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Recover files from a USB stick that asks to be formatted, shows as RAW, says 'please insert a disk', or appears empty in File Explorer. SafeRestore bypasses the broken file table and reads the flash chip directly to rebuild every recoverable file.
When Windows or macOS shows your USB as 'RAW' or unallocated, SafeRestore reads the flash chip's raw sectors and rebuilds files from scratch — no formatting needed.
Tested on SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung BAR, Lexar, PNY, Corsair, ADATA, and generic flash drives. Supports USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, and USB-C drives.
We never write to the failing USB stick — every operation is read-only to prevent worsening the damage. Recovered files are saved to a separate destination drive.
Full USB chip-level scan + RAW recovery + 200+ formats. One-time purchase, lifetime license.
Get SafeRestore Recovery for $19.99 — 30-day refund, lifetime license, Mac & Windows.
Yes — and you should. Click Cancel on that prompt and run SafeRestore immediately. The 'needs format' message means the file system header is corrupted, but your files are still on the chip. Formatting will overwrite the file table and make recovery much harder.
If the USB shows up in Disk Management (even as Unallocated or RAW), SafeRestore can still scan it. If it doesn't appear in Disk Management at all, the controller chip has likely failed — that's a hardware-level failure that requires lab service.
Yes. SafeRestore runs natively on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. The same flash-chip scan works on both — file systems supported include FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, APFS, and HFS+.
If only the connector is bent or broken, we can usually access the chip through a replacement housing or USB extender. If the chip itself is cracked or burned, that's hardware damage requiring a clean-room lab.
A 32 GB USB takes 8-15 minutes for a Quick Scan and 25-50 minutes for a Deep Scan. A 256 GB USB takes 1-2 hours for Deep Scan. Faster USB ports (3.1+) are 2-3x faster than older ports.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If the file table is partially intact, names and folder structure are preserved. If the table is fully destroyed, files are recovered with generic names — but the actual content is intact and you can rename them after preview.