Everybody has at least one USB flash drive, and we usually take them for granted. They’re our mobile data pack and host the files we need everywhere. Unfortunately, however, they also occasionally fail.

Flash disk repair tool
Thankfully, there are ways to get back missing files, fix corrupted file systems, and keep using most USB flash drives after a mishap. Multiple USB flash drive repair utilities can help you address many such problems.

Why replace a working device when you could “fix it” with straightforward USB flash drive repair software? Let’s see how!

When you can’t access your USB flash drive’s contents, the first thing to do is to ensure you eventually will. You should avoid using the device, for it could lead to further corruption. Instead, only “use it” with the proper USB flash drive repair tools depending on the problem, as we’ll see in this article.
How to Tell If Your USB Drive Needs Repairing
Does your computer refuse to detect your USB flash drive no matter what you try? Unfortunately, in such cases, there’s not much to do but recycle and replace the device.

If, however, your device is detected, you’ll probably be able to get your data back from it. Maybe you’ll even fully fix your USB flash drive and keep using it as if nothing happened.

Before moving on to our complete ranking, here is a quick recap of the best USB stick repair tools.
1

FREEMIUMDisk DrillPlatform: Windows, macOS
414300
2

FREEClonezillaPlatform: OS agnostic
11999
3

FREELive Linux ISOPlatform: Linux
4835
What Are USB Repair Tools?
Multiple solutions fall under the somewhat vague term “USB repair tools”. The term covers:

Tools that come with the Operating System.
Third-party USB flash drive repair software specializing in data recovery.
“Live” Linux distributions.
Standalone backup solutions.
Third-party utilities that streamline or extend the functionality of built-in OS tools.
See also: How to Fix “USB Device not recognized” Error on Windows 10
8 Best Tools to Repair Your USB Drive
The USB stick repair solutions we will see here are the best for dealing with multiple problems. If you know what you’re dealing with, feel free to pick the best USB flash drive repair tool for the issue at hand.

However, we’ve arranged and listed them in a logical progression that prioritizes the integrity of your data, minimizes the possibility of data loss, and maximizes recovery potential.

Disk Drill is a powerful but straightforward file recovery application worth adding to your USB stick repair utilities collection. We’ll zip through it and use it solely for recovering files from a non-accessible USB stick. Still, you can find out more about Disk Drill in our comprehensive review of this fantastic app.

Unlike some other software (such as Clonezilla), Disk Drill doesn’t copy everything off your USB flash drive. Instead, it allows you to select specific files that you want to recover from your USB flash drive.
Download Disk Drill from its official site. Then, install it like any other app on your computer, and run it.
Select your USB flash drive from Disk Drill’s device list. Ensure “All recovery methods” is selected from the pulldown menu on the right. Click on “Search for lost data” to scan your device for files.
Give Disk Drill some time to perform its scans. You can click at any time on “Review found items” to check the files Disk Drill has located. However, you will (probably) get an extended list of files if you allow Disk Drill to complete its scan.
Place a checkmark next to the files you want to recover. If you want more information than their filename, right-click on them and choose Preview.
With all the files you want to get back selected, click on “Recover”. Then, choose where you want to recover them.
After some time, Disk Drill will inform you it completed the data recovery process. Click on “Show recovered data in Explorer” to check out your files in Windows’ default file manager.
We almost always choose Disk Drill for its unmatchable combination of features, ease of use, and solid results. Still, if it’s not your cup of tea, we’ve also covered many alternatives worth checking out.

See also: How to Recover Files From a Corrupted Flash Drive
2. Clonezilla
To ensure the safety of the data in your USB flash drive, you should first take a complete backup of its contents, even if it’s unusable in its current state. That’s because if the problem’s source is your USB flash drive’s hardware (for example, its memory chips), more use translates to more wear and intensifies the problem. Having a backup will ensure that even if the situation gets any worse, you will still have options to recover your precious data.

There are many backup solutions you could go for, but Clonezilla is always at the very top or close. Download it from its official site, and use it to create a bootable CD, DVD, or USB flash drive.

Boot from Clonezilla’s live media and choose the first option, Clonezilla live.
Pick the language and keyboard layout that you prefer. Then, choose Start Clonezilla.
Select “device-image” to create and store a backup of your USB flash drive into an image file.
Choose the device where you want to store the backup file.
Skip any filesystem checks by choosing no-fsck.
Select the directory where you want to store the image file.
When asked, go for Beginner mode to hide Clonezilla’s “more advanced” options.
Choose savedisk to clone everything in your USB flash drive into a backup image file. If you wish, you can tweak the produced file’s name.