11 Best Apps to Recover Lost Files on Flash Drives
Flash drives are a vital tool in our daily routines as it offers an easy and quick way to store and transfer data between computers. Despite their usefulness, they are not without their weaknesses.
These devices are often vulnerable to viruses and other issues, leading us to format them. A common mistake many of us make is formatting the flash drive without backing up the data first. As a result, the data gets erased and lost.
Losing data can be a major setback, particularly if it's crucial. Fortunately, if you find yourself in this situation, Carisinyal is here to help. We'll explore how to retrieve formatted data from a flash drive using 11 different recovery software programs. Below, you'll find a comprehensive list of these software tools.
1. Recuva
Recuva is a recovery tool designed for Windows XP and newer versions. Created by Piriform, it offers both a free and a paid version.
Upon its first launch, Recuva walks users through the recovery steps. It asks which files or drives you're looking to recover. Once you provide this information, Recuva quickly starts searching for the desired files.
After completing its search, Recuva presents the findings in detail. By clicking on a file, you can view various details like its condition, a hex dump, and a preview. For JPG images, there's an option to view thumbnails, making it easier to find what you're looking for.
2. Puran File Recovery
Puran File Recovery is primarily known for retrieving deleted data from PC and laptop hard drives. Interestingly, it also offers a feature to recover data from flash drives.
This software stands out for its ability to locate 50 different types of lost files, including photos, videos, and documents. Another benefit of Puran File Recovery is its small size, making it easy to install on a laptop or PC. If you're interested, you can download Puran File Recovery from their website.
3. Disk Drill
Disk Drill is a robust data recovery software. It claims to be able to retrieve lost data from hard drives, flash drives, iPods, and other storage devices. Impressively, Disk Drill can recover files larger than 500MB.
A unique feature of Disk Drill is its ability to pause and resume data restoration. It also organizes the data you're recovering by size or date. Disk Drill is compatible with Windows XP and above, and it's also available for Mac OS X users. You can download Disk Drill from their website.
4. Glary Undelete v5.0
For those looking to recover data from a flash drive, Glary Undelete v5.0 is an excellent choice. This software excels in recovering all types of data from various storage devices, including flash drives. Plus, it boasts a user-friendly interface that's easy to navigate.
Additionally, Glary Undelete v5.0 is known for being a lightweight program, so it doesn't require much storage space on your device. However, it's important to note that it's designed for Windows 10 and above users. You can download Glary Undelete v5.0 from their official site.
5. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
The EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a versatile tool for retrieving lost or deleted files. It works on PCs, laptops, and external devices like flash drives, regardless of whether the data loss was due to formatting errors, viruses, or other reasons.
This software features two scanning modes: a quick scan for speedy searches and a deep scan for more thorough investigations. A handy aspect of EaseUS is its ability to filter and select specific files for recovery, which helps avoid restoring unnecessary files.
Moreover, EaseUS stands out for its capability to recover over 1000 types of file formats, including graphics, videos, audios, documents, emails, and more. So, if you've lost important data on your flash drive, don't worry. You can download the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free software to help retrieve it.
6. SoftPerfect File Recovery
SoftPerfect File Recovery is a compact and efficient flash disk data recovery software, suitable for Windows XP and above users. Its key feature is the ability to recover data from NTFS and FAT systems, which are widely used today.
Additionally, SoftPerfect File Recovery is impressively small, requiring less than 1MB of storage space. An interesting fact about the Pro version is that it doesn’t require installation, making it even more convenient. If you're interested in this efficient recovery tool, you can download SoftPerfect File Recovery from their website.
7. CardRecovery
CardRecovery is a data recovery software that works with Windows 98 and newer operating systems. It's particularly effective for recovering JPG and RAW images, as well as various video and audio formats like AVI, MPG, MOV, MP3, and WAV.
However, CardRecovery has its limitations. It can't recover document files, RAR archives, and certain daily-use files. Additionally, it doesn't support some image formats, including Photoshop and PNG files.
Thus, this software is best suited for recovering media files, especially from formatted digital camera memories. To use it, simply select the location of the deleted file and the destination for the recovered file.
The search duration varies based on the size of your pendrive or memory card. Once the search is complete, you can preview the images in JPG format.
8. PhotoRec
PhotoRec is a versatile, free software compatible with DOS, Windows 8 and later, Mac OS X, and Linux. It's capable of recovering data from various devices and supports a broad range of file types.
This program goes beyond media files, able to detect and recover over 400 different file formats. A notable feature of PhotoRec is its "unformat" capability, which not only recovers files but also restores all directories, helping your flash drive or hard disk return to its pre-formatted state.
PhotoRec can also salvage files from damaged directories. However, its Command Prompt-style interface may be challenging for many computer users.
9. Recover My Files
Another option for recovering formatted data from a flash drive is the Recover My Files application by GetData. Compatible with Windows devices, it comes in three versions: Standard, Pro, and Technician, each with a different price.
This application offers two search modes: a regular search and a deep scan. The regular search quickly locates common files like images, documents, music, and videos.
On the other hand, the deep scan delves into more file types, from database files to fonts, and can also repair damaged directory structures or partitions. However, a deep scan takes significantly longer than a regular search.
Once the search is complete, the results are displayed as a directory tree. For certain file types, you can preview them in the left column. Additionally, there's a "Search" tab that allows you to sift through the found files directly.
10. Remo Recover
Remo Recover is another reliable program for data recovery, offering several versions with varying features. If a particular feature is not included in your version, the program will provide a preview of that feature.
The software allows for both simple and detailed searches. However, you'll need to wait until the search is complete to view the recovered files. One notable aspect of Remo Recover is its faster search process compared to other programs.
However, this speed sometimes results in less accurate file detection. For instance, some files may be identified in the wrong format, which can be inconvenient as it requires manual extension modification.
11. Undelete 360
The final application in our list is Undelete 360. This free software is compatible with PCs running Windows 2000 and newer versions. Its interface resembles Microsoft Office 2007, making it user-friendly for first-time users.
Once launched, Undelete 360 automatically scans your PC's drives. You can select the specific drive you want to search. The search process takes just a short while, and there's an option to preview the files to ensure you've found what you're looking for.
However, it's important to note that Undelete 360 sometimes struggles with thorough file searching. In particular, it may not always detect files erased through a "quick format," which can be a significant drawback.
So, these are the 11 software solutions you can use to recover formatted data from a flash drive. They are also versatile for use with hard drives, SD cards, and various other memory cards.