There are many reasons that can lead to data loss from USB flash drive.

A USB flash drive can store photos, spreadsheets, word processing documents, movie clips, music tracks, and many other types of files. It's a favorite among users. However, since people tend to save important data on a USB flash drive, losing the data on it can be disastrous. Hence, we'll discuss USB data recovery on Mac.

Recover Data from Flash Drive

First of all, let's see the reasons for data loss from USB drive.

Data loss from a USB drive can be caused by various unexpected factors. Here, I've listed some common reasons:

    • Virus or malware attack
    • Hardware failure
    • Improper shutdown
    • User error
    • Software corruption

You can take steps to prevent such accidents to protect your data. But what if you lose your data and want to recover it? Can you recover deleted files from Mac trash? Or, can you recover data from a USB flash drive on Mac? Read on to find the easiest and safest solutions.

Restore Mac from USB Editor's Pick

Data Recovery Software

When you experience data loss on any device, using a data recovery tool should be your top choice. You can use software to recover formatted USB flash drive on Mac.

Recover from Trash

This method works only if you didn't empty the Mac's Trash after deleting files from the USB flash drive. The Trash on Mac retains files for 30 days.

Show Hidden Files on USB

When you can't find certain files, try un-hiding them from the USB drive. After pressing the shortcut to show hidden files, they will become visible.

Method 1: Recover Deleted Files from a USB Drive on a Mac Using a Recovery Tool

If you are troubled by data loss from USB flash drive, you can use the professional Mac Data Recovery Wizard to effectively get back the lost data. This all-in-one data recovery tool can help you handle various data loss situations with ease.

    • It aids in the recovery of deleted photos, Excel/Word/PPT files, videos, music, and other files from various devices.
    • It enables data recovery from Mac hard drives, USB flash drives, digital cameras, and external storage devices.
    • It installs seamlessly on all Mac systems and facilitates the recovery of deleted files on macOS Sonoma.
Technical Specifications Details
Supported Systems Latest macOS 14 and above, OS X 10.9 or later
Software Size 37 MB
Data Recovery Process 3-step recovery: Select location - Scan, Preview, Recover
Price $89.95 (30-day refund policy)

Step-by-step guide to using a recovery software with a USB recovery

As soon as you realize you need to recover data from the device, stop using the USB drive. This will prevent the operating system from overwriting the files before you have a chance to recover them. Here are the simple steps to recover deleted files from a USB drive on a Mac:

Step 1: Launch the USB recovery tool and select the USB flash drive from where you wish to recover data. Upon clicking “Search Lost Files”, the software will start looking for deleted files on the USB.

Select your USB drive and search for the lost files:

Step 2: You don't need to wait for the scan to finish. The recoverable files will be listed on the right. You can use the “Filter” option to filter files by type.

Locate lost data on USB with Filter feature

Step 3. Check the box next to the files you want to restore, and then click “Recover” to retrieve them all. Do not save the recovered files back to the USB drive. Choose a safer location to save your data.

Recover Data from Flash Drive

Here's a video tutorial that might help you use data recovery software to retrieve deleted files from a USB flash drive on a Mac:

    • 00:00 Introduction to the Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool
    • 00:27 Types of data that the Mac Data Recovery Wizard can recover
    • 02:18 Choosing where to save the recovered data

If you find this data recovery software good enough, you can share this article with everyone via the buttons below!

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Method 2: Recover Deleted Files from USB Drive on Mac Trash

Unlike the Recycle Bin in Windows, the Trash on Mac also saves files deleted from USB drives. In this section, we will guide you through the simple steps of performing a Mac Trash recovery:

Step 1: Locate the Trash on your Mac desktop, or you can quickly open it from the Dock.

Mac Trash icon

2. When the "Trash" window opens, you'll see all of your recently deleted files. Scroll down until you find the file you want to restore.

Step 3. Right-click the target file and select “Put Back” to restore it.

