USB Flash Drive Repair Software (9 Freeware Included), Free Methods, Online Tools
Here are the best flash drive repair tools for Windows 11/10/8/7 when you need USB drive repair utilities, freeware, and online/offline USB repair tools to fix a flash drive that doesn't work or has errors.
Repairing a USB drive on Mac? See this - Mac USB repair tool
9 USB Drive Repair Tools for Windows 11/10/8/7
Before repairing, we strongly recommend you recover your data from the damaged USB drive if it's necessary, especially if the data is important to you.
Note: Almost all USB drive repair programs need to be run as an administrator. Data will be erased during the process of repairing your pen drive, so we strongly recommend you restore your important files before performing any repairs.
Here is a list of the best USB repair tools, one of which will hopefully fix your damaged flash drive.
#1 Error Check - Repair a damaged USB drive with the error-checking tools provided by Windows
Windows has a built-in utility called Error Check, which is efficient when your flash drive has errors (blank, RAW file system format, unsupported file system, 0 bytes, incorrect size, chkdsk is not available for RAW drives, asking to format before use, inaccessible, etc.).
Here's how to start repairing your flash drive:
Step 1 - Connect your pen drive to a Windows 11/10/8/7 computer or laptop.
Step 2 - Double-click 'This PC' -> Right-click the USB drive -> Properties
Right-click USB drive properties
If it doesn't appear under 'This PC,' go to Device Manager, right-click the drive, and select 'Properties.'
Right-click USB drive properties in Device Manager
Tips: To open Device Manager, type 'devmgmt.msc' in the Run box, or search for 'device manager' in Windows 10. You can also go to 'This PC' -> Manage -> Device Manager and right-click your flash drive -> Properties.
Step 3 - Go to the 'Tools' tab -> Error Checking -> Check
Repair flash drive in Windows 10 with Error Checking
A different window may appear if you're using an older version of Windows, such as XP.
Repair damaged USB drive in Windows XP with Error-Checking
Step 4 - Confirm the selected operations and run the repair if prompted.
Watch the following video to see how to repair your flash drive using error checking:
#2 Freeware Partition Resizer Free - Repair bad blocks, fix errors, format USB flash drive
Step 1: Download this freeware and connect your USB flash drive to a Windows computer where this tool is installed.
Note: This freeware has a portable version that you can use directly from a removable device. Right-click its .exe file and select 'Run as administrator' to start using it.
Step 2 - Open the repair freeware, right-click your pen drive -> Check Partition
Select both available options and confirm the changes to start repairing the drive.
Select 'Fix found errors' along with 'Try to fix bad sectors.'
Step 3 - Apply changes to repair your damaged pen drive.
Note: Check if your USB flash drive is working after the repair!
Step 4 - If the above steps don't work, try formatting the drive using Partition Resizer.
Open the program, right-click your flash media, and select 'Format.'
Step 5 - Choose the file system (FAT32/NTFS) or leave it to default settings.
Step 6 - Click 'OK' -> 'Apply' to confirm and start the repair process. Let the freeware do the rest.
What's more, this free tool can also help remove usb flash drive write protection, clone usb flash drive for backup, convert ntfs to fat32 without losing data, format a usb flash drive over 32GB to FAT32.
#3 MalvaStyle USB Repair - Freeware
This free USB drive repair program has a simple interface for repairing removable USB drives. It requires administrator privileges to run.
This tool efficiently fixes the error Windows was unable to complete the format on the USB drive.
Download URL: http://malvastyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MalvaStyle_Setup.zip
If the above download link doesn't work, visit this page for an alternative download:
https://malvastyle.com/disk-repair-application-by-malvastyle/
Video Guide - How to Use MalvaStyle USB Repair
#4 CMD Diskpart USB Repair - Useful USB repair command prompt
Here are two efficient command lines you can use to repair your damaged flash drive: CHKDSK and Diskpart. These commands might be a bit complex for non-tech-savvy users, so we've simplified them for easy understanding.
