Formatting a USB drive erases all of the data on it, which can lead to permanently losing valuable photos, documents, and other files. However, with the right tools, it is often possible to recover deleted files from a USB drive before formatting it. This guide will walk you through your options for USB file recovery.
Can I recover files from a USB drive before formatting?
Yes, it is usually possible to recover deleted files from a USB drive before formatting, as long as you use the right file recovery software and don’t overwrite the deleted data. When you delete files from a USB drive, the file contents are not immediately erased. Instead, the file system just marks the space those files occupied as being available for new data. The actual file data remains on the disk until it gets overwritten by something else.
As long as you stop using the USB drive as soon as you realize important files are deleted, a file recovery program should be able to scan the drive and retrieve your lost files. However, the more you continue saving new data to the drive, the higher the risk that portions of your deleted files could get overwritten and be unrecoverable.
How does file recovery from a USB drive work?
File recovery software is designed to scan the raw data on a drive and reconstruct deleted files. Even if you can no longer see the files on your USB drive, the data that makes up those original files still resides on the disk. The software scans each sector of the drive looking for data patterns that indicate the start and end of files.
When it finds these file signatures, it can rebuild the file structure and restore previously deleted documents, photos, and other file types. The better the file recovery software, the more file signatures it is able to detect across a broad range of file formats.
How to recover files from a USB drive before formatting
Follow these general steps to recover deleted files from a USB drive before formatting:
- Stop using the USB drive immediately after files are deleted or lost. Don’t save anything new to the drive.
- Install and launch a file recovery program on your computer.
- Connect the USB drive to the computer and scan it using the recovery software.
- Preview found files to locate your lost data.
- Select the files to recover and save them to another drive.
- After recovering your files, you can format the USB drive if needed.
As long as you avoid any further data writes to the USB drive, this process should allow you to get back deleted files. The details may vary slightly depending on which file recovery tool you use.
Choose the right USB file recovery software
Many data recovery apps are available, both free and paid. Look for one that specifically advertises the ability to recover lost files from USB drives and has positive reviews. Some top options include:
- Recuva – Free Windows utility for recovering deleted files.
- EaseUS – Data recovery software with a free trial version.
- Stellar Data Recovery – Has a free trial and paid versions for Windows and Mac.
- Disk Drill – Mac and Windows recovery software with free and paid options.
The free trial or free versions should allow you to scan your USB drive and preview recoverable files. Paid versions provide additional features like faster scans and the ability to recover all found files instead of just a limited number.
Connect the USB drive to your computer
Before scanning your USB drive for recoverable files, connect it directly to your computer. Avoid any network shares, hubs, or card readers. The direct USB connection provides the recovery software with the most reliable access to read data from the drive.
Scan the USB drive for deleted files
Once you select a file recovery app, install it on your computer and launch it. Follow the instructions to add your USB drive as a location to scan. The software will read the raw data on the disk and rebuild files that were deleted.
Depending on the program, you may be able to choose between a quick scan and a deep scan. Quick scans are faster but may find fewer deleted files. Deep scans take longer but dig deeper to uncover as many lost files as possible. If a quick scan doesn’t find what you need, try a deep scan.
Preview and select files to recover
After the USB drive scan completes, the recovery software should present you with a list of files it can restore. Most apps let you preview images, documents, and other files. Look through them to find your lost data.
Once you locate the files you want to recover, select them for restoration. Avoid recovering more files than necessary, as this slows down the process and uses disk space.
Save the recovered files to another drive
When recovering files from a USB drive, never save the restored files back to the same drive. This risks overwriting deleted data that the software hasn’t scanned yet. Instead, choose a different drive on your computer to save to.
An external hard drive, separate USB stick, or cloud storage works well for storing recovered files. This keeps them safe while you complete the USB file recovery process.
Format the USB drive after file recovery
If you wanted to format your USB drive after recovering deleted files, you can now safely do so. All needed data should be saved elsewhere. Just remember formatting erases everything on a drive, so don’t reuse that USB stick to store the only copies of your recovered files.
Tips for successful USB file recovery
Keep these tips in mind when attempting data recovery from a USB drive:
- Avoid writing new data to the drive after deleting files. This overwrites your lost data.
- Don’t format the USB drive until after recovering files.
- Use file recovery software as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the lower your chances.
- Connect the USB drive directly instead of via a hub or reader.
- Save recovered files to a different drive. Don’t write them back to the same USB stick.
- Scan again with deep mode if quick scan fails to find lost files.
Can you recover files after formatting a USB drive?
It is possible to recover files even after formatting a USB drive, but the chances decrease significantly. Formatting a drive erases the existing file system structure, making it harder for data recovery apps to locate and rebuild deleted files.
If you accidentally formatted your USB drive before recovering lost data, you can still attempt to get files back. Just avoid adding any new files to the drive. Follow the same general process by installing recovery software, scanning the formatted drive, and saving found files elsewhere.
However, the overwritten file system makes successful recovery less likely. You may only get back partial files or nothing at all. Still, it’s worth trying recovery software if you have no other way to retrieve important lost data.
Can you recover files after emptying the Recycle Bin?
When you delete files from your USB drive on Windows, they get sent to the Recycle Bin just like other deleted files. Even after emptying the Recycle Bin, recovery software should still be able to retrieve these deleted files from the USB drive.
Emptying the Recycle Bin only removes deleted file references, not the actual data on your storage devices. As long as that data doesn’t get overwritten, recovery apps can still scan the USB drive and restore lost files. Just make sure not to save anything new to the drive.
How can I avoid needing to recover deleted files?
Needing to resort to file recovery is always unpleasant. Here are some ways to avoid finding yourself trying to restore lost data from a USB drive:
- Frequently backup your important files.
- Store files in the cloud for easy access from anywhere.
- Use a file versioning system like Apple’s Time Machine.
- Enable Recycle Bin protection against accidental deletion.
- Eject and properly remove USB drives before disconnecting them.
- Double check what you are deleting before confirming file deletion.
No system is completely failproof, but keeping redundant copies of your files across different locations makes data loss far less likely.
Conclusion
With the right tools and proper technique, recovering deleted files from a USB drive before formatting is usually possible. Just make sure to stop writing new data to the drive, use reliable file recovery software, save the restored files elsewhere, and act quickly before anything gets overwritten. Following these steps carefully should allow you to rescue your valuable photos, documents, and other data.