Deleted files on a USB flash drive may remain recoverable until later writes reuse their storage. Stop using the drive as soon as the deletion is discovered. Do not copy files to it, create folders, format it, run repair commands, or install portable software on it.
Check existing copies first
Look in backups, cloud version history, email attachments, application export folders, and copies on other computers. Files deleted from removable drives commonly bypass the Windows Recycle Bin, so do not assume they will appear there.
Restore any existing copy to another device and open it. If no copy exists, prepare a separate physical destination before scanning.
Confirm that the USB drive is stable
Windows should expose the flash drive as a physical device with a plausible capacity. A missing drive letter, RAW volume, or format prompt is a different logical state and may require the corrupted USB guide. A device that reports “No Media,” zero capacity, repeated disconnects, severe heat, or unstable detection may have a controller or flash-memory fault.
Software cannot scan a device that Windows does not expose as a stable source.
Scan with XRecovery
XRecovery 3.1.6 runs on Windows. Install it on another disk, open it, and identify the USB drive by capacity and connection. Start scanning by double-clicking the source or selecting it and using the scan button. Quick scan runs first and deep scan begins automatically.
Review file-system results for original names and folders and signature-based results for supported content whose metadata is missing. Preview representative files where available. XRecovery supports common photo, video, and document formats rather than every possible format.
Recover elsewhere and verify
Choose a destination on a different physical device. XRecovery blocks the scanned source by default and warns if the user attempts to override that choice. Do not override it because writing recovered files back to the USB drive may overwrite other deleted content.
Recover a small sample first. Open documents, extract archives, inspect full-resolution photos, and play videos through multiple points with audio. The free allowance is 2 GB in total.
Keep the source unchanged until important files are verified and backed up. If the device becomes unstable, stop scanning and reassess it as a hardware case rather than repeating software attempts.