Top 3 Techniques to Retrieve Deleted Files from a USB Drive on Mac

Flash drives are pretty reliable. Thanks to their solid-state storage, they generally don’t fail as regularly as spinning-disk hard drives. But they’re not invincible — and sometimes you’ll lose files from a flash drive. When that happens, there are a few things you can do to try and recover your files if they’re lost. Follow the steps below to try to recover lost data from a flash drive on Mac.

How to Recover Deleted Files From USB Drive on Mac

Below you will find what we believe to be the three most effective methods for recovering data from a USB drive on macOS devices.

Method 1: Check the Mac’s Trash Can

Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to try to recover files from a USB flash drive on Mac is to simply check the Mac Trash. It seems obvious, but you would be surprised how many files I personally have recovered by simply checking the Trash.

If you do find the lost files in your Trash, you can recover them by right-clicking on them and pressing the “Put Back” button. The files will then be put back to where they were before they were deleted.

Method 2: Check Other Trash Cans to Recover Files from USB Drives on Mac

Your Mac stores deleted files in a separate location for each drive you use — and not in one single Trash “folder.” In other words, the files you can see in the Trash might change depending on whether or not you have a particular drive connected to your computer.

If you want to dig around in a drive’s own trash though, you can do so, but to do so you’ll need to enable hidden files.

• If you’re utilizing a Mac equipped with a supported version of macOS (e.g., Ventura, Sonoma), you need to either use a third-party file explorer, such as Commander One, or use the Terminal app as described below.
• If you’re using a Mac with Sierra or a version that came shortly after it (e.g., Mojave, Catalina), then you can enable hidden files in Finder by simply pressing Shift + Command + . (period). You should then see hidden files, and one of those will be a folder called “.Trashes”. You can open that folder and explore deleted files for your drive.
• If your Mac is running a recent version of macOS, or a version that’s older than Sierra, you’ll need to open the Terminal app (you can quickly open it by searching Terminal in Spotlight, by pressing Command + Space). Once Terminal is open, copy and paste the two commands below, pressing Enter after each line.

  defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

  killall Finder

  

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  If you want to then hide hidden files again, do the same, but change TRUE to FALSE. It’s recommended that you hide hidden files again after you search for your lost files, as hidden files are hidden for a reason — and accidentally deleting them could have unintended consequences.

Method 3: Use USB Data Recovery Software

If you can’t locate your files by checking your Mac’s Trash, the drive’s own Trash, or you remember that you emptied the Trash, you might need to use a data recovery tool for Mac. There are a few different kinds of data recovery tools, and some are free while others require a purchase. Generally, it’s advisable to start with a free tool or software that offers a free trial. If you still can’t retrieve your files, consider switching to a paid tool. It’s important to note that paid tools are often better than free ones because of the fact developers of paid tools can devote more resources and time to those tools.

To use Disk Drill to recover lost files from a flash drive, follow the instructions below.

1. Download and install Disk Drill for Mac, then connect your flash drive to your computer.
2. Open Disk Drill and find your flash drive from the list of drives that show up. Select it, then press the “Search for last data” button at the right side of the window.
3. Wait for Disk Drill to scan for files. Once it has finished scanning, you’ll be able to “Review found items,” or “Recover all.” Tap the button that best applies to your needs.
4. Browse through the list of recoverable files and select the files or folders you want to restore if you selected the first option in the previous step. Disk Drill previews the currently highlighted file, but you can also manually preview any previewable file by clicking the eye icon next to its filename.
5. Click the “Recover” button when you’re happy with your selection. A dialog box will appear, asking you to choose a destination for the recovered files. Disk Drill provides a list of recommended drives/folders, but you can choose the destination manually by clicking the “Choose folder…” button. When you’re finished, click “Next” to complete the recovery.

Conclusion

Between checking your Trash, checking your flash drive’s own trash, and using a professional data recovery tool, you’ll hopefully be able to recover any files that you have lost. If you still can’t recover your lost files, unfortunately, those files may be lost forever. That said, solutions like Disk Drill and PhotoRec are pretty good at finding files that were previously deleted so hopefully, you will have been able to find your file.

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