Overview: Have you accidentally deleted photos from your USB drive? Find a proven and effective method for recovering deleted files from a flash drive. You will also learn how to recover deleted pictures from a USB flash drive using manual and automatic solutions.

USB flash drives are common portable storage devices used for storing and transferring data. It is also used to backup photos, audio, videos and important documents. However, flash drives, like any storage device, are subject to data loss.

Here we will discuss various reasons that can lead to USB data loss and ways to recover deleted photos from USB pen drives.

Reasons Why Image Files Disappear from USB Drive

Files stored on USB drives may disappear for various reasons. The most common reasons for losing photos from a flash drive are:

  • Format the USB drive and erase the data.
  • Data on the disk becomes invisible, hidden, or inaccessible.
  • Current USB file systems are not compatible.
  • A blank message or empty folder appears on the USB storage device.
  • The USB storage device is damaged.
  • The computer suddenly or intentionally shuts down while using USB.
  • The USB storage device was inserted or removed incorrectly.
  • The USB device is damaged or corrupted.

Alternative Way Recover Deleted Pictures from a USB Flash Drive

The most effective and easiest way to retrieve lost files from a flash drive is to use professional photo recovery software, such as SoftwarePro Flash Drive Data Recovery Tool.

This tool can be used to recover lost or deleted photos, audio and videos from corrupted or inaccessible USB drives. This software works with all types of USB drives, such as SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, etc. this software unhides hidden files on USB caused by a virus without losing any data.

Step 1: Download and run on any version of Windows OS.
Step 2: Select the USB partition and click the “Scan” button.
Step 3. Preview the recovered data after USB recovery.
Step 4: Finally, save all files back to your computer.

A Manual Way to Restore Deleted Image Files from a USB Drive

There are several ways to recover lost photo files from a flash drive. Here we will look at four main methods for recovering deleted photos from a flash drive:

Method 1: Recover Deleted Pictures from a USB Flash Drive Using Backup and Restore

You can even use Windows Backup and Restore to restore deleted or lost files from a USB drive. However, this method only works if Windows backup is enabled.

  1. Enter your backup settings into the search bar and click “Open” to start it.
  2. Click “Open Backup and Restore.”
  3. On the Backup and Restore page, click Recover My Files.
  4. Then click Search, Browse Files, or Browse Folder to find the files you want to recover.
  5. Select a path or  location to save the recovered files and then pick Recover.

Method 2: Recover Deleted Photos from USB Drive using the Restore Previous Version

The Restore a Previous Version of Windows feature allows you to recover deleted photos such as videos, audios, images, etc. However, this method only works if you have enabled the file history feature of the USB drive.

  1. Connect the flash drive to your computer.
  2. Right-click the folder where you lost the photos on your USB drive and select Properties.
  3. Go to the Previous Versions tab.
  4. In the File Versions section, you can see a list of available recovery options, along with the date and time.
  5. Select the version of the files you want to recover and click “Recover” to recover the files from the USB drive.

Method 3: Restore Deleted Image Files from a USB Drive using CMD

If your image files are not deleted but are missing from the USB drive, you should use the Command Prompt to try to recover the hidden files.

  1. Connect the flash drive to the system.
  2. In the search bar, type cmd and click Open to launch it.
  3. Now type chkdsk G:/f and press Enter. Here, drive  G is the letter assigned to the USB drive.
  4. USB recovery using command line in Windows 10
  5. Enter ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D G:*.* and hit Enter.
  6. Once the task is done, reboot your system.
  7. Now check if the deleted photos and videos are visible on the USB drive.

Tips for Recovering Deleted Photos from a Flash Drive

Whatever the reason, follow these steps to recover deleted photos from usb pen drive.

  • Remove the flash drive from the system and store it in a safe place.
  • Do not use the USB flash drive after losing data.
  • Also, to avoid overwriting data, do not copy data to or from the flash drive.

Final Conclusion

With all the reliable methods shared in this blog, you now know how to recover deleted pictures from a USB flash drive. The first thing you should do after losing your photos is to check if you have a backup on your computer. If you have a backup, simply restore it using Windows Backup and Restore. Your files will only be restored if you have previously enabled the file history feature. However, if there is no backup history, use reliable photo recovery software to restore deleted image files from a USB drive.