What to do right now
- Unplug the stick safely and do not copy anything new onto it.
- Do not format it, even if Windows asks.
- Scan it with a read-only tool and save the files to your PC.
Step by step
Stop using the stick
Every file you copy onto the stick can overwrite the deleted data. If the stick is part of a backup routine or a TV or car stereo, take it out of that routine for now.
Connect it directly to the PC
Plug it into a USB port on the computer itself, not into a hub or a monitor port. Unstable connections cause read errors that look like damage.
Check how Windows sees it
If it opens normally, go to the next step. If Windows asks to format it or Disk Management shows RAW, cancel and follow the RAW drive guide instead.
Scan in FileFix Ultimate
Choose the stick in Deleted file recovery and start the Balanced scan. For a stick that was formatted, add a Deep signature scan afterwards.
Save the results to the PC
Pick a destination folder on the PC's internal disk. Check the report, then open important documents and photos to confirm they work.
Why USB sticks are good candidates for recovery
Most USB flash drives use FAT32 or exFAT and do not receive TRIM commands through the USB connection. When a file is deleted, its directory entry is marked deleted and the clusters are marked free, but the content stays until the space is reused. That is different from an internal SSD, where deleted blocks are often erased within moments.
FAT32 and exFAT do clear part of the information about where a file's pieces are, so large files that were stored in fragments are the hardest to rebuild. Small documents and photos usually come back well.
If files keep disappearing or corrupting
A stick that loses files again and again, or whose files open as garbage after a certain amount of data, may have fake capacity: it reports more space than its real memory chip has. Recover what you can, then test it with the fake capacity check before trusting it again.
When it won't work
- New files were copied onto the stick after the deletion and overwrote the space.
- The stick was formatted with a full format, which overwrites all data in Windows 10/11.
- The stick is not detected at all or disconnects repeatedly; this points to a hardware fault.
- Data written beyond the real size of a fake-capacity stick was never stored correctly.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Reads FAT32 and exFAT entries to recover names and folders, including lost folders after a quick format.
- Reconstructs a damaged boot sector in memory when a stick shows as RAW, without writing to the stick.
- Runs a read-only fake capacity check that looks for address wraparound and size mismatches.
- Saves only to a different volume and records a SHA-256 hash for each recovered file.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Why didn't my deleted files go to the Recycle Bin?
Windows does not use the Recycle Bin for most removable drives. Files deleted there are removed immediately, but their data usually remains until it is overwritten.
Can I recover files from a formatted USB drive?
After a quick format, often yes. After a full format in Windows 10 or 11, which writes zeros to the whole drive, no.
The stick asks to be formatted. Is the data lost?
Not necessarily. The file system's first sectors may be damaged while the files are intact. Choose Cancel and scan the stick as it is.