Have you ever been in a situation where you connect the hard drive to your computer only to find that your files get lost? What if these files are important business document or school presentation? Is there a feasible way to get deleted files back? The straightforward answer to these questions is by using right tools, you can recover deleted files from flash drive. Below we’ll show you feasible ways to restore deleted files from USB flash drive.

What should you do before recovery process?

Before we head to recovery part, you’d better take some preliminary steps. These are meant to protect the device from further data loss and give you the best chances of recovering your deleted files. Once you experience data loss, you should stop using the device to avoid data being overwritten. Plus, to make sure that you don’t inadvertently write any additional files to the device, you should disconnect it from the computer until ready to recover your data.

How to restore deleted files from flash drive?

Solution 1. Recover deleted files with data recovery software

When faced with data loss, the most suggested way is to utilize a data recovery software to undo the effects of accidental deletion or inadvertent flash drive formatting. In the vast sea of data recovery software, RecoveryMaster is a qualified candidate. It can successfully and easily recover lost or deleted files, pictures, documents, videos after deleting, formatting, partition loss, system crash, virus attack and other data loss scenarios. This user-friendly tool fully supports Windows 10/8/7 and Mac OS 10.15 – 10.9. Follow the steps to recover deleted files from USB flash drive:

Step 1. Download and install RecoveryMaster

Step 2. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer

Step 3. Launch the program, select the drive and click Scan

Step 4. Select and preview the file you wish to recover

Step 5. Click Recover to get back your file and store it to another secure location

RecoveryMaster enables you to pause and resume scan without waiting for the entire scanning process. Moreover, you can filter specific file type to quickly locate your desired file. Apart from that, this fantastic tool is absolutely secure and can protect your computer from virus attack.

Solution 2. Recover deleted files from flash drive using CMD

If your files are not deleted but missing from your USB flash drive, you can use command prompt to get back your file. This command works well if the files are hidden on your USB drives. Steps to recover deleted files from flash drive using CMD are as follows:

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer

Step 2. Open a command prompt by pressing Windows + R and type CMD in the search box

Step 3. Type chkdsk “drive letter”:/f in the command prompt window and hit Enter

Step 4. Type attrib -h -r -s/s/d “drive letter”:*.*

When the process is completed, a new folder will be created on the flash drive with the recovered files. They may be in CHK format and will need to be renamed and saved in order to be usable.

Solution 3. Restore from previous version

In addition to recover deleted files using data recovery software and CMD, you can restore them from previous version. Before you try this method, make sure that you have set up File History to automatically back up files.

Step 1. Right-click on the folder that contains your deleted files and select Properties

Step 2. Click on the tab “Previous versions”

Step 3. A list of older versions of the file will be displayed. Select the file edition you’re looking for and click Restore button

If this method fails to recover permanently deleted files from USB flash drive, we strongly recommend you to use a data recovery software. It makes recovery process easier and quicker.

Tips to protect data on flash drive

To avoid data loss on flash drive, you’d better take some precautions. It’s advisable to take regular backups of your important data. Other than that, you should take care of your devices as a flash drive can easily be broken or physically damaged. Running an anti-virus tool can also help minimize the possibility that your data will be impacted by a rogue program.

Wrapping up

Losing data on flash drive can be unnerving. Taking proper precautions can avoid permanent data loss. Even if you don’t have a backup, you still can recover deleted files from flash drive by the above methods. The most suggested and easiest way is to retrieve deleted files by using RecoveryMaster. Only a few simple clicks, you can get your important files back.