Quote from phillyjohn on April 22, 2026, 10:12 am

Did you check the Trash/Recycle Bin? I work on Mac, and here anything you delete from a connected external device (including a USB drive) usually goes to the Trash. So if that’s the case, you can just open it, find your files, and restore them in a couple of clicks. I’m not 100% sure how this works on Windows, but it’s definitely the first thing I’d check before trying to recover deleted files from a USB drive using other methods.

Quote from BriskCaptain on April 22, 2026, 10:53 am

Quote from phillyjohn on April 22, 2026, 10:12 am

Did you check the Trash/Recycle Bin? I work on Mac, and here anything you delete from a connected external device (including a USB drive) usually goes to the Trash. So if that’s the case, you can just open it, find your files, and restore them in a couple of clicks. I’m not 100% sure how this works on Windows, but it’s definitely the first thing I’d check before trying to recover deleted files from a USB drive using other methods.

I already checked the Recycle Bin, and it’s empty. I’m trying to figure out USB data recovery on Windows, so that option doesn’t work for me unfortunately.  Are there any other ways?

Quote from phillyjohn on April 22, 2026, 12:29 pm

Got it. In that case, I probably can’t help much. For me, recovery usually ends at the Trash, so I haven’t really gone beyond that. But if those files were ever stored on your computer before you moved them to the USB, you could check previous versions or use built-in backup tools on Windows, like File History. Sometimes you can restore documents and media that way if a backup exists.

Other than that, I’d wait for someone more experienced to jump in and explain your next steps.

Quote from wobblychair on April 22, 2026, 2:53 pm

Hey. I haven’t personally dealt with lost files from a flash drive before, but I actually came to this forum with a different issue and someone recommended Disk Drill to me. It worked in my case, so I figured I’d mention it here.

Quote from BriskCaptain on April 22, 2026, 3:16 pm

Thanks for the recommendation! I found a review of Disk Drill on reddit, and it says you need to pay for the full version. Does anyone here know how to recover deleted files from a USB without software? Or at least some way to recover deleted files from a USB for free? I didn’t delete that many videos, so paying just to watch them again feels a bit too much.

Quote from DataRecoverExpert on April 22, 2026, 4:27 pm

Looks like I’m a bit late to the thread, there’s already a solid discussion here. But I’m surprised no one really explained the overwritten data risk, which is the most important part of any file recovery process. So let me cover that.

If you don’t have backups of your USB data elsewhere (cloud, PC, another storage device), recovery without software isn’t really possible. In that case, USB recovery tools are your last chance. That said, they’re not magic. They only work if your deleted files still physically exist on the drive. When you delete something, the system just removes the file entry (basically changes the deleted file markers in the file system metadata), but the actual data can still sit there, until it gets overwritten.

That’s why the first thing you should always do is stop using the USB immediately to avoid overwriting deleted files. If new data gets written to the same space where your videos were, recovery becomes impossible, there’s literally nothing left for the software to find.

If you haven’t used the USB since the deletion, your chances are still good. In that case, you can go ahead and scan the USB drive for deleted files using a recovery tool. There’s a specific Reddit thread with a list of both paid and free USB recovery tools, go check that one, it’s actually a good starting point.

P.S. Sorry if this sounds a bit like a lecture from your university, but I felt like this part really needed a proper explanation. Good luck!

Quote from nikaredko on April 22, 2026, 5:17 pm

@datarecoverexpert above gave a solid explanation of how this works. From our side, we can suggest a step-by-step guide that walks through the full file recovery process for USB drives (including steps to scan, preview recoverable files, and advise restoring files to a different location).

We also have a list of the best USB recovery tools, based on our team's hands-on testing. It covers both free and paid options, so you can compare and choose what fits your case.

For some tools, we’ve also published separate, more detailed reviews. Since Disk Drill was already mentioned here, you might want to check out our full breakdown where we go over features, real recovery results, and whether it actually makes sense to pay for the full version.

Hope this helps you move forward 👍

Quote from bryan on April 22, 2026, 6:24 pm

I think most of the options to recover deleted files from a USB drive were already covered here, so I’ll just add that removable storage behavior can be a bit unpredictable. That’s why it’s often safer to create a disk image first, and then run the file recovery process on that image instead of the original USB.

