Storage costs have dropped massively over the last ten years, and now everyday users can afford USB drives with terabytes of storage in a small size. However, it is not always a good idea to put all your valuable files on a flash drive, and it can be risky in some cases.
USB flash drives naturally deteriorate over time. Their NAND flash memory is said to have fewer write cycles than an external SSD, so they are designed primarily for transferring files rather than storing them. While expensive USBs are likely to last longer, all flash drives can be degraded.
If you suddenly find that your files are missing, deleted, or inaccessible, there is still a good chance you can recover them.
If you suddenly find that your files are lost, deleted, or inaccessible, you still have a good chance of retrieving them. This guide will provide you with the best methods, starting with basic fixes and progressing to advanced recovery tools.
Sometimes files are not deleted, they are just hidden. Hidden files do not appear in Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder.
- Open File Explorer
- Select your USB drive
- Click View in the top toolbar
- Select Show
- Enable Hidden items
You can also run a command prompt scan:
attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:*.*
Replace E: with your USB drive’s letter.
- Open Finder
- Navigate to the USB drive under /Volumes/
- Press Command + Shift + Period (.)
If your files reappear, they were hidden and not deleted.
Restore files through Windows file history or macOS Time Machine
Windows and macOS can restore previous versions of folders if they were included in backups. While USB drives are not automatically backed up, some users may have manually created USB folders, so it’s worth checking.
Restore USB folder on Windows
- Open your USB drive
- Right-click the folder
- Select Properties
- Open Previous Versions
- Choose a restore point
- Click Restore
If there is no Previous Versions tab, there are no backups.
Restore USB folder on macOS
- Open Finder
- Open your USB drive
- Click the Time Machine icon (menu bar)
- Select Enter Time Machine
- Choose a restore snapshot
- Click Restore
If you do not see any restore points, the USB was not included in the Time Machine backups.
Use third-party recovery software
If these easy methods fail, third-party tools provide more in-depth recovery options. Success depends on factors such as the timing of file deletion and the drive overwrites.
Disk Drill
One of the most reliable apps is Disk Drill, which supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc. Itcan restore files after a complete reformat with Deep Scan.
- Recovers up to 500MB free, then requires a Pro upgrade
- Available for Windows and macOS
Recuva
Recuva is another popular free tool for Windows users.
- No recovery data limit
- Can restore files from wiped or reformatted drives
- Only available for Windows
- Does not support rare file types as well as Disk Drill
If both tools fail, your USB’s file system may be corrupted.
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