[4 Ways] How to Recover Deleted Folder from USB Drive for Free

USB is recognized as a small and convenient way to store, users can save all the data they need to this small flash drive, plug, and play. However, you may unplug the USB drive while transferring, which will not only the files still being transferred but also the files and even folders already on the USB drive. Fortunately, this tutorial provides 4 ways to recover permanently deleted folders from a USB drive.

Reasons for USB drive folder loss

There are many reasons for file loss on USB, before learning how to recover deleted folder on flash drive, you can first understand the main scenarios where files are easy to disappear:

Once the data in USB is accidentally deleted, it means that it is permanently deleted because the external storage device is different from the hard drive of the computer, and the user cannot recover the deleted files from the Recycle Bin. So doesn't the user have a chance to get their lost files back? Of course!

Even if you can't find your files on USB now, they may still exist in them, but the occupied storage space is marked empty. Before overwriting them in new files, users still have the opportunity to recover data from USB. All you need to do now is pause using the USB drive to store new files and try out how to recover deleted folder from USB flash drive in the following ways.

How to recover deleted folder from USB drive without software

Recovering deleted or lost files from USB is not impossible, here are 2 ways to recover lost data from USB flash drive without software, including the Previous Version, CMD.

▶ Way 1. Recover deleted folder on USB from Previous Versions

If you enabled File History or Restore Points before you lost your data, then you can restore the USB to a previous version without third-party software.

Step 1. Right-click your USB drive and select "Properties".

Open "This PC", right-click the USB flash drive, and select the Properties option.

Step 2. Navigate to the Previous Versions and find the available recovery options.

Click on the Previous Versions option in the pop-up window and look for any missing files from the list of file versions.

Step 3.  Select it and click on Restore to restore it to its original location.

▶ Way 2. Recover deleted folder from USB using CMD

In addition to Backup, you can also recover deleted files use CMD. Windows' command-line tools are probably far more powerful than you think. In this way, users can effectively repair the faulty USB or retrieve the files that are hidden in it. You can get back lost files and folders on USB drive through the following two parts.

Part 1. Repair USB using CMD chkdsk

If the hardware of the USB drive fails, then the probability of losing data will be large. You can enter the command line of check disk to repair the USB drive, it can help users check the logical and physical errors of the specified disk, and fix the problem after your files are retrieved.

Step 1. Plug in the USB to the computer, hold down the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog, and then type cmd to open the program. You can also type cmd in the Windows search box and click Run as administrator to launch it.

Step 2. Enter the command line: chkdsk "drive letter": /f, and press Enter to confirm.

Tip: The CHKDSK command is short for check disk, (The /f command will fix any logical and physical errors found on this USB drive.)

Part 2. Recover hidden files on USB Drive

You may also have set files in USB to be hidden in one operation, or some programs have hidden part of the files, you can use the command prompt to recover hidden files from USB by following these steps.

Step 1. Confirm that your USB is properly connected to the computer, then press the Win + X keys and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Then enter the following command line: attrib -h -r -s /s /d "drive letter" :*.*, click Enter to confirm. Then your hidden USB files will be recovered.

You should know:
-h command assigns a hidden attribute to the selected file.
-r refers to the read-only attribute: the file is readable and cannot be changed.
-s assigns system properties to the selected file.
/s means to search the specified path, including subfolders.
/d command includes the Processes folder.

How to recover deleted folders from USB drive easily

If neither "Previous Versions" nor CMD is able to recover folders from USB flash drives, then the most effective way is to try MyRecover and Windows File Recovery.

▶ Option 1. Recover lost folder from USB with data recovery tool

However not all users have the habit of enabling File History tools, and once they lose data, they may not know how to recover deleted files in USB drive. There is a way to help users recover USB flash drive data lost due to any error. You need MyRecover.

This professional data recovery tool can help users get back all permanently deleted files on USB easily.

Supports permanent deletion file recovery, formatted file recovery, and other data recovery methods.

Supports recovering permanently deleted files, formatted files, and other lost data.

Support recovery of 200+ kinds of data, documents, videos, pictures, audio, compressed files, etc.

 Recover deleted files from USB flash drives, SD cards, HDDs, SSDs, and other storage media.

 Compatible with Windows 7/8/10/11 and Windows Server, supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS.

You should click on this secure download button install MyRecover on your desktop and then start recovering deleted USB folders:

Step 1. Launch MyRecover, then hover the mouse over the partition or disk where you lost data and click Scan to scan it.

Step 2. The tool automatically enables Quick Scan and Deep Scan, which will improve the efficiency of data recovery and you can see deleted and other lost files in the list.

Step 3. Select the files or folders you need to recover from the scan results, if you want to recover to USB, please select them as the storage location and click the Recover x files button to start the recovery task.

▶ Option 2.  Try the Windows File Recovery to get back deleted folders

Windows File Recovery works with the command lines due to a lack of GUI (Graphical User Interface). So you need to type the correct command based on your file system and the relevant mode. You can choose the Default mode, Segmented mode, Signature mode, or Extensive mode.

Pay attention to the basic command format:winfr source-drive: destination-drive [/mode] [/switches].

 Please note that the recovered files need to be saved in a new location.

 Perhaps recovering the deleted files using the command prompt can give you more details.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery on your PC.

Step 2. Enter Windows File Recovery in the search bar and click "Run as administrator."

Step 3. Check your file system and select a corresponding mode.

File systems

How to select a suitable mode? The following tips may help you.

Step 4. Look through the General and Advanced syntax, then resemble your needed command line. Here are some practical syntaxes below.

General syntax

Advanced syntax

For example, if you want to recover the JPEG and PNG pictures from the C drive to the E drive, the command line is winfr C: E: /n \Users\Pictures\*.JPEG /n \Users\Pictures\*.PNG.

Step 5.Input “y” to go on. Please wait patiently. Then your recovered files will be saved in the destination drive that you’ve chosen.

In the end

This post covers 4 effective ways to solve how to recover deleted folder from USB drive. Whether your USB is damaged or the files in it are hidden, you can get back your data smoothly. The easiest way is to use a professional tool like MyRecover to recover data from all lost USB drives.