However, accidents happen, andformatting a thumb driveunintentionally can lead to the loss of crucial data.
Here comes a question: Is it possible to unformat a thumb drive or a USB flash drive?
Find the answer from this article.
Additionally, well discuss proactive measures to protect your files from accidental loss.
Unformatting, on the other hand, is the process of recovering lost data from a formatted drive.
We will introduce a useful tool in the following part.
you could use MiniTool Power Data Recovery, third-party free data recovery software, to do this job.
So, this software can fully meet your need to unformat a thumb drive.
you could first tryMiniTool Power Data Recovery Freeto scan your thumb drive for the formatted files.
How to Recover Data from a Formatted USB Drive/Thumb Drive Using MiniTool Power Data Recovery?
Get MiniTool Power Data Recovery installed on your PC.
Launch the software to enter the main interface.
After that, you’ve got the option to see all detected drives underLogical Drives.
Then, move your mouse cursor to that drive and click theScanbutton to start scanning it for formatted files.
After scanning, this software will display all found files by path.
you might access each path to locate the files you wish to recover.
Both partial filename and full filename are acceptable.
Simply pop in the filename into the search box and pressEnter.
The software will then display the files that match the name you have entered.
At times, you may be uncertain whether the selected file is the one you need.
No need to worry.
This software supports free previewing of various file types.
Simply double-choose the file to preview and confirm.
Alternatively, you could go for the file and click thePreviewbutton.
The file you want to preview should not exceed 2GB.
You should save the selected files to another drive rather than their original drive.
This is to prevent the lost and deleted files from being overwritten and becoming unrecoverable.
Do you know how to recover data from a lost ReFS partition?
In this post, we will show you how to do this using MiniTool software.
This software is specially designed tobackup files, folders, partitions, disks, and systems in Windows 11/10/8/7.
It supports backing up files on thumb drives.
Now, you might follow this guide to back up files on a thumb drive to another location.
Download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker on your gear.
Then, click theKeep Trialbutton to enter the softwares main interface.
ClickBackupin the left menu to enter the backup interface.
Next, click theDESTINATIONsection to select another location as the storage drive.
Click theBack Up Nowbutton and clickOKon the pop-up interface to start backing up the selected thumb drive.
Wait until the backup process ends.
Move Two: Properly Format the USB Thumb Drive
Now, your data is safe.
you might feel free to format the drive to your required status.
It is very easy to format a thumb drive on a Windows computer.
How to Protect Your Thumb Drive from Being Formatted Accidentally?
Protecting your thumb drive from accidental formatting is crucial to avoid data loss.
Use Read-Only Mode
Set your thumb drive to read-only mode if it supports this feature.
Seehow to enable USB read-only mode.
Label the Drive Clearly
Label your thumb driveclearly to indicate that you should not format it.
This can serve as a visual reminder for both yourself and others.
Customize the Drive Icon
Customize the icon of your thumb driveto make it easily recognizable.
A unique icon can help prevent accidentally selecting the wrong drive for formatting.
Regularly Back up Data
Keep regular backups of the dataon your thumb drive.
In case of accidental formatting, it’s possible for you to restore your important files from the backup.
MiniTool ShadowMaker is still recommended here.
Always exercise caution when performing any operations on your thumb drive, especially formatting.
Bottom Line
Unformatting a thumb drive can be a lifesaver when faced with accidental data loss.
Utilizing the formatted USB flash drive recovery software like MiniTool Power Data Recovery simplifies the recovery process.
However, prevention is always better than cure.
