Everybody wants to know how to recover deleted files from a USB drive without software. All of us very well know the value of these files, and losing them can always be a problem—be it due to a virus attack or some other accidental deletion. Nobody wants to lose a file. Fortunately, the good news is that you can recover lost files as well as important information.
But here’s this: You actually don’t need to possess special software for recovering誤 deletion in a USB flash drive. Contrary to, or against people’s general beliefs, there exist some ways to recover those files without depending on file recovery software.
Can You Recover Permanently Deleted Files from USB without Software?
Now, you can wonder if it is possible or not to recover deleted files from a USB without software. Yes, it is. When files get erased, then the area they use on the USB drives will be marked as new. But the delete items are not removed instant. If you understand that concept then you can recover the delete files.
One of the options is to look into your computer’s trash or recycling tank. If you delete files from your flash drive while it is plugged into your PC, such directories may still have them. Using the facility of “previous generation” available in many kinds of operating systems is one of the other options. It provides recovery of data lost from a trash or a recycled tank. It can also help you to restore the content of USB drives with Window File Recovery.
Not to forget, all of these guides have their limitation. They work best when the files were recently removed because there maybe other data on USB drives, which have been used continuously and overwritten since then.
Now let’s dive into how to recover deleted files in a USB drive with or without software. There are several effective ways :
Method 1: Restore USB via “Recover Previous Version”
In this method, you do not need to use any more tools for the recovery of deleted files from the USB. Be sure that the file history setting is to automatically back up your files before you try this step.
Connect the USB flash drive and turn on "This PC" from the Start Menu.Right-click the USB drive and from the list, click on “Properties”.
Under the section “Properties” go to the “Previous” tab where more recovery options will be given.
Click the “Restore” and then select the “previous version” to recover the file.
Method 2: Restore deleted files from USB with Windows File Recovery
Well, the Windows File Recovery app comes in handy for Windows 10 version 2004 and higher to recover items you have deleted from any of your USB drives.
Download Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store
Messages of your USB drive prior to plugging into your computer
CMD in admin modeOn your command prompt, enter “winfr E: C: /extensive” (to replace “E:” with the drive letter of your USB, and “C:” with the drive letter of the storage device in which you want to save the recovered files. After that, Windows File Recovery will start processing and recover the lost files.
Method 3: Restore deleted files from USB using WinfrGUI
WinfrGUI is a robust data recovery freeware for Windows 10 and 11, that aids in speedily recovering damaged files with great ease.
Download and install WinfrGUI on the Windows 10/11 computer.
Run the software and initiate the scan.
Preview the scanned files before continuing.Select the file you wish to recover and click “Recover”.
Manage a location where you will save the received and completed process.
Method 4: Recover deleted files in USB through CMD (Command Prompt) without software.
We can recover the deleted data in USB drives through the use of command line language in Windows. This method could be challenging since not everybody can use the command lines; though, it may not guarantee the recovery of all delete files.
Connect the flash drive to your computer and bring up the utility using the Win + R keys.
Enter the text “cmd” in the window that opens and press OK to open the Command Prompt.
Run the following commands in sequence:
chkdsk X: /f, where you replace “X:” with the drive letter assigned to your removable flash drive.
Properties -h-r-s G:. /s /d where you replace “G” with the letter that your computer has assigned to your USB drive.
Now restore the data on your flash drive and open it to check for the restored data.
Although USB drives store data for many years, they are not designed for long-term file storage. Therefore, it’s always good to have a backup plan in place to ensure that important information remains secure.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, one does not need software to recover data from USB drives. Following the above methods will most probably get back valuable data. Not forgetting to do it fast and cautiously while deleting data will increase one’s chances of recovery.