Follow these steps to start Diskpart on your computer:
- Step 1 - Open CMD by pressing "Windows icon + R" on your keyboard.
- Step 2 - Type diskpart and press Enter.
- Step 3 - Type 'list disk' to list all disks.
- Step 4 - Type 'select disk *' (replace * with the number of your flash drive).
- Step 5 - Type 'clean' to clear the disk.
- Step 6 - Type 'create partition primary' to create a new partition.
- Step 7 - Type 'format fs=ntfs quick' or 'format fs=fat32 quick' to format the drive in NTFS or FAT32. You can also format it to exFAT if needed.
Check if your flash drive is working now. If it’s still not functioning, try the methods below.
#5 CHKDSK - Free command prompt fix provided by Windows
You need to know the drive letter of your flash drive to use CHKDSK
You can check the drive letter by navigating to "This PC" and looking for your flash drive's letter.
chkdsk h: /f - (Replace "h" with your flash drive’s drive letter)
CMD CHKDSK to repair pen drive
Video Guide - How to repair a damaged pen drive using CHKDSK
Also read: How to repair a damaged flash drive using CMD
#6 HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - Freeware
The HP USB Format Tool provides an easy-to-use interface to repair corrupted flash drives by formatting. It only takes four simple steps, all managed on the same interface.
HP USB Format Tool user guide
Download link:
https://download.cnet.com/HP-USB-Disk-Storage-Format-Tool/3001-2094_4-10974082.html
Further reading: HP USB Format Tool User Video and Error Fixes with additional download links are available on this page.
Wondering how to repair a corrupted USB drive without formatting or losing data? The above repair tools don’t require formatting, or you can visit this guide - How to fix a corrupted flash drive without formatting.
#7 EaseUS Partition Master Free - Freeware for fixing damaged flash drives
EaseUS Partition Master Free is an excellent disk management program with versatile functions such as repairing bad blocks, changing the USB flash drive’s file system, and rebuilding the master boot record.
Download link:
https://download.cnet.com/EaseUS-Partition-Master-Free-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
#8 HDD Low Level Format Tool - The last free tool to revive a damaged flash drive
Repair a USB drive with a low-level format tool
If all the above tools fail to repair your damaged flash drive, the HDD Low Level Format Tool is your last option. If this doesn’t work, your USB drive may be beyond repair.
Step 1 - Download the HDD Low-Level Format Tool and connect your flash drive to a Windows computer (Windows 11/10/8/7).
Step 2 - Open the tool, go to the "LOW-LEVEL FORMAT" tab, select your flash drive, and confirm the format.
#9 Rufus - Format and fix USB “can't be formatted” errors
Using Rufus to format a USB drive can resolve errors that prevent formatting due to unknown reasons.
Download link for Rufus: Rufus 3.11
Also read: 8 best tools to format USB drive, or how to format USB write protected
USB Flash Drive Not Working or Dying
Note: The above methods can only help fix logically damaged usb flash drives, if your flash drive is having physical damages, dead chips, fire/water damage, or other physical damages, you can only let it go and buy a new one.
If your flash drive could not be repaired by the tools mentioned above, here is some additional useful information for you:
- 8 free ways to repair corrupted USB stick
- Ask a local digital media repair center or service center for help.
- Buy a new flash drive.
How Your Flash Drive Was Damaged
- Pen drive is blank or has an unsupported filesystem.
- Pen drive shows no media, 0 bytes
- Flash drive I/O device error.
- "The drive is not formatted, do you want to format it now?" message appears.
- Pen drive has a RAW file system, 0 bytes.
- The flash drive is not working on your computer.
- Windows was unable to complete the format of the flash drive.
- USB drive has an 'unallocated' error, and the computer keeps saying 'Please insert disk into USB drive'.
- Can't format USB, write-protected, use a USB repair tool to fix write protection.
Last updated on Sept 10, 2024
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