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Formatting a flash drive or pen drive will erase all files on it. Whether it was an accident, you forgot to back up important files, or someone else did it, you'll want to know whether you can recover data from a formatted USB drive. It's possible, whether you are using a Windows PC or a Mac! In this article, we will explain which situations can be recovered and provide detailed steps for your reference.
| Formatting Types | Solutions | Data Recovery Success Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Format | Format your flash drive using the operating system's default method or by typing "format [drive letter]: /Q" at the command prompt. | Creating a brand-new file system, making the files within it inaccessible but without erasing their actual contents. Therefore, data recovery after a quick format is feasible and has a high success rate. |
| Full Format |
|
In addition to performing the quick format, it will also write zeros or random data to all sectors to overwrite the existing files and mark bad sectors. Since the new data has overwritten them on your USB drive, restoring them is almost impossible. |
To summarize, although the flash drive appears empty after formatting, if you use "Quick Format", the files are still there. It's just that the index information of the files in the file system has been removed, making the operating system unable to find them. Therefore, the following methods can help you regain these files.
Note: Once you discover that important files on the USB drive have been lost due to formatting, please stop using it immediately. Any new data saved to the drive could possibly overwrite the files you want to recover.
Though Windows has a built-in backup feature to protect users' important data from being lost, it only works for local hard disks. In consequence, it won’t help if you want to recover files from a flash drive after formatting.
The good news is that data recovery software can do it for you. Nevertheless, when you search for it through Google, you will get millions of results. Some only work for a few limited file formats, some are very expensive, and some can even damage your lost files. If you have never used any such software before, we recommend you try the following two first. Best of all, they are free.
It has multiple scanning algorithms and can repair files damaged by formatting. Here is why iBeesoft Free Data Recovery stands out:
This tool was developed by Microsoft, so you don't need to worry that it will damage the data you have lost. Though the biggest drawback of Windows File Recovery is the lack of a graphical interface, you can still use it to recover files from a formatted flash drive with ease by following the steps below.
If you are a macOS user, we also provide two options for your reference.
Compared with its Windows version, it can save only 500MB of recoverable data for free (usually enough to test the software's performance and recover personal files), but it also offers an additional file backup feature. Thus, even if you encounter the same problem in the future, you won't lose important files. So, we still consider iBeesoft Free Data Recovery for Mac to be one of the best choices. Now let’s look at how easy it is to use the program to recover files from a formatted USB drive on a Mac.
Tip: The steps above also apply to recovering deleted files on a Mac.
If iBeesoft Free Data Recovery for Mac isn't right for you, or if you prefer a completely free program, then PhotoRec is worth a try. Don't be misled by its name. It can also recover almost all file types.
These are our recommended programs for recovering files from a formatted flash drive on Windows and Mac. If you haven't found a satisfactory option or want to learn more, here are 15 free USB recovery software options for your reference.
In certain situations, such as when the USB drive controller is damaged after formatting, even software programs with state-of-the-art algorithms, like iBeesoft Free Data Recovery, may not be able to recover your data. If you’re in that situation, your last resort is to contact a professional data recovery service.
Unlike software solutions, they will use specialized equipment to access the storage chips directly and retrieve the files there. Although such services come at a high price, they offer detailed assessment reports to help you make your final decision.
Although the above solutions can be helpful in case of problems, formatting your flash drive correctly can prevent data loss. Therefore, we suggest following the tips below.
As we have demonstrated, as long as you are using the "Quick Format", it is still possible to recover data from the formatted USB drive. Since most users do not proactively back up these files, software solutions offer the best approach. Therefore, we highly recommend iBeesoft Free Data Recovery for this purpose, as it delivers professional performance and supports both Windows and macOS.
In most cases, it doesn’t mean the flash drive is physically damaged, but that its file system has malfunctioned. It is usually caused by suddenly unplugging the drive from your computer or a virus infection. If the drive contains important files, don't format it. The most effective method is to restore them using iBeesoft Data Recovery first, and then resolve the issue.
It is possible! If the new data was not written to the sectors where the original files were located, then they can be recovered.
Not always. If you can’t delete files or they're hidden, formatting is a good choice. However, be sure to back up all important files before proceeding. If not, deletion is a safer choice.
If your USB drive has a physical write-protection switch, please turn it off before formatting. Besides, you can also try formatting it on another computer or use third-party software, such as iBeesoft Disk Partition Wizard.
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