Files Copied to USB Drive Disappear? Recover Now (5 Free Ways)

Files copied to USB drive disappeared? Get the possible reasons and 5 free & effective methods to recover now! Scroll down to learn more and the steps.

Ivy

By Ivy / Updated on June 12, 2025

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Known as flash drives, USB sticks, pen drives, and thumb drives, USB drives have been widely used among users because of their tiny size and large storage capacity. As a portable device, it renders a better user experience in saving and transferring data.

usb-drive

But some users report that files/folders disappeared from flash drives? What are the possible causes behind missing files? How to fix and recover files copied to usb drive disappeared effectively? If you have such a question, scroll down to learn more. 

Why do copied files disappear from USB?

“I moved some photos, movies, and Word documents to a pen drive. And they were in separate folders. A few days later, when I opened the pen drive, they were only the folders but they were empty. All the photos, movies, and the content of the Word file were gone. Please tell me the way to recover my copied data. Thanks." -A user from Microsoft 

Losing files from USB flash drive, especially family memories, work files, etc., is a frustrating thing. You must want to recover files disappeared from flash drive right now. Don't rush, take a deep breath, and calm down first.

Identifying the possible causes is important to find the lost files, which in a way determines the recovery method. It's also related to the recovery rate. Here are some common reasons:

  • Hidden files
  • Accidental/intentional deletion
  • Bad sectors
  • Damage file systems
  • Virus infection

How to recover files disappeared from flash drives

Your files copied to USB drive disappeared! For a better data recovery rate, you’d better figure out whether the disappeared files are hidden or deleted first. Always use Solution 1 in the following.

⚠️Please note that if your disappeared files are in a deletion state, you’re not supposed to add new data to your pen drives to overwrite the flash memory. After overwriting, your disappeared files will become irrecoverable.

Solution 1. Recover hidden files from USB using Command Prompt (First try)

In computing, the attrib command can change the file attributes (read-only, hidden, system, and archive) of files/folders, which requires you to perform in the Command Prompt. So, let's recover hidden files from USB using CMD and see if your files are recovered.

Step 1. Connect the USB to your PC. Then type “cmd” in the search bar, and select the “Run as administrator” option to open the command prompt window.

run-as-administrator

Step 2. Copy “attrib –h –r –s /s /d G:\*.*” in the window and hit “Enter” to start the process. Please replace the letter G with the real drive letter of your USB.

attrib-cmd

Step 3. After the process, you can open your USB drive. Then, you’ll find there’s a new folder that includes your needed files. You can change their format and save them in another place.  

However, if the attrib command fails to work, which implies your disappeared files are likely in a deletion state. Then, you can refer to other methods in the following.

Solution 2. Recover deleted files from flash drives via AOMEI FastRecovery (Newbie Friendly)

AOMEI FastRecovery is powerful and user-friendly data recovery software in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc., and Windows Servers. With it, you can recover deleted files from flash drives easily and quickly. You don't need to learn any commands and parameters.

AOMEI FastRecovery
Top USB Drive Data Recovery Software
  • Intelligent use of Quick Scan (within 3-5s) and Deep Scan to scan and recover files in different scenarios.
  • Recover images (JPG, PNG, DNG, TIFF, etc.), videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.), documents, compressed files, etc., over 1000 data formats.
  • Search or filter files quickly through name, extension, data types, etc.
  • Preview files before recovery. 
  • Support different brands of USB sticks, such as SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, and Transcend.
  • Deal with various data loss scenarios, e.g., accidental deletion, disk formatting, virus attacks, or system crashes.

The following steps depict how to recover deleted files from USB drives!

❌ Warning: Don't download and install AOMEI FastRecovery on the USB with disappeared files as this may cause data overwriting. Also, don't add new files or format it.

Step 2. Download, install, and run AOMEI FastRecovery on your Windows > hover the mouse over your connected USB stick on the Hard Drive Recovery section > click Scan

external-hard-drive-start-scan

Step 2. By default, it will run Quick Scan automatically, taking only 3-5 seconds, and allows you to filter files quickly through name, data type, size, etc. 

  • Name: Enter the relevant filename of your needed files to quickly locate them.
  • Data type: Click the Filter button to specify data types, e.g., documents, images, videos, etc.
  • Size: Set the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~512MB, etc.) in the Filter option.

external-hard-drive-scanning

Step 3. Select the files you intend to retrieve  > click Recover x files. If you are not sure, select the file and click the Preview option to check it. Or directly double-click the files to preview.

external-hard-drive-recover-files

⚠️Notes:
  • Please select a new location to save the recovered files as restoring to original location may overwrite disappeared files. 

