Free | How to Recover Files from a Formatted USB/Flash Drive

Overview of Formatting USB/Flash Drive Data Recovery

There may be times when you accidentally format your USB drive, or find that you need to reformat it because the device isn't working properly. Some of these instances include:

• Corrupted system
• RAW file system
• USB drive, pen drive, or hard drive not formatted error
• The volume does not contain a recognized file system issue or other errors

Formatting a USB drive usually results in the loss of most, if not all, of the data it contains. Or so it seems. In reality, the data is still there until you start using the drive and writing new files to it.

However, unless you use special recovery software or don't mind typing command-line code, it's not easy to recover the data. Here are two methods:

2 Free Solutions to Recover Data from Formatted USB/Flash Drive

Method 1: Recover Data from a Formatted USB Drive Using Data Recovery Software

If you need to recover data, the Data Recovery Wizard tool should be your first choice, as it is not only an easy-to-use data recovery solution but also free, thus involving no financial risks.

Apart from USB flash drives, it lets you retrieve files from formatted computer hard drive, external hard drive, SD cards, memory sticks, and other storage devices compatible with PC. Here are the reasons we recommend this tool:

• Recover data from a formatted USB drive in just 3 easy steps.
• Retrieve data lost due to deletion, hiding, or from RAW partitions.
• Supports preview of recoverable files.
• Features two scanning modes: Quick Scan and Deep Scan.
• 100% secure for both Windows and Mac computers.

Download the free Data Recovery Wizard tool. Then, you can learn how to use it easily by watching the video tutorial or following the detailed steps below:

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your computer. Launch the Universal Data Recovery Wizard. Select the formatted SD card, USB flash drive, or USB pen drive from where you want to recover lost files, and click “Scan.”

Step 2. After the scan is finished, all found files will be displayed on the screen. Use the "Filter" or "File Type" feature to locate the file you need.

Step 3: Select the files you wish to recover from the formatted external hard drive, and then click on “ Recover ”. A new window will pop up asking you to select a new location to save these files. Click on “OK” to confirm.

As you can see, the Tool File Recovery software lets you restore all data lost due to formatting. To recover data from a formatted USB, all you need to do is select the location of the lost data and the files you want to retrieve. It's also popular among users who need to restore files after emptying the recycle bin, or recover lost data after a system crash, and so on. Since data loss can happen for various reasons every day, it makes sense to have it on your computer to maximize the chances of recovering all your lost files.

As you can see, file recovery software is a painless way to retrieve files you thought were lost after formatting a drive. But it's not the only situation where it can help – it's also popular for restoring files after emptying the Recycling Bin, recovering lost data following a system crash, and more.

Tool Data Recovery Services

Contact our experts for a free assessment.

Consult with Tool Data Recovery specialists for one-on-one manual recovery service consultations. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following services:

• Repair of damaged RAID structures, unbootable Windows operating systems, and corrupted virtual disk files (e.g., .vmdk, .vhd, .vhdx)
• Recovery/repair of lost partitions and repartitioned drives
• Unformatting hard drives and repairing original drives (including BitLocker encrypted drives)
• Fixing disks converted to GPT protective partition style

Method 2: Recover Data from Formatted USB Using CMD

Some suggestions will tell you to use CMD to recover formatted USB, but actually, Command Prompt only helps you display hidden files. If your USB data has been permanently deleted, you can only apply the tool Data Recovery Wizard for recovery.

Here are the detailed steps for those who want to know how to show hidden files in CMD with the utf-8 encoding format.

Step 1: Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

Step 2: Check the letter assigned to your USB drive under This PC.

Step 3: Click on the Search icon on the taskbar, type “cmd,” right-click on “Command Prompt,” and select “Run as administrator.”

Step 4 Type chkdsk F: /f into the Command Prompt. (Replace F: with the letter assigned to your USB drive.)

Step 5: Type Y, and then type in the disk code for your USB drive.

Step 6: Type in F:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.*. This will display all the hidden files in your USB drive. (F: stands for the drive letter of your USB device.)

Extra Tip: Recover Formatted Files from USB Drive Backup

If you were lucky enough to have backed up the data on your USB drive, then you can simply restore that backup to get your files back. We always recommend backing up your data, so check out our guide on the best free backup software to avoid losing any precious documents, images, or other files.

How to recover data from a formatted USB/flash drive?

One question users often ask is, “How can I recover data from a formatted USB drive?” In this section, we'll quickly explain how a tool like Data Recovery Wizard makes that possible.

Normally, when you format a drive, the files you delete are not completely gone – they're just no longer visible. They are not permanently deleted until new data overwrites them, because the system has simply marked the space they occupy as available.

So, if you accidentally format your USB drive or any other storage media, avoid using it further. Doing so might overwrite the data you think is lost and make it irrecoverable.

Data-recovery software knows what to look for when it scans a drive, and so can find files that Windows or macOS no longer considers to be there, allowing you to copy them to a new location.

Conclusion: Why Data Recovery Wizard is Your Best Choice

While all three methods outlined in this guide can help you recover lost data after formatting the hard drive, using the tool Data Recovery Wizard is undoubtedly the easiest. Since it's a dedicated professional software, it can quickly and easily locate and retrieve files, along with offering additional features to handle other data loss scenarios.

Here are three major reasons why you should consider using it:

• User-friendly

Data Recovery Wizard is renowned for its user-friendliness. To recover files from a formatted USB, you just need to follow a three-step process to get the job done.

• 100% Secure

It has no viruses and no plugins. You can download it safely; it will do no harm to your computer.

• Excellent compatibility

It is compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP and Windows Server 2019/2016/2012/2008/2003, allowing you to recover files from Windows laptops/desktops as well as external storage devices that are compatible with Windows. You can also use this tool to recover files from partitions with file systems like FAT, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/ext3, HFS+, and ReFS.

In addition to offering more flexibility in selecting files for recovery than command-line code or backup files, Data Recovery Wizard can help in a variety of data-loss scenarios. Give it a try.