[Data Recovery] Why Deleted File from USB Not in Recycle Bin?

How can deleted file from a USB drive not in the recycle bin be recovered? Obtain four solutions from this guide to effortlessly retrieve your deleted USB files.

Posted by @Lucas December 17, 2024 Updated By @Lucas August 21, 2024

Why can’t you find deleted file in Recycle Bin?

The Recycle Bin is the first filter that keeps your data from being lost forever, so you can get it back if you delete a file by mistake. Its little trash can icon sits on the desktop and places files that you delete in a "holding bay." When you delete files from a USB, they are not fully erased from the disk. Instead, the space that the files were in is marked as empty until new data is written there.

πŸ’πŸΌ‍♀️ If you can't find a removed file in the Recycle Bin, it could be because of the following:

  • To get rid of the files, you pressed Shift + Delete.
  • The Command Prompt was used to delete files.
  • These files were taken off of a hard drive.
  • The settings on the computer use the choice. There is no need to move things to the trash.
  • You emptied the Recycle Bin.
  • The deleted files are a lot bigger than what the Recycle Bin can hold.

Can you recover deleted file from USB not in Recycle Bin?

Yes, you can recover permanently deleted files from USB even if the files are not in the Recycle Bin. When a file is deleted from a USB drive, it bypasses the Recycle Bin, but the data isn't immediately erased. The system simply marks the space as available for new data, meaning the original file remains on the drive until it's overwritten

But, to increase the success rate of deleted file recovery, you need to observe the following requirements:

❌ Do not copy files — Do not copy files from a USB flash drive or add new files to one. Any read or write action will make it harder to get back the data.

❌ Do not write again— Do not use the USB drive and do not add any new information to it. Otherwise, the lost data can't be regained after it has been erased.

🧹 Remove USB drive away from the computer--- Remove the pen drive or USB flash drive from the computer until USB data recovery starts.

How to recover deleted file from USB not in Recycle Bin

Do files that are removed from a USB drive go to the Recycle Bin? Not often. Even so, there are still a few ways to get back files that you deleted from a flash drive but weren't thrown away. Now let's get to work.

Solution 1. Recover deleted files from USB not in Recycle Bin with data recovery tool

Recovery software is still the most efficient option if you don't have a backup of your data. Since we already said that overwritten data can't be retrieved, you can't do many redundant tasks before you get back the lost files. So, AOMEI FastRecovery is a tool that gets good reviews and can be trusted. Additionally, to having great recovery performance, it can also get back data from the recycle bin that you can't get to.

For the sake of this case, we will show you how to get back deleted files that aren't in the Recycle Bin.

● Let users scan their hard drives with just one click to find all lost or deleted files. ● Allows free previewing of files before recovery. ● It can get back Office files, pictures, videos, music and audio files, RAR and ZIP files, and more than 200 other types of files. ● You can restore files while keeping their original name, structure, and path. ● It works exactly with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, and other file systems. It also works with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and all Windows Servers.
Free DownloadWindows PCs and Servers
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Step 1: Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery on your computer.

Step 2: Select a location to scan first to find the lost data on your Windows.

Step 3: It Will take some time to scan and find the lost data. Wait patiently.

Note: AOMEI FastRecovery provides two scan modes, Quickly Scan and Deep Scan. The Quickly Scan will search for your deleted data in the fastest way. The Deep Scan will make further search for other missing data.

Step 4: After the scan is complete,  here you can preview the recovered files, and select the ones you want to restore. Click "Recover".

Step 5. Select a folder path to store the recovered items and click "Select Folder".

Then the recovered files will be saved in the specified location.

Solution 2. Recover lost files from Previous Versions

How can I get back lost things on a USB drive without using software? If you have File History set up to back up your USB files, it is easy to get back lost files from USB that aren't in the Recycle Bin. You can directly get back copies of the things on your USB drive.

Step 1. Open File Explore. Press the Win + E keys to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click "Properties" on the USB drive. Click "This PC", find your USB flash drive, then select "Properties" from the context menu.

Step 3. Choose a previous version and then click "Restore". You'll see a list of available previous versions of the file or folder on the Previous Versions tab. Choose the needed one and click Restore.

Solution 3. Restore USB files not in Recycle Bin via Windows File Recovery

That being said, if you don't have a backup, you can also use Windows File Recovery to get back forever deleted folders from a USB drive or deleted files from a hard drive that aren't in the recycle bin. You'll need to type orders in CMD or PowerShell to use Windows File Recovery because it is a command-line tool.

winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [mode] [switches] is a popular command line for getting back lost data. To get back lost files, Windows File Recovery has some tools that you can use.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery on your computer from Microsoft Store.

Step 2. Open the USB hard drive’s Properties, check its File System, and choose the mode you should use to recover data.

Step 3. Open Windows File restore and type in the restore command line you created.

For instance, winfr F: D: /extensive /n *.jpg is the correct command line to bring back JPG files that were deleted for a while from the source USB drive (F drive) to the target drive (D drive).

Solution 4. Recover USB files not in Recycle Bin using Windows backup

Step 1. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Tap on the Restore my files button.

Step 3. Click Browse for files or Browse for folders > select the files you need > Next.

Step 4. Choose the destination for saving stored files > tap Restore.

To sum up

In this post, there are some ways to get back a lost file that isn't in the Recycle Bin. Most of the time, the files are hidden or can't be reached, but there are several ways to get them back. Suppose you delete data from an external hard drive by mistake. In that case, you can easily get it back with the AOMEI FstRecovery software, Windows File Recovery, or restoring a copy or backup file.