How to Recover Encrypted Files from a USB Drive?

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a portable device that secures, stores, and exchanges data between computers.

During use, to prevent others from arbitrarily viewing the content, we usually encrypt the files stored in the USB flash drive. Data encryption is an important strategy for protecting your data from security threats and unauthorized access.

But what happens if we forget the password? Is it possible to recover data from an encrypted USB drive? Fortunately for you, there is! We will show you how to recover encrypted files from a USB drive in this post. Let's get this part started.

Is It Possible to Recover Encrypted Files from USB Drive?

Of course! You can recover encrypted files from USB drive. The first step is to decrypt the USB drive. In most cases, accessing an encrypted USB key requires the correct password. You may forget the password for the encrypted USB drive, which prevents you from accessing the data on the encrypted disk. This also means losing valuable data on the disk. Therefore, recovery is required.

Please remember that the decryption method depends on the software used to encrypt or lock the USB drive. You can still decrypt USB drive and recover files from password protect USB drive.

How to Unlock Encrypted USB Drive

Some USB drives have a hardware switch for encrypting the USB. This option protects the USB disc from accidental deletion and random USB writing. Simply flick the switch off to decrypt a read-only USB device and disable this switch. However, there is also some USB drive encryption done with Bitlocker, an encryption tool on Windows. Here are the ways to unlock an encrypted USB drive.

Way 1: Unlock Encrypted USB Drive by Password

If you know the right password, Please insert USB Drive into the computer.

1. Open “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “BitLocker Drive Encryption”.

2. Select the encrypted flash drive and click the “Unlock Drive” option.

3. Enter your correct password and confirm it. The device will start decrypting your USB drive.

Way 2: Unlock Encrypted USB Drive by Recovery Key

If the password is forgotten, the recovery key can be used to decrypt the file.

1. Please plug the USB drive into the computer, Click the “Unlock Drive” option in the pop-up message.

2. Click on “More options” in the dialog box asking you to enter the password if you forget it.

3. Select “Enter recovery key” and “Enter the 48-digit recovery key to unlock this drive”.

4. The recovery key is simple to obtain if you were fortunate enough to preserve it when you enabled BitLocker in a text file, in your Microsoft account, or on a printer.

5. Then, Locate, copy, and paste the recovery key after entering it, and finally press “Unlock”.

Software to Recover Encrypted Files from USB

After unlocking encrypted USB drive, then you want to recover deleted files from Bitlocker encrypted drive and restore encrypted files from a USB drive. you need a professional data recovery tool. Here we highly recommend MyRecover. Below are some key features of it:

• 200+ file formats: Recover deleted Microsoft Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, PPTX, ODP, CSV, WPS files.
• Advanced scanning method: MyRecover performs Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically to locate all the recoverable files.
• Locate Encrypted files quickly: Filter the filename, saved path, date, or size to filter your needed files.
• Convenience: Keep the original filename, path, and format for the deleted files as well as excellent quality.
• Excellent compatibility: Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems, as well as Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Sever PC.

MyRecover is a powerful tool specially designed to recover data from any storage device. No matter what situation you have lost your data, MyRecover will support and solve the problem of permanent data loss for you.

How to Recover Encrypted Files from a USB Drive?

MyRecover is extremely easy to use, please follow the steps below. Then you may know how to recover encrypted files from a USB flash drive

Step 1. Install and run MyRecover on your Windows. Connect your USB drive to the computer. Hover the mouse over the USB drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. MyRecover will automatically do Quick Scan and Deep Scan to show all recoverable files. You could pause and stop the process at any time if your files are found.

★Tip: Preview or filter encrypted files depending on Document Type, Size, Date, Path, etc. You can also specify the file name in the search box to locate it quickly.

• Type: Select the file type (Documents, Images, Videos, Audios, Mails, Webpages, Compressed files, etc.) 
• Modification Date: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, etc.)
• Size: Filter the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~ 512MB, 512MB above, etc.)

Step 3. Choose the encrypted files you want from the USB drive to recover and click "Recover x files". The restore button will display the number of selected files and their total size to determine the integrity of the recovered files.

Step 4. You will then be asked to choose a location. Please choose a new location rather than the old location to avoid overwriting data.

Congratulations. Your encrypted files have been recovered!

Notes：

• You can do encrypted file recovery, up to 500MB for free in total. When exceeded, please upgrade to the advanced editions.
• If you are unable to recover deleted encrypted files with software or the situation is complicated, it's advisable to seek help from data recovery services such as Geek Squad. They have trained professionals and advanced equipment to handle even the most difficult data recovery cases.

Conclusion

So, recovering encrypted files from a USB drive is not as difficult as you think. Once you have successfully unlocked the USB drive. Then, use a top-notch and trustworthy data recovery software like MyRecover which can be used to recover data lost anywhere. You can simply finish!

Prevention is also important. Regular backups and the use of reliable storage devices can reduce the risk of losing data. When disaster strikes, you'll be able to quickly restore files from backups and get them back in no time.

FAQs

1. How to recover encrypted files from a USB drive?

To recover encrypted files from a USB drive, you'll need the password or recovery key to decrypt it. Then, you can use professional data recovery software like MyRecover.

• Install and launch MyRecover, connect your encrypted USB drive and start scanning it.
• Wait for the scan to complete. Next, locate the encrypted files you want to recover and click “Recover xxx files”.
• Choose a new location to save encrypted files.

2. Can I use System Restore to recover encrypted files on my USB drive?

System Restore doesn't restore encrypted files because it usually doesn't affect user data. It is more focused on restoring system settings and configurations.

3. What precautions should I take to avoid losing access to encrypted USB drive files?

Always keep a secure backup of your encryption key or password. Store it separately from the USB drive and ensure it is accessible when needed.

4. What's the best way to prevent data loss from an encrypted USB drive?

The best precaution is to regularly back up your important data on separate storage devices. Also, make sure your encryption keys or passwords are stored securely and easily accessible when needed.

5. How to unlock the encrypted USB drive on Mac?

The most commonly used USB drive encryption tool on Mac is usually FileVault. Insert the USB drive into your Mac; then start Finder and right-click on the encrypted USB drive; select the "Decrypt USB" option, input your password and confirm it. The device will start decrypting your USB drive.