Top 6 USB Recovery Software Reviewed In 2025

There’s nothing worse than losing important files from a corrupted USB drive, especially if you’ve spent countless hours creating them. Whether it’s work documents, photos, or backups, you won’t be able to access them unless you pick a USB recovery software. But which one to choose, as there are numerous options?

Don’t worry, though. We’ve evaluated the best USB recovery tools of 2025 for you. In this review, we’ll break down their main features, pros and cons, and help you pick the one that’s right for getting your lost data back from your corrupted USB.

Part 1: Our Methodology for USB File Recovery Tool Review

We tried out the top USB recovery software against corrupted USBs, on various devices and operating systems. To keep things fair, we ranked each tool based on how well it performed, how easy it was to use, and whether it was worth the money. Below are the key things we looked at when evaluating each one:

Compatibility & Accessibility: Our test included whether the USB recovery tool operates on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and if it supports different devices like USBs, SSDs, and SD cards. We gave extra points for tools that run without needing to be installed.

File Recovery: We evaluated how many file types it can recover and how well it supports issues like corruption in USBs.

Ease of Use: We looked at how user-friendly the software is, whether it has a simple interface or needs command-line use. Our examination also included if you can preview or filter files before recovery.

Scanning & Recovery: We compared scan speed and depth (quick vs. deep scans), batch recovery, folder restoration, and advanced methods like raw recovery.

Limits & Performance: We checked free version limits, how it supports tricky cases (like unbootable systems), and whether it slows down the computer during scans.

Extra Features: We gave credit for bonus tools like disk imaging, RAID recovery, secure file deletion, or data loss prevention features.

Pricing: We compared free and paid features, trial options, and whether you pay once or need a subscription.

Part 2: Top 6 USB Data Recovery Software in 2025

The following are the free and paid 6 best USB data recovery software in 2025 with their key features, pros, and cons listed in detail:

Top 1: 4DDiG Data Recovery

4DDiG Data Recovery is the best USB data recovery software on our 2025 list, and for good reason. It can retrieve 2000+ file types, including audio, RAW files, images, videos, archives, documents, etc, from USBs and other internal/external storage devices. Moreover, this USB data recovery software for Mac and Windows allows you to choose only the file types you wish to reclaim. You can also examine recovered files by their path and name and reclaim up to 2GB of data for free.

Pros	Cons
Extract data from numerous data loss scenarios. Multi-platfrorn support. Lightweight and user-friendly tool. Provides a high recovery rate. Supports file retrieval from memory cards, HDDs, SSDs, etc. Provides two scanning modes.	Only up to 2GB of data recovery is free. Recovering data from an SSD isn’t always successful.

Top 2: Recuva

Recuva is also a good USB file recovery tool made by the creators of CCleaner. It helps users recover deleted files from USB drives, SD cards, hard disks, and more, and its basic version is completely free with no file size limits. The software offers superficial and deep scanning options, and you can preview files like photos or documents before restoring them. It supports many file types such as images, videos, and documents. In addition, this USB recovery software includes a secure delete feature that permanently erases sensitive files so they can’t be recovered later.

Pros	Cons
Doesn’t slow down your system. Functions well for recently deleted files or formatted drives. Supports USB drives, SD cards, SSDs, and hard drives. Offers a portable version that runs directly from a USB drive. Not available for Mac.	Not great with badly damaged or overwritten files. Missing features like RAID or complex data recovery. Interface feels old compared to newer tools. Help is only available in the paid version. Doesn’t get frequent updates, which may cause issues on new systems.

Top 3: Disk Drill Data Recovery

Disk Drill is a great free USB file recovery software that allows recovery of up to 500MB of files with no cost. It’s compatible with multiple file systems like FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, APFS, and EXT4. Besides, this USB file recovery tool supports a wide range of devices, including USBs, SD cards, hard drives, and SSDs, and offers both quick and deep scan options. Features like Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery also add extra protection by keeping deleted files recoverable.

USB Data Recovery Software

Pros	Cons
Easy to use for both beginners and experts. USB data recovery software for Mac and Windows. Preview files before restoring them. Additional tools include disk health checks, backups, and cleanup options.	File size limitations on free recovery. The Mac version needs Pro to recover files. Deep scan can be slower than other tools. Can’t recover from systems that won’t boot.

