Undo Flash Drive Delete to Achieve Flash Drive Recovery

How can I recover my USB flash drive?

According to the global market share made by The Insight Partners, USB devices' market size value will be around US$ 35000 million in 2021. By being widely used by users worldwide, the USB flash drive lives up to its name.

Storing essential files as copies, transferring data between computers, etc., USBs play a vital role in people's lives.

But just as in the user case posted above, considerable users are suffering from data loss like accidental deletion on USB flash drives.

They found that, after they have deleted items from the pen drive, there is no way to restore them from the Recycle Bin on their desktop. And thus, they were wondering, where on earth do USB deleted files go?

Where do deleted USB files go?

Do deleted files from USB go to Recycle Bin? Check it out below.

The short answer is no. Maybe you were in such a hurry that you didn't notice the warning message popping up when you executed file deletion on a thumb drive.

When you press the DEL key, right-click to delete, or press the Shift + DEL key to remove a file on a USB, you will be prompted to decide whether to delete the file PERMANENTLY.

What's more, if you delete a file from the USB by dragging it to the Recycle Bin on the computer, you won't even receive this message. It was just gone without warning.

That means the items removed from the USB will not be the same when you delete a file on the local drives. All items deleted from a thumb drive will bypass the Recycle Bin on your desktop and be directly wiped.

That is why you will find deleted files not in Recycle Bin.

Then, is it possible to recover deleted files from USB even after permanent deletion? Check out the answer and the methods in the next part.

How to undo flash drive delete?

Without any help, it will undoubtedly be difficult for an ordinary user to achieve thumb drive data recovery. But no worries, you could use Windows data rescue tools to accomplish the goal.

You could use commands to perform flash drive recovery if you are familiar with the commands. If not, you could also seek help from an easy Windows data recovery tool.

Method 1. Recover deleted files from USB with CMD

You may have heard that the Recover command in CMD could help recover data, but it is much more used when you need to restore data from a corrupted drive.

It could scan and restore readable data from bad sectors. And inconveniently, it can only restore one item at a time.

So here, We will introduce another tool – Windows File Recovery. Its interface is almost as safe as cmd.exe; thus, it will be difficult for users without knowledge of commands.

It uses recovery modes and switches to detect deleted or lost files from a healthy/corrupted/formatted hard drive. Check for a more comprehensive guide on using Windows File Recovery in the tutorial.

Notes:✎...

If you need help with meeting errors, refer to the Windows File Recovery troubleshooting tutorial.

Step 1. Connect the flash drive to the PC > go to This PC > right-click the USB > Properties. Check the file system of the USB.

Step 2. Choose a recovery mode. If you are using a non-NTFS flash drive, please choose Extensive mode.

Step 3. Switches can help narrow the scanning range and target the path/file type.

Step 4. Go to Microsoft Store > click Get to install Windows File Recovery > run the app.

Step 5. Input the command:

winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

Source drive: the USB drive. 

Target drive: choose another place to store the recovered files. Please do not save it on the USB drive.

For instance, input:

winfr F: D: /extensive /n *.jpg

This command will recover all jpg files from the USB drive to the D: drive. It will be pretty challenging to recover flash drive files using commands. If you need an easy means, check the next part.

Method 2. Achieve flash drive data recovery effortlessly without CMD

How to undo flash drive delete without using complicated commands? Users might have problems using Windows File Recovery commands to get their files back because of the complex parameters, no easy instructions, and no intuitive user interface.

Professional data recovery software won't let you down if you also need an easy way to recover deleted files from USB.

You will need data recovery software that possesses these features.

Efficient. Scan and recover deleted/missing files from external/internal hard drives like USB/HDD/SSD/memory card. 

Fast. Quick scanning speed and high recovery rate. 

Compatible. Support multiple Windows operating systems from 7 to 11.

Among so many data recovery programs, MyRecover will be the best choice for you. It is developed by the leading enterprise in the data security industry, equipped with advanced scanning methods.

Follow the easy instructions to perform flash drive recovery.

Step 1. Install and run the software > connect the USB properly > hover the mouse over the USB drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. Quick Scan only applies to NTFS drives. Check out the detected files in Other missing files if you use a non-NTFS thumb drive.

Step 3. Go to the file type you need, e.g., Images > select the files you want > click Recover x files to get them back.

Just 3 simple steps lead you to undo flash drive delete and get files back easily. As a versatile tool, it also assists users in recovering data from pen drive after format.

Related suggestions

You could get help in this tutorial with 2 feasible methods with detailed steps and instructions to undo flash drive delete and thus achieve thumb drive data recovery.

Both commands and a reliable data rescue tool could help you. For you to promote data security easier, extra suggestions are prepared.

• Plug in your USB flash drive and other external storage devices properly.
• Disconnect the flash drive after clicking "Safe to Remove Hardware".
• Keep the pen drive away from high heat, liquid, oil, dust, etc.
• Back up important files to prevent data loss in the future. Use AOMEI Backupper as your data protector.