7 Best USB Drive Data Recovery Tools to Rescue Your Lost Files in 2026

USB drives make it easy to carry and share files, but data can disappear from them in a flash due to countless reasons. Maybe you removed something by mistake, the drive got corrupted, or it just stopped functioning. That’s when you need a good USB drive data recovery software​. This is our honest take on several flash drive retrieval tools we tested against certain criteria. 

Until we could narrow them down to 7 options that deliver for different situations. For each one, we’ll tell you what we liked and disliked about it, and why you might want to use it. This way, you can find the right tool without all the guesswork.

Part 1: What We Considered When Selecting USB Drive Data Recovery Software?

When picking the best USB data recovery software, we focused on certain variables to ascertain that the tools are dependable, safe, and target different recovery needs. Here’s the criteria we considered when choosing each tool:

• Recovery success rate: How well the software recovers files from frequent USB issues like deletion, formatting, corruption, and RAW drives, while keeping original names and folders.

• File system and file type support: Support for FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS, and the ability to retrieve documents, photos, videos, audio files, and archives.

• Ease of use: Beginner-friendly design with a clear interface, step-by-step guidance, previews, and simple recovery steps instead of command-line tools.

• Free version and pricing value: Useful free recovery limits and fair pricing, with preference for one-time licenses over subscriptions.

• Speed and performance: Fast scans with low system impact, especially on large USB drives.

• Advanced features: Tools such as disk imaging, bad-sector management, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, RAID or virtual disk support, and scan pause/resume.

• Operating system support: Compatibility with Windows, macOS, and Linux, including USB drives created on different systems.
• User reputation: Positive feedback and proven performance in real-world USB flash drive recovery cases.

Part 2: Quick Comparison of 7 Best USB Data Recovery Software Tools

Part 3: 7 Best USB Data Recovery Software Tools in 2026

The following is a detailed review of the top 7 data recovery software for USB drive in 2026, including what we liked and disliked about each one:

1. 4DDiG Data Recovery

4DDiG Data Recovery is the best USB data recovery software​, offering up to 2GB of free file retrieval for Windows users. The tool can recover data from USB stick​ that’s lost due to numerous data loss scenarios like corruption, removal, formatting, etc. It supports 2000+ file formats like audio, videos, images, documents, and RAW files, and can also repair them. 

Moreover, it allows selective file recovery, and provides a preview of extracted files. This free USB data recovery software for PC provides Quick and Deep scan modes for in-depth file extraction, and allows you to adjust filter tags and input keywords to find exact files. 

What We Like:

• It offers an intuitive interface and requires no learning curve to use.
• The tool supports recovery from numerous internal/external storage media.
• It can extract data lost due to virus attacks, crashed systems, unbootable media, and missing partitions. 
• It provides free and 24/7 technical support via live chat, tutorials, and lifetime upgrades. 
• It offers a high recovery rate.
• Supports both Windows and Mac platforms, and their latest versions.

What We Don’t Like:

• There’s no free USB file recovery for Mac users.
• It cannot retrieve overwritten data.
• It cannot recover USB devices with physical damage.

2. DMDE

DMDE (v4.4.0) is a powerful data recovery software for USB drive​ aimed at advanced users rather than beginners. It supports a wide range of file systems, including NTFS, APFS, HFS+, exFAT, and Linux ext2/3/4, allowing cross-platform recovery. For example, recovering a Linux partition from Windows. 

This USB drive data recovery software has strong recovery algorithms that can rebuild directory structures and original filenames even after complex damage like formatting or lost partitions. The Free Edition lets users retrieve up to 4,000 files per folder per session, with unlimited scans.

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What We Like:

• It offers a RAID constructor for virtual arrays (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6).
• It also provides extra tools, including a disk editor, a partition manager, and disk imaging/cloning with bad sector management.
• Recovers data in tough cases where other software fails.
• Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS without installation, useful for unbootable systems.
• Highly regarded in technical and enthusiast communities.

What We Don’t Like:

• Non-intuitive and dense, making it hard for beginners, and the workflow is not guided.
• Most RAW photos cannot be previewed, and files can’t be previewed or recovered during a scan.
• Technical support is only available via email, and there’s no live chat or phone help.

3. Recuva

Recuva is a premium and free USB data recovery software for PC ​for basic data recovery. It offers a Quick Scan for recently deleted files and a Deep Scan that searches raw drive data for files lost due to formatting or damage. It supports external drives like USBs, memory cards, internal hard drives, and other rewritable media. 

Users can preview files after scanning (mainly popular images) and filter results by name, type, or path. Furthermore, this free USB data recovery software​ has a portable version that can run from a USB drive, which is useful for recovering data from system drives.

What We Like:

• It also includes a secure deletion tool to permanently overwrite sensitive files. 
• No limits on scanning or data recovery, unlike many freemium tools.
• A step-by-step wizard guides users with quick scans on healthy drives.
• Small installation size, runs well on older hardware, and is free of malware.

What We Don’t Like:

• Often fails on formatted, corrupted, or RAW USBs, and recovered files can be corrupt.
•  The interface looks old, has no official Windows 11 support, and lacks modern file system support like APFS or EXT4.
• No disk imaging (except in the paid version), no S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, and cannot resume paused scans.
• Email support is prioritized for paid users, and is available only for Windows users.

