How to Recover Lost Files from USB Flash Drive on Mac [3 Proven Ways]

Suppose you saved videos, photos, documents, audios, and more on your USB flash drive, and then suddenly they went missing. Don't panic! This article will show you how to recover lost files from USB flash drive on Mac. Read on.

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

If you find files missing from your USB drive, they might have been deleted accidentally. In such a case, you can use a USB flash drive recovery tool to restore lost files from the USB flash drive on your Mac.

Utilize the user-friendly tool, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, to recover lost and deleted files from USB flash drives. It can restore files from USB drives that are not showing up on your Mac due to file corruption or bad sectors. Furthermore, this tool swiftly and securely locates and retrieves all types of lost files!

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

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Mac

Plug in the USB flash drive to your Mac correctly. Launch the tool Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. 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 that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of the USB drive to prevent further data loss. After backing up your USB drive, the software can restore data from the USB drive backup, and you can then safely remove the USB flash drive and use it again.

Step 2. Recover Lost Data from USB Drive

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

Locate the lost data on USB device with Filter feature

Step 3: Recover data from USB flash drive

Select the files you want to recover and click on the “Restore” button. To prevent overwriting your data, do not save the recovered files to the USB drive itself.

To make the USB recovery process on Mac clearer to you, we also have a video that shows how to recover lost or deleted files from USB flash drive on Mac. Have a look!

 

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Method 2: Show Hidden Lost Files from a USB Flash Drive on a Mac

If your USB flash drive files are hidden, you won't see them when you open the USB flash drive folder on your Mac, so you might think they're lost. Here are the steps to show hidden files on Mac external hard drive, including USB flash drives:

Step 1: Insert the USB flash drive into the USB adapter, then plug the adapter into your Mac.

Step 2: Open the USB flash drive folder from your Mac desktop.

Step 3: Press “Command (⌘) + Shift + .” to reveal hidden files within the USB flash drive's folder.

Method 3: Recover Lost Files from the USB Drive by Checking the Recycle Bin If you deleted files from your USB drive, they won't be permanently erased immediately; instead, they'll be moved to the Recycle Bin. You can check this folder to restore your lost files. Here's how: 1. Connect your USB drive to your computer. 2. Open the "Start" menu in the bottom-left corner of the desktop and search for "Recycle Bin," then open it. 3. In the Recycle Bin window, browse through the contents to locate the file you want to recover. 4. Once you've found the file, click "Restore selected items" from the top menu bar, or right-click on the file and choose "Restore." Please note that if you have emptied the Recycle Bin after deleting the files, this method won't be able to retrieve them. In such cases, you will need to use data recovery software to attempt to recover your lost data.

Lost files may have been accidentally deleted; files removed from a USB flash drive are moved to the Trash, from which you cannot access them in the USB flash drive folder. But don't worry – the macOS Trash has a recovery feature that allows users to restore deleted files to their original storage location for up to 30 days.

Please refer to the following steps to recover deleted file on Mac from Trash:

Step 1: Click the Trash icon in your Mac Dock to open the Trash.

Step 2: Look for and select the lost USB flash drive files that you want to recover from the recycle bin.

Step 3: Control-click the selected files and choose “Put Back” to restore them to the USB flash drive.

Conclusions

This article discusses three effective ways to recover lost files from a USB flash drive on a Mac: using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool (the most effective method), revealing hidden files on the USB flash drive by pressing "Command (⌘) + Shift + .," and utilizing the "Put Back" option from the Mac Trash.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Lost Files from USB Flash Drive on Mac

Below are some questions people often ask while searching for how to recover lost files from a USB flash drive on Mac. Take a look:

1. Can I recover any lost data from USB flash drive?

Most of the time, you can recover lost data from the Mac Trash, but if you've emptied the Trash or the file was deleted more than 30 days ago, the only way to recover data loss from USB flash drive is by using a data recovery software, like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, which is the most effective solution when you experience data loss on USB flash drive.

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

Please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Launch Disk Utility and select your USB drive in the list of devices.

Click the “First Aid” button at the top menu, then click “Run” to repair your USB drive.

Wait for the process to complete and check if the missing files appear. If the First Aid fails, install Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, quickly scan your flash drive, and locate all recoverable files.