

2. How to Find Lost Files on a Mac Flash Drive?

Here are the 4 effective methods that we mentioned above to get back lost files from Mac flash drive:

Method 1: Recover Lost Files with Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro Method 2: Restore Lost Files from the Trash Method 3: Unhide Lost Files from a Mac Flash Drive Method 4: Repair the Mac Flash Drive with Disk Utility

3. Can you recover lost files from USB Mac?

Here are the steps to recover lost files from a USB flash drive on a Mac:

Step 1: Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool.

2. Launch the utility on your Mac, and select the USB flash drive from within its window.

Step 3. Click “Search for Lost Files” to preview all the lost files on the USB flash drive.

Step 4: Select the lost files you want to recover and click on "Recover" to get them back.