4. UFS Explorer

UFS Explorer is a suite of advanced tools for technical data recovery tasks. But you can also utilize it to recover data from USB stick​.  It supports a wide range of file systems, like NTFS, APFS, HFS+, Linux ext2/3/4, XFS, Btrfs, and ReFS. This data recovery software for USBdrive, also supports ​virtual disks (VMDK, VHD), forensic images (E01), and encrypted volumes (BitLocker, FileVault 2, LUKS). 

For damaged drives, it offers an advanced disk imager that manages bad sectors and creates defect maps, and low-level tools like a hexadecimal editor. UFS Explorer runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What We Like:

• The tool provides RAID and NAS recovery, allowing both automatic and manual reconstruction of multi-disk systems.
• It supports standard RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10), nested arrays, and proprietary systems from Synology, QNAP, Drobo (BeyondRAID), and ZFS RAID-Z.
• Excellent for rare file systems, and specialized storage.
• Operates in read-only mode to protect original drives.
• A free trial is available with size-limited recovery.

What We Don’t Like:

• Apple silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3) have restrictions that prevent accessing the internal boot drive.
•  Dense, technical interface with little guidance, and it is not beginner-friendly.
• Cluttered and unintuitive, making functions and scan results hard to manage.
• Recovery restricted to files under 768 KB (Professional) or 256 KB (Standard).
• Cannot save/resume scans or preview/recover during scanning, and previews are slow.
•  Separate licenses are needed per OS.

5. R-Photo

R-Photo is the best USB data recovery software focused only on recovering photos and videos. It supports many formats, including RAW camera files and modern video types, and can find files by their data “signatures” even after serious file system damage. 

This free USB data recovery software is easy to use, with a clear step-by-step wizard, and quick and deep scan options for formatted or damaged partitions. It also includes a built-in viewer to preview photos and play videos, and a file shredder for secure deletion.

What We Like:

• It’s completely free for personal, non-commercial use with lifetime updates.
• It supports internal and external drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, virtual disks, and undamaged RAID arrays.
• Supports recovery after accidental deletion (even after emptying the Recycle Bin), viruses, system crashes, and formatted drives.
• Can create a full disk image and scan the copy, reducing stress on failing or unstable drives.

What We Don’t Like:

• Available only on Windows and recovers only photos and videos, not documents, emails, or archives.
• Easy to use but not modern or visually polished.

6. Windows File Recovery

It’s a command-line and free USB data recovery software for PC from Microsoft for Windows 10 and 11, but it has major limits that make it hard for most users to rely on. It offers Default, Signature, and Segment modes for scanning. The Default mode is the fastest and uses the MFT to find recently deleted files. 

Segment mode is slower and more detailed. While Signature mode searches by file type signatures and supports non-NTFS drives, and formats like JPEG, MP3, PDF, PNG, and ZIP. This free USB data recovery software​ allows basic filtering by file name or type using /n switches and supports NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.

What We Like:

• Completely free with no hidden costs or usage limits.
• Safe and trustworthy as an official Microsoft tool.
• Supports recently deleted files on healthy NTFS drives, keeping original names and folders.
• Lightweight, with an app size of about 2.3 MB and low system requirements.

What We Don’t Like:

• No graphical interface, making it difficult for non-technical users to use command-line syntax.
• Often fails or crashes on exFAT drives like USBs or SD cards.
• Loses file names and folder structure on formatted or non-NTFS drives, grouping files only by type.
• Cannot scan entire physical disks, only individual partitions.
• Lacks important features such as file preview, resume scan, and disk imaging for failing drives.
• Rarely updated and offers no direct customer support beyond online help pages.
• Limited to Windows 10 version 19041 or later and Windows 11.

7. Disk Drill

Disk Drill offers multiple recovery methods, including Quick Scan, Deep Scan, and Signature Scan, to recover data from USB stick​. It also has an Advanced Camera Recovery (ACR), which rebuilds fragmented photos and videos from hundreds of cameras, drones, and dashcams. 

Moreover, it supports 400+ file types, including RAW photos like CR2 and NEF, and pro video formats like Apple ProRes and R3D. Disk Drill is easy to use, with a modern interface, dark mode, file preview, and pause and resume scans.

What We Like:

• Clean, modern interface suitable for beginners and advanced users.
• The free version extracts up to 500 MB and includes disk imaging and protection tools.
• It can retrieve files from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, virtual disks, RAID arrays, Windows Storage Spaces, and Linux or NAS systems via SSH.
• It includes disk imaging, a Recovery Vault for extra file protection, hex viewing, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring. 

What We Don’t Like:

• Lifetime upgrades cost extra on top of the subscription.
• The 500 MB cap is not enough for large recoveries.
• No post-recovery repair for photos or videos, no bootable recovery media, and no remote network recovery.
• Help is via email, knowledge base, and occasional live chat, but there is no phone support.

Final Words

Choosing the right USB drive data recovery software​ depends on variables like recovery success, file support, ease of use, and safety. We’ve shared many good options earlier. However, in 2026, 4DDiG Data Recovery is the top contender for flash drive file retrieval.

It offers a high success rate, support for numerous storage media, and 2,000+ file types, including RAW, Quick, and Deep scans, selective file recovery, and previews. The tool is easy to use, supports Windows and Mac, and includes free 24/7 support with lifetime updates.