How to Recover Data from Inaccessible USB Drive?

Why Does a USB Drive Become Inaccessible?

USB drives have become one of the most common and convenient storage devices in daily life, widely used for transferring files, backing up data, and carrying important documents. However, it can be frustrating when a USB drive suddenly becomes inaccessible. This problem can prevent you from opening files, copying data, or even detecting the drive on your computer, potentially leading to data loss or work interruptions.

There are several common reasons why a USB drive may become inaccessible. These include file system corruption, accidental deletion, virus or malware attacks, improper ejection, driver issues, and physical damage to the drive. Understanding these causes is the first step toward safely restoring your data and preventing similar issues in the future.

3 Steps to Restore Data From Inaccessible USB

To recover data from inaccessible or unrecognized USB device, the most convenient way is to apply a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover. It can help recover unlimited data effortlessly with a 99% success rate and cutting-edge technologies. Only 3 simple steps (scan, preview and recover) can get it done.

If your USB drive appears in Windows File Explorer with a drive letter, but every time you try to open it, you encounter error messages such as "You need to format this drive before you can use it" or "Location is not available. D drive is not accessible. Access is denied" pop out, you can take the following steps to restore data from the USB not recognized.

Step 1. Download, install and launch MyRecover. Select the target USB device and click on "Scan".

Step 2. After the scanning, you can browse through the results by "Type", or directly find out what you need using the "Search" box.

Step 3. Tick those you want to restore from the inaccessible USB, click on "Recover" and choose a destination drive to save them (avoid saving back to the original USB device).

If your USB device does not show up in Windows File Explore, but you can see it in Disk Management due to incompatible / corrupted file system, partition deletion, etc, you can try MyRecover’s another feature-Partition Lost Recovery, which can scan your disk, find out all missing partitions and restore data.

Step 1. Launch MyRecover, click "Partition Lost Recovery" in the "Advanced Recovery" section. Then it will scan for partitions that previously existed but are now lost.

Step 2. Once found, the lost partitions will be listed on the right panel. Select the USB drive partition and click on "Scan".

The following steps are the same as above: locate the files you need from the scan results, click the "Recover" button, and choose a destination to save them.

Further Reading: Repair Inaccessible USB Drive

After recovering your important files, you may also want to repair the inaccessible USB drive so it can be used again. Here are some practical solutions you can try:

1. Assign a New Drive Letter

One simple way to fix an inaccessible USB drive is to assign it a new drive letter. Sometimes, drive letter conflicts can prevent the system from recognizing your USB properly.

• Open Disk Management in Windows.
• Right-click your USB drive and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

• Assign a new drive letter and confirm the changes.

After completing this, check if your USB drive becomes accessible. This method is quick, safe, and often effective when the issue is related to drive letter conflicts.

2. Run CHKDSK Command

If it is the file system error that makes the USB inaccessible, you can use the built-in Windows CHKDSK tool. This command can detect and fix file system errors that may prevent your USB from opening.

• Type "cmd" in the Windows search bar and run "Command Prompt as administrator".
• Enter the command: chkdsk g: /f /r /x (Replace g with your USB drive letter.)

This will check and fix file system errors.

 

3. Update or Reinstall USB Drivers

Sometimes, an inaccessible USB drive is caused by outdated, corrupted, or incompatible drivers. Updating or reinstalling the USB drivers can often solve recognition issues.

• Open Device Manager. Expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers".
• Right-click your USB device, select "Update driver" or "Uninstall device", then reconnect it to reinstall the driver.

4. Format the USB Drive

If the drive is still inaccessible after trying the above methods and you have already recovered your files, formatting may be the last option:

• Right-click the USB drive in Disk Management.
• Choose Format, select the file system (NTFS/FAT32/exFAT), and follow the wizard to complete formatting.

This will reset the USB to a usable state.

Summary

If you are struggling to restore data from inaccessible USB, using a professional recovery tool like MyRecover is the safest and most efficient solution. It helps you recover files from situations such as USB not recognized, corrupted partitions, or unreadable file systemswith just a few simple steps.

Moreover, it also allows you to create a bootable rescue media, and helps with recovering data from computers that cannot boot up normally.