How to Recover Lost Space on a USB Drive ▷ Restore Capacity

Recover Lost Space on a USB Flash Drive: Missing space on your USB drive after formatting? USB drive showing the wrong capacity? You may have noticed this issue after using tools to burn an ISO to USB.

Don't worry, recovering lost space on a USB flash drive is straightforward! This comprehensive guide explains why USB storage capacity may go missing and provides step by step instructions to fix the issue on both Windows and Linux systems. Whether your USB drive is showing the wrong capacity, appears corrupted flash drive, or has missing storage, these easy to follow steps will help you restore it to its full capacity and functionality. Read on to understand what causes this problem and learn how to recover lost space on a USB drive quickly and effectively.

Why Does USB Drive Storage Space Go Missing?

When you burn an ISO to a USB drive using tools like Balena Etcher, the drive's filesystem is reconfigured to match the ISO file. This process often leaves the remaining storage space unallocated, rendering it unusable for traditional storage purposes. In some cases, your USB may even appear as a corrupted flash drive with reduced capacity.

For example, tools like DD (Disk Dump) overwrite the USB’s original partition table, limiting its usable size to the ISO file's size. This is particularly problematic for USB drives with significantly larger capacities. To fix this, you need to reallocate the unallocated space by creating a new partition.

Recover Lost Space on a USB Drive (Windows)

To recover lost space on a USB flash drive, use Windows Disk Management to create a new volume from the unallocated space. Assign a drive letter to the new volume, then format it with a file system of your choice. Here’s how:

Access the Windows run box by pressing the Win+R keys. Then type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Disk Management.
```
diskmgmt.msc
```
Next, to create a New Volume from the remaining space on your USB drive:
(1.) Locate your USB Disk from the list.
(2.) Right Click the Unallocated Space and select New Simple Volume.
When prompted, click Next to start the "New Simple Volume Wizard".
Note that you can specify a Simple volume size or leave it as is to use the remaining disk space. Click Next to use all of the remaining space.
Now you'll be asked to assign a drive letter or leave it as is. Click Next.
Finally, to format and create the partition:
(1.) Select a File system.
(2.) Create a Volume label.
(3.) Click Next.
Click Finish to complete the creation of the new partition.

If all went well you should now have access to the once missing space on your USB drive via the newly created volume and related assigned drive letter.

Recover USB Drive Space in Linux Using Parted

Linux users can recover lost USB space using the parted command-line tool. Here’s how:

Open a terminal window (Ctrl+Alt+T in Ubuntu/Debian).
Run parted with superuser privileges and specify the USB drive:
(Replacing /dev/sdX with your actual USB letter)
```
sudo parted /dev/sdX
```
Then, use the print command to list existing partitions:
```
print
```
Create a new partition in the unallocated space using the mkpart command:
```
mkpart primary ext4 START END
```
Replace START and END with the unallocated space’s start and end points.
Exit parted by typing quit.

After creating the partition, format it with your desired filesystem to restore the USB drive’s functionality.

Note: Always double check and confirm the device name to avoid accidental data loss. If you're unsure, use tools like lsblk or fdisk -l to list available drives and their partitions.

Troubleshooting USB Lost Storage Space

If unallocated USB storage space doesn't appear, try these troubleshooting steps:

Eject and reconnect the USB drive: Sometimes a simple reconnection resolves detection issues.
Check Device Manager (Windows): Open Device Manager and look for any warning icons or driver issues under the USB or disk drives section. If necessary, update or reinstall the device drivers.
Use lsblk or fdisk -l (Linux): These commands list all connected drives and partitions. Verify that your USB drive is recognized correctly and identify its device name.
Restart your computer: Rebooting can help resolve system-level issues with USB detection.
Test the USB drive on another computer: If the issue persists, it may indicate a problem with the USB drive itself.
Run a diagnostic tool: Use tools like chkdsk (Windows) or fsck (Linux) to check for and repair errors on the USB drive.
Check for Fake USB Drives: Some USB drives, especially those purchased at a discount or from unverified sources, may have falsified storage capacities. To ensure your drive is genuine, use tools like H2testw to verify the actual capacity. This tool writes and reads data to confirm that the storage matches the claimed size. If the drive is fake, you may not be able to recover the missing space.

Check Filesystem Integrity (Windows)

If you're still encountering issues with missing space or a corrupted USB drive, it's a good idea to check the drive's filesystem integrity using the built-in CHKDSK tool in Windows. Follow these steps:

1. Press the Win+R keys to open the Run box. Type cmd and press Enter to open the Command Prompt. Make sure to run it as Administrator by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk X: /f

Replace X: with the letter of your USB drive (e.g., E:). The /f flag will fix any errors found.
If the drive is in use, you may need to schedule the check for the next reboot. Type Y to confirm.
CHKDSK will then check and repair the file system. Once complete, check if the lost space has been restored.

Check Filesystem Integrity (Linux)

In Linux, you can use the fsck command to check and repair the filesystem on your USB drive. Follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window.
2. Run sudo fsck with the device name of your USB drive (replace /dev/sdX with the appropriate drive letter):

sudo fsck /dev/sdX

Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm any fixes and repair the filesystem.
Once the process is complete, verify if the lost space has been recovered.

If none of these steps work, the drive may require low-level formatting or replacement.

This concludes how to quickly recover lost space on a USB drive or attempt to fix a corrupted flash drive, using Disk Management in Windows or parted in Linux. Recovering lost space on a USB flash drive is pretty straightforward when using the right tools.

With these steps, your USB flash drive should now be restored to its full capacity, ready for USB storage or other uses. Found this guide helpful? Share it with others or bookmark it for future reference!