Restore files from Trash

If you emptied the Recycle Bin by accident, return to Method 1 to recover your files. You can also check out the linked article below for more recovery options:

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Recover Emptied Trash on Mac Without Software

How to Recover Emptied Trash on Mac Without Software [Step-by-Step Guide]

How to recover emptied trash on Mac without software? Find the answer in this article. Read More >>

Method 3: Show Hidden Files on a USB Drive on Mac

Sometimes, files on a USB flash drive are not really deleted; they're just hidden. This can happen when your computer is attacked by a virus that maliciously hides your files. When you realize that you've lost data, it's a good idea to check if the files on your USB flash drive are hidden. You can unhide them with these steps:

Step 1. Make sure the USB is correctly connected to your Mac. If you're having an issue where your USB drive is not showing up on Mac, try switching USB ports or Mac computers to quickly troubleshoot the problem.

Step 2. Open Finder on your macOS and locate your USB drive. Then, press Command + Shift + . to show hidden files.

Show hidden files on Mac

You can see more methods in the following paragraph:

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Show Hidden Files on Mac

[3 Steps] How to Show Hidden Files on External Hard Drive or Mac

This article offers three methods to find, display, and recover hidden files on your Mac. If you need to locate some hidden files, click to read more: Read More >>

Tips to Prevent Data Loss from USB Drive

This simple guide on how to recover deleted files from a USB flash drive on a Mac should help. It's also important to learn how to protect your USB flash drives or thumb drives to keep them secure.

⭐Tip 1: Regularly Back Up Your Data

To prevent USB flash drive failure, back up your data regularly. Many users never back up the data on their USB drives, even if it exists nowhere else. Don't be one of them. Take the time to back up your data with Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

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Backup Your Mac Data and Never Lose Information

Backup and restore your MacBook/iMac without using Time Machine, iCloud, or an external hard drive.

⭐Tip 2: Enable Data Protection

Steps to enable data protection:

Step 1: Click the lock icon to the right of the partition.

Step 2. Turn on Basic Protection or Full Protection, as needed.

⭐Tip 3: Safely Remove USB Devices

When you're finished using a USB drive, eject it safely. To safely eject a USB drive from your Mac:

Step 1: Press and hold the "Control" key on your Mac while using the trackpad.

Step 2: Select “Eject” from the menu. This will safely eject your USB flash drive.

Don't forget to share these useful tips with your friends to prevent data loss from USB drives.

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Conclusions

USB drives and flash drives are widely used because they're ideal for sharing files with friends or colleagues. You can use them to add extra storage space to your device or isolate specific data. But if you're worried about losing data on your USB flash drive, you can always use a Mac data recovery software tool. With just a few clicks, it can recover deleted data from your USB flash drive, including lost photos, documents, and other file types. This excellent tool can retrieve deleted files from both internal and external hard drives on your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions on Mac USB Flash Drive Recovery

Apart from laptop data recovery, some Mac users might encounter the issues below. Read on to resolve your problem.

1. How can I recover deleted files from a USB flash drive on a Mac?

Recover deleted files from USB drive on Mac:

Step 1: Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac properly. Launch the Disk Drill for Mac data recovery tool.

Step 2. Select your flash drive and click “Scan” to let the software search for lost files on it.

Step 3: Select the files you wish to recover and click on the “Recover Now” button.

2. Can You Recover Deleted Files from a Mac?

Yes, you can. Generally, files deleted from a Mac go to the Trash, from where you can quickly restore them. If you've emptied the Trash, you can still recover deleted Mac files without software using Time Machine backups, the Undo option, or Terminal commands.

Do I have a Recycle Bin on my USB drive?

Yes, but not the Recycle Bin that you normally use on a PC. The Mac operating system creates a hidden Trash folder on every drive. This folder is called .Trashes, and you need to have the “Show Hidden Files” function enabled on your Mac to see it. You can access this folder on your USB drive to restore recently deleted files.

How can I fix an unreadable flash drive on my Mac without losing data?

How to fix an unreadable USB flash drive on a Mac: Ways to repair a corrupted USB flash drive on a Mac

Step 1: Plug the USB flash drive or thumb drive into your Mac.

Step 2: Open Disk Utility and select your USB drive.

Step 3: Run First Aid from Disk Utility to repair the damaged USB drive.