How to Recover Data from Pen Drive Before Formatting | Save Files Now

How to Recover Data from Pen Drive Before Formatting?

This is a very common and often frustrating situation. Now, you should cancel the format. How to recover data from pen drive without formatting? What happens when it shows the error message: You need to format the disk in drive (letter): before you can use it? Don’t worry, you will find the causes behind the problems and find effective solutions to fix them quickly.

What Happens When the Pen Drive Needs to Be Formatted?

How to retrieve data from a pen drive before formatting? You have to learn what happens when the pen drive needs to be formatted. When you get the error, it means that the operating system can detect the physical drive (show it in Disk Management) but cannot read or understand the file system structure on it (show RAW or Unallocated).

In order for your computer to be able to read data from your USB drive, the drive must be formatted with a file system supported by your operating system. For example:

• Windows: FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, and Microsoft’s new ReFS.
• MacOS: HFS+, APFS, exFAT, and FAT32, but it can only read NTFS.
• Linux: Although it supports a wide range of file systems, the most widely used ones are the FAT, XFS, Btrfs, and Ext families.

If your pendrive has a faulty file system, is formatted with a file system that is incompatible with the operating system you are using, or has no file system at all, you might encounter a situation that requires you to format your pendrive.

In a nutshell, the error shows a problem with accessing the data, and the files themselves are usually still on the drive. They remain inaccessible only because the system cannot navigate the drive’s file structure.

Why Pen Drive Need to Be Formatted?

The "need to format" error rarely occurs out of the blue. It's usually a symptom of an underlying problem:

Now, let’s get started to troubleshoot the problem pen drive one by one.

Way 1. Try Another USB Port or Computer

Try the USB drive in another slot on the PC, then check if it can be detected. If it can be detected, you can access these files and move them to a safe location.

If that didn't work, then try another PC, preferably with a different operating system (even an older Windows 7 PC might open it). Now, you might access these files on the pen drive. However, if it’s still not working, you can try to recover files with professional data recovery software or the built-in command.

Way 2. Recover Data from Pen Drive Before Formatting via MyRecover

As Disk Management can detect the pen drive, it's easy for professional data recovery software - MyRecover to recover data from the pen drive before formatting. It's worth a try:

Recover any files. MyRecover supports 1,000+ file formats, such as JPG, PNG, TIF, HEIC, GIF, PSD, SVG, ARW, X3F, NEF, MP4, MOV, AVI, ASF, WMV, RM, FLV, QSV, RMVB, X3F, MP3, CDA, WAV, AIFF, WMA, VQF, TXT, DOC, XLSX, CSV, PDF, PPT, etc.

Supports 500+ devices. You are able to recover files from internal hard disk, external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, laptop, camera, PS4/5, and so on.

Recover unlimited files. MyRecover Pro allows you to recover unlimited data from any device, very friendly.

Preview before recovery. It’s very useful to recover data, because it allows you to find the right documents or files.

Intuitive interface. MyRecover provides a user-friendly interface to operate the recovery easily, even for a novice.

Thus, how to recover data from a pen drive before formatting with MyRecover, check the following guide:

1. Download MyRecover and install it. Connect the problematic pen drive to your computer. Launch the MyRecover application. You'll see a list of all available drives.

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2. Click USB/SD Card Recovery, hit Scan when pointing the USB pen drive. It will automatically choose the Deep scan mode to find all missing files on the pen drive.

3. Once the scan is complete, MyRecover will display all recoverable files. You can browse through them, use the filters to sort by file type (e.g., Photos, Documents), or use the search bar to find something specific. The preview pane lets you verify your files are correct.

4. Select all the files and folders you want to recover. Click the "Recover" button.

5. Choose a save location on a different, healthy drive (like your computer's hard drive or another external drive). Never save them back to the same corrupted USB drive.

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If you want to recover files from unlimited computers, it’s strongly recommended to upgrade to MyRecover Technician to enjoy.

With MyRecover Pro, you can also recover data from a crashed computer, and other features.

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• Preview Files Before Recovering
• Recover Unlimited Data   

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Way 3. Recover Data from a Pen Drive using Chkdsk

For those who are comfortable with a command line, the Command Prompt offers a way to attempt a repair. This method uses the CHKDSK (Check Disk) utility to try and fix errors on the drive.

1. Press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator".

2. In the window that appears, type chkdsk G: /f /r (replace "X" with the actual letter of your USB drive) and hit Enter.

The utility will scan and attempt to fix logical errors on the drive. However, it’s not a reliable way. If the corruption is minor, CHKDSK might just fix it, making the drive accessible and recover USB files before formatting. But if the damage is serious, it might not work or could potentially make the situation worse.

Way 4. Format the Pen Drive

Once you recover files from the pen drive, it’s time to format the pen drive to make it back to normal. Here is how to format the USB drive:

1. Please insert the pen drive into the computer, and go to the Windows search box.

2. Input diskmgmt.msc and hit OK to open Disk Management.

3. Right-click the pen drive, and choose Format....

4. Rename the Volume label, choose a File System, and set up other options, and hit OK to start formatting.

FAQs on USB Data Recovery

What does it mean when my pen drive says it needs to be formatted?

It means your computer can't read the drive's index (file system). The files are likely still there, but corrupted. Windows suggests formatting to fix this, but that will erase your data. This is why learning recovery methods is key.

Can I recover data without software?

Sometimes. You can try Windows' built-in Command Prompt tool (CHKDSK) or restore from a backup if you have one. But for most serious problems, recovery software is the easiest and most effective solution.

Can I get my data back after formatting?

Yes, but it's harder. Formatting erases the index, but the files remain until overwritten. Using recovery software right away gives you the best chance. Stop using the drive immediately after the mistake.

Is free recovery software safe?

Tools from well-known companies are generally safe. Always download them from the official website to avoid viruses. This software is designed to only read your drive, not damage it further.

How do I know if my USB is physically broken?

Look for obvious damage like a cracked connector or bent pins. If the drive is hot, makes strange noises, or isn't detected by any computer, it's likely a hardware problem. This usually requires professional repair.

On The Bottom Line

How to recover files from a flash drive that needs to be formatted for free? You should have mastered how to fix it and recovered files from the pen drive before formatting. Besides, it’s important to back up your files on the pen drive or any other device. If you need to recover files from formatted hard drive, corrupted SD card, lost partition, etc, MyRecover is your best shot.