If you have ever deleted important files from your flash drive, but you don’t want to use software to recover your files, you still have a chance of recovering all your deleted files from the USB drive without software by the methods we will introduce below. They are the most used solutions we’ve found online. However, the possibility is not that high according to our tests. The situation might be different if you use a different computer or USB flash drive from ours, so it is recommended to have a try.
2 Ways to Recover Deleted Files from USB without Software
The 2 methods we are going to introduce will require a computer, so make sure you have a PC beside you.
Use the Command Prompt (CMD)
This is a built-in Windows feature that helps one to carry out any necessary commands in order to complete various system operations. To use this tool:
- Properly connect the USB drive that you wish to recover deleted files from. Ensure it is recognized by your computer.
- Run Command Prompt by tapping on the start menu. Then type in and search for “CMD”. Right-click cmd.exe and click on Run as Administrator.
- In the Command prompt Window type chkdsk E: /f and click Enter. ( Replace E with the letter assigned to your USB drive)
- Then type ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D E:*.* or ATTRIB -H -R -S E:\*.* /S /D ( once again remember to replace “E” with the letter assigned to your USB drive). Then click the Enter button.
- Then patiently await the process to complete. After all these, a new folder will be created on your USB drive which contains all your deleted files if this method works.
Use the Restore Previous Versions Feature
Previous Versions allows you to back up your files and folders to your computer using File Explorer. As such this feature is another method that can be used to retrieve deleted files without the help of other software. However, you must have already turned on the Previous Version feature on your computer and it has automatically backed up your USB drive before the deletion.
If you never enabled the feature, then you can ignore this method. If you have done that, you can recover your deleted files by the steps below:
- Connect your flash drive to your computer.
- Open This PC and find your USB flash drive.
- Right-click on the chosen USB drive. Select Properties.
- You will see some tabs including Previous Versions. Click it.
- Under this tab, you can see all the folder versions that you have created before.
- From there choose the previous version that might include the files you deleted. Click on Restore.
If you never enabled the Previous Versions feature, then you cannot see the Previous Versions tab when you open the Properties window.
A Proved-to-be-efficient Way to Recover Deleted Files from USB
We hope you have already recovered your deleted files from USB without software. However, as we mentioned above, the 2 methods might not work for everyone. If you are still looking for a way to recover the lost files, we really recommend that you try data recovery software which is proven to be helpful and also efficient. Don’t leave now, keep reading to know why we recommend this method.
Why Is Data Recovery Software Worth Trying?
Data recovery rate is very high by using a tool (software). Why? This is because when a file is erased from the USB drive, it physically remains on that particular USB whereas its storage space is marked empty. This means that the deleted file still exists. It is just not viewable on the USB. It can still be recovered except if it gets overwritten.
As such make sure you do not save any new files on the USB drive before attempting to recover the deleted files. Otherwise, it will result in the new files writing over that original sector where your deleted file was and this will make it impossible to recover it. That’s to say, only if you do not use your flash drive after the deletion, it is very likely to recover the deleted files.
Another reason we recommend data recovery software is that you can scan your USB drive to look for the deleted files before you actually buy the software. You can preview the files to make sure the software really does the recovery job.
Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to Recover Deleted Files from USB
We tried EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and it found all the deleted files we’ve deleted even a long time ago. That’s why we recommend it. The EaseUs data recovery software offers you a chance to scan your USB drive and check for free if your data has been recovered properly. After confirming this you can choose to buy the software. To use this software:
- Download and install the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
- Connect your USB drive to your computer and Run the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
- Select your USB drive when the option comes and tap on Scan.
- After the Scan process ends, click the Deleted Files tab and preview the files. If there are the deleted files you want to recover, you can purchase a license to activate the software.
- Then you can choose the files you want to recover and tap on Recover to restore your deleted USB drive files.
Tip: Enabling the Previous Versions Feature
If you did not enable the Previous Version feature before and want to be able to recover your data in the future using this feature, you can follow the method below to enable it.
It is to use Settings to enable the Previous Version in Windows 10. Look for an available drive to save the previous versions of files such as an external hard drive or a network location. Then do the following:
- Click the Start menu and navigate to Settings
- Select Update and Security
- Click on Backup and add a Drive.
- Then select the drive you have added to your computer.
Completion of these steps means that your computer will then start backing up using File History.
Recovering deleted files from USB is possible whether you’re using software or not. Hopefully, these methods worked for you too!