Top 4: PhotoRec

PhotoRec is an open-source and free recovery software for USB drive that can retrieve 400+ file types from USBs using file carving. This means it finds files based on their structure instead of relying on the file system. The tool is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and BSD, and can recover data from damaged, formatted, or corrupted storage other than USBs.Moreover, this free USB file recovery software supports RAW recovery and can restore files from lost or broken partitions. It also runs as a portable program within the TestDisk & PhotoRec package.

Pros	Cons
Free and open-source, no cost involved Recovers many file types like photos, videos, and documents Can recover from damaged or formatted drives Runs without installation, straight from USB.	Can’t preview files before recovery. Uses a command-line interface, which is not very beginner-friendly. Restores files with generic names. Deep scans can be slow. No option to pick specific files to recover.

Top 5: UFS Explorer

UFS Explorer is an excellent free recovery software for USB drive that includes features for recovering data from broken RAID arrays and restoring lost partitions. It can even recover files over a network and supports a wide range of file systems like NTFS, FAT, exFAT, HFS+, APFS, and Ext2/3/4. This USB file recovery tool can create exact disk images of failing drives to avoid further damage. With deep scan technology and built-in forensic tools, it’s also suitable for advanced recovery tasks and investigations.

Pros	Cons
Recovers lost or damaged files with high success Supports RAID, NAS, and virtual disks. Keeps original file names and folder structure. Offers expert support for tough recovery cases. It’s a USB data recovery software for Mac, Windows, and Linux.	Can be hard to use for beginners. The free version only provides a demo for previewing files and doesn’t support recovery. More expensive than basic recovery tools.

Top 6: DMDE

DMDE is a decent free USB file recovery software that can recover up to 4,000 files per session from flash drives free of cost. There’s also no limit on how many times you can run the tool. It’s compatible with Windows (from 98 to 11), macOS, Linux, and even DOS, with portable versions that run from a USB without installation. Furthermore, this free recovery software for USB drive supports many file systems like NTFS, FAT, exFAT, Ext2/3/4, HFS+, APFS, and ReFS, regardless of the OS. Additional features include RAID recovery (RAID 0/1/4/5/6, JBOD), partition restoration, and disk imaging, even from drives with bad sectors.

Pros	Cons
Offers raw recovery and deep scans to restore data from damaged or formatted drives. Provides advanced NTFS support and tools for professional use. Budget-friendly, with one-time license options. Portable and lightweight, with no installation needed. Lifetime license, with no ongoing subscription.	The interface can be hard for beginners to use Support is limited to email only. The free version doesn’t restore folder structure and limits batch recovery. Less effective on SSDs with TRIM or overwritten data.

Part 3: Quick Comparison of 6 USB File Recovery Tools

Don’t have time to go through the review, or don’t know which tool to choose? Here’s a breakdown of all 6 best USB data recovery software with their most important info listed in the table:

Software	Compatibility	Free Version File Limit	Speed	Success Rate	Interface Usability
4DDiG	Windows, macOS	2GB	Fast, quick scanning	Very high	Very user-friendly
Recuva	Windows	Unlimited (basic version)	Fast (quick scan), Avg (deep scan)	Good for recent deletions	Outdated but simple
Disk Drill	Windows, macOS	500MB	Slower deep scan	High	Easy for all levels
PhotoRec	Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD	Unlimited	Slow	High (for raw recovery)	Command-line, not beginner-friendly
UFS Explorer	Windows, macOS, Linux	Preview only	Fast (advanced tasks)	Very high	Complex, for experts
DMDE	Windows, macOS, Linux, DOS	Up to 4,000 files per session	Medium	High (esp. on HDD)	Technical, not beginner-friendly

Conclusion

It’s a tough choice to pick between numerous USB recovery software in the market, as each one claims to do their job at the finest. However, to help you pick the best ones, we evaluated 6 leading USB recovery tools of 2025 for their features, alongside user experience and efficiency parameters.

Our comprehensive review demonstrates that 4DDiG Data Recovery stands as the best general selection. It restores more than 2000+ file types from different scenarios of data loss and operates on both Windows and Mac systems. The tool maintains high usability, allows you to pick the file types you wish to retrieve, provides a preview of recovered files, and offers free recovery of up to 2 GB. This positions it as a powerful USB recovery solution in 2025.