There are dedicated tools just for imaging, but there are also 2in1 recovery tools that let you both create an image and scan USB drive for deleted files in one place. If you decide to go this route, I’d suggest checking out a list of such tools - https://www.reddit.com/r/DataRecoveryHelp/wiki/disk-imaging-cloning/

Quote from DataNerd on April 22, 2026, 7:52 pm

I can see you’re trying to restore deleted files from a USB for free, and I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. But the only real options that come to mind are tools like PhotoRec or Windows File Recovery. The thing is, both of them use command-line recovery, which doesn’t really match your situation as a beginner. It can be confusing to figure out what to type and where. Also, сhoosing the wrong option or entering the wrong command can actually make things worse instead of helping you recover lost files from a USB drive. If you still want to try and experiment, that’s up to you, just be careful.

Quote from oliver-oak-tree on April 22, 2026, 8:35 pm

I’ve seen a lot of people recommend Recuva in Facebook discussions about how to recover lost data from a USB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PCPROBLEMSOLUTIONS/posts/25019025287771785/   But I’ve also read here on the forum that its preview before recovery is pretty limited, which can be a downside if you want to check files before restoring them. Still, one of its main advantages is that it’s free, so it might be worth trying.

Quote from JohnMiller on April 23, 2026, 2:30 am

Since these are university videos, I’m guessing you have classmates or friends there. Maybe they have copies of those videos, or at least something similar? Think about it, maybe someone else filmed the same events, or you shared parts of those videos with them before. It might be worth reaching out and asking. They could just send them back to you, and you won’t even need to scan and restore files with recovery tools. I’m a bit surprised no one suggested this option earlier.

Quote from chris_89 on April 23, 2026, 5:23 am

I once tried to recover deleted photos from my USB, and that’s when I came across this list of recommended USB recovery tools (https://ratings.pandorarecovery.com/best-usb-data-recovery-software/ ). For some reason I went all in and tested more than half of them, and I haven’t found anything more convenient than Disk Drill. It has one of the cleanest and easiest interfaces out there. What I really liked is that you can choose between recovering a single file vs bulk recovery, and still preview recoverable files before restoring anything. That’s a big deal, because tools like PhotoRec (already mentioned here) don’t really offer that and you just select file formats and it dumps everything it finds, no structure, no preview.

If I remember correctly, Disk Drill had a small free recovery limit that lets you go through the whole file recovery process and actually test how it works. So maybe just download it and try it yourself. If it works for your case, you can decide later if it’s worth paying for the full version. You might end up using it again in the future for your own files or helping friends.

Quote from chris_89 on April 23, 2026, 5:31 am

Also, you can consider professional data recovery services (https://www.techradar.com/best/best-data-recovery-service ) There are local labs as well as larger companies that work via shipping - you send your USB drive to them, and they handle the rest. In most cases, they’ll run a диагностика (often free) and tell you whether they can recover lost data from USB or not before you commit.

But they can help as long as the deleted files still have traces in the file system metadata. But just be ready for the cost, it usually starts at a few hundred dollars and can go higher depending on the case.

Quote from BriskCaptain on April 23, 2026, 6:49 am

Thanks a lot, guys!

At first I tried to reply to everyone who commented here, but once people started mentioning USB recovery tools, I started reading about them and testing some myself.

Here’s my takeaway: 

• Windows File Recovery was honestly a nightmare. I spent more time figuring out the instructions than actually doing anything, and in the end it didn’t recover anything.
• After reading that PhotoRec works in a similar way (and won’t even keep the original file names), I didn’t even bother trying it.
• I also looked into Recuva, but after checking out the developer, I decided to skip it.
• So I ended up going straight to Disk Drill, even though I didn’t want to pay at first. And it worked really well. I was able to scan my USB drive for deleted files in about 20 minutes, preview before recovery, and then restore all the files I needed.

I did have to pay in the end, but it was worth it. And I figured I might run into lost files from flash drive issues again, either for myself or to help friends, so having a reliable tool isn't a bad idea.

Thanks again everyone, you’ve been super helpful!