  • Click the Deep Scan button to scan your drive more thoroughly if you can't find files disappeared from flash drive. 

Free download AOMEI FastRecovery if your files disappeared on a USB drive!

Download Freeware Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
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Solution 3. Recover deleted files using Windows File Recovery (for Technicians)

If your USB flash drive files disappeared, Windows File Recovery seems like the ideal software for you to recover lost files from it. But in practice, this data recovery tool relies on the command line to interact with users. In other words, you need to recover deleted files using CMD.

⚠️Notes:
  • Windows File Recovery is only compatible with Windows 10 and above.

  • You can use it to recover lost Word documents, Excel, PPT, PDF, ZIP, JPG, JPEG, etc.

  • The basic command line: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches].

  • Ensure the source drive (where to store the disappeared files) is different from the destination drive (where to save the recovered files).

  • Support 4 recovery modes (Extensive, Regular, Segment, and Signature) and 4 file systems (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS).

Step 1. Check the file system of your source drive (flash drive). Connect USB to your PC, and click “This PC” > right-click on the USB > “Properties.”

check-file-system-usb-drive

Step 2. Select a recommended mode after checking the file system of your USB drive and data loss scenarios.

File system

Scenarios

mode

NTFS

Deleted recently

Regular

NTFS

Deleted for a while

Extensive

NTFS

Formatted disk

Extensive

NTFS

corrupted disk

Extensive

FATandexFAT

Any

Extensive

Step 3. Select some common switches you want from the following form.

Switch

Description

Supported modes

/y:

Recover specific extension groups, comma-separated

Signature

/p:

Saves a log file of the recovery operation in a different location than the default location on the recovery drive (for example, D:\logfile).

All

/a

Overrides user prompts, which is useful in a script file.

All

/u

Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.

NTFS Segment

/k

Recovers system files.

NTFS Segment​​​​​

/g

Recovers files without primary data streams.

NTFS Segment

/e

To keep your results manageable and focus on user files, some file types are filtered by default, but this switch removes that filter.

NTFS Segment

/e:

Specifies which file types are filtered.

NTFS Segment

Step 4. Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store by clicking the “Get” button, then install and open it on your PC.

microsoft-store-get

Step 5. Type the following command to recover recently deleted PDF files from pen drive (assume the drive letter is “F”) toD drive.

winfr F: D: /regular /n*.pdf

winfr-regular-external-hard-drive-files

Please type the adjusted command line in the window, and press “y” to go on. If you want to stop the thumb drive data recovery process, please press the “Ctrl + C” keys.

Solution 4. Scan USB drive for viruses or malware

If you still can't find deleted files, it's likely that your files are infected by viruses or malware. You can try Microsoft's antivirus software, Windows Defender, to fully scan your USB drive. 

Step 1. Search for Windows Security in the search bar and open it. Then, click Virus and threat protection.

Step 2. Click Scan Options.

Step 3. Scroll down to select Full Scan and click Scan Now.

Scan Now

Solution 5. Format USB drive to fix files disappeared error (Last resort)

It seems unbelievable, but it does fix the "files copied to USB drive disappear" issues effectively, as damaged or incompatible file systems can cause this error.

⚠️Be sure to recover lost files on USB drive in Solution 2 or 3 first. Formatting a USB drive will delete all data on it (if there is), even making it impossible to recover. 

Step 1. In File Explorer, find your USB drive. Then, right-click on it and select the Format... option.

Step 2. Be sure the "Quick Format" is checked. Select a compatible file system (e.g., NTFS) and click “OK”. 

Windows Quick Format

Windows will perform a Quick Format by default, which only deletes files but does not overwrite them. If you uncheck this option, it will perform a Full Format, which will delete and overwrite files on the USB drive. Please learn more: Quick Format vs Full Format before deciding.  

Wrapping up

How to fix the issue of files copied to USB drive disappeared? This post shares 5 free and efficient ways with you. To recover deleted files from USB drives, there’s no better way than utilizing a data recovery tool with a GUI. At this point, AOMEI FastRecovery is your top choice.

Download Freeware Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

More importantly, you need to make backups regularly using Windows features or free backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard because backups are the best hedge against data loss.

Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy is an editor of AOMEI Technology, she covers backup & restore,hard disk & partitions management and cloud files transfer and so on for AOMEI. She is an outgoing girl and enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She usually hangs out with friends at her leisure time.