Why pendrive files seem gone for good

Windows does not use a Recycle Bin for most removable drives. When you press Delete, the file's directory entry is marked as deleted and its clusters are marked free in the FAT or exFAT allocation table. The actual data is left behind.

Do not copy anything to the pendrive

Copying even one small file can overwrite the start of a deleted file. Leave the stick alone until you have recovered what you need.

Recover deleted files from a pendrive

  1. Plug the pendrive into a USB port on the back of your PC if possible (more stable power).
  2. Open TEA-disk and choose the pendrive under ...or scan a whole drive.
  3. Click Scan for deleted files. For FAT32 and exFAT sticks, TEA-disk reads the deleted directory entries and shows the original names, including long file names.
  4. Tick the files you need and save them to your computer, not back to the pendrive.
Deleted a whole folder? TEA-disk follows deleted folders too, so the files inside come back in the same structure.

If Windows says the drive needs formatting

A message like “You need to format the disk in drive E: before you can use it” means Windows cannot read the file system – the drive shows as RAW. Click Cancel. Then scan the stick with TEA-disk: when the file system is not recognised, it switches to a deep scan automatically. More in our guide to RAW drives.

When software cannot help

  • The pendrive is not detected at all, not even in Disk Management.
  • It shows a size of 0 bytes or a strange, tiny capacity.
  • It gets very hot or disconnects every few seconds.

These are signs of hardware failure. Stop using it and, if the data is valuable, contact a professional recovery lab.

Frequently asked questions

Can I recover files from a pendrive I formatted?

Often yes. Use Deep scan: it finds photos, videos, documents and archives by their content even after a quick format.

Why do recovered files from a pendrive not open?

Either their space was reused by newer files, or the file was stored in several pieces. FAT and exFAT forget the piece order on delete, so fragmented files can come back partly damaged.

Get your files back with TEA-disk

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