An unformatted USB drive typically appears as a RAW partition in Disk Management. This does not mean that the data stored on it will be lost forever . This guide will focus on how to recover data from unformatted flash drive and provide solutions to repair the error.
When you access your USB flash drive and encounter the dreaded message: “USB driver not formatted! Do you want to format it?”, it can be alarming. Because this message usually means that the file system on the drive is no longer recognized by Windows. It's often followed by the drive showing up as RAW partition in Disk Management.
A RAW partition indicates that the file system (FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS) has become corrupted or unreadable. The data is still physically present on the drive, but the system doesn't know how to access it.
When the "USB drive not formatted" error occurs, if you choose to format it immediately, all data on the USB will be erased right away, making data recovery much harder. Therefore, the top priority is to ensure the safety of your data. To deal with this, there are two stages:
Recover data from unformatted flash drive.
Repair the unformatted USB drive.
If you’ve ever backed up the files on this drive, whether using Windows’ built-in backup tools or cloud backup services, you can restore them directly from the backup. Even if you don’t have a backup, there’s no need to panic. MyRecover, the professional data recovery tool, supports scanning RAW partitions and recovering files from inaccessible drives.
MyRecover's most impressive strengths include:
✅No command-line usage, fully visual, point-and-click interface.
✅Support 1,000+ file types, including documents, images, videos, emails, and more.
✅Dual scan modes, Quick Scan for speed, Deep Scan for thorough recovery.
✅Real-time file preview before recovery.
✅Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, FAT16 in Windows 11/10/8/7 & Windows Server.
✅Handle with more complex data loss cases like OS crash, formatted, RAW, corrupted or deleted drive.
✅Compatible with all storage devices likeUSB drives, HDDs, SSDs, SD cards, etc.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from secure channel.
Step 2. Select the unformatted USB drive to scan for lost files and click "Scan".
Step 3. Choose files you want to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Select a location different from the unformatted USB to save the recovered files.
Upon the completion of the recovery process, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop up. You can check them by clicking the designated folder.
After securing your data, it's time to repair the corrupted USB flash drive. This section offers several methods to fix an unformatted or RAW USB flash drive. Each method addresses a different cause of the issue.
CHKDSK is a built-in Windows utility that checks for file system errors and repairs logical issues. This method can repair the file system and make your USB drive accessible again.
Step 1. Open "Command Prompt" and run it as administrator.
Step 2. Type the command "chkdsk G: /f /r" and hit "Enter". Replace the drive letter "G" with your actual drive letter.
Wait for CHKDSK to complete the scan and repair the errors.
Windows also provides a graphical user interface tool for fixing drive errors. It is user-friendly for non-professionals and those who don’t like using command lines.
Step 1. Press "Win + E" to open File Explorer and select unformatted USB flash drive.
Step 2. Right click the drive and choose "Properties" from the context menu.
Step 3. Go to the "Tools" tab, click "Check" under the "Error checking" section and click "Scan the drive" to start the process. It will scan the drive and fix disk errors.
Sometimes the problem may stem from a faulty USB driver, preventing the Windows from properly reading the file system. Reinstall the drive can help to solve the issue.
Step 1. Press "Win + X" and select "Device Manager".
Step 2. Expand "Disk drivers" and select the unformatted USB flash drive. Right click on it and choose "Uninstall device".
Step 3. Remove and reconnect USB drive to reinstall it automatically.
Malware or viruses can corrupt a drive’s file system, resulting in a RAW partition. Windows' Microsoft Defender can scan for and remove viruses and malware.
Step 1. Open File Explorer and select the unformatted USB.
Step 2. Right click on it and choose "Scan with Microsoft Defender" from the context menu.
Then Windows will start to scan the drive for virus and malware. If you want to perform a more comprehensive scan, you can choose the "Full scan" option after it finishes, though this will take more time.
If the USB drive still prompts for formatting, it may be that only formatting can make it usable again. However, formatting will erase all files in the USB drive. That is why it is necessary to recover the data in the USB flash drive first before fixing the problem.
Step 1. Press "Win +X" and choose "Disk Management", then select the USB drive.
Step 2. Right click on it and choose "Format", and select a file system based on your needs, then click "OK".
Step 3. Check the "Perform a quick format" option.
After formatting, the drive should return to normal function.
By using professional data recovery software like MyRecover to recover data from an unformatted USB drive and following the above methods to fix the "USB drive not formatted" error, you can effectively make the USB drive usable again. If you have backed up the data in the USB drive, restoring the data will be much easier.
If there is no backup, I strongly recommend MyRecover. It can also recover data from crashed computers and provide a file preview function before file recovery. For both home users and enterprise users, MyRecover also offers Technician version, which allows usage on multiple devices with just one single license.
