Recover deleted files from a USB stick, SD card or drive - free, and nothing uploaded
NoPowerFix Data Recovery is a free data recovery app for Windows, made by our Hardware Specialist and Senior Repair Technicians. It first makes a safe copy of a failing device, then finds deleted files with their names and folders and repairs damaged photos and videos. It never uploads anything. Below you can see what it can recover, what it can't, and what not to do so it doesn't get worse.
How it works
Stop using the stick or card. Then recover to a different drive.
The free Windows app copies it once and works on the copy.
Free on the Microsoft Store, the only place to get it. Data recovery has moved out of the NoPowerFix laptop app into this app of its own.
Will this work for me?
First: stop using the device - every new file can land on the ones you want back. Save what you recover to a different drive.
It can help with
- Deleted files on a USB stick, an SD or microSD card or an external hard drive, as long as nothing new was saved over them.
- A stick or card that was quick-formatted. Files kept in folders come back with their names; files that sat in the top folder come back by type only (photos, videos, documents, archives).
- Lost folders, "You need to format the disk", a drive that shows as RAW, or a damaged file system.
- Files that copy but open broken - half-grey photos, videos that won't play - while the data is still on the device: every file is checked and damaged photos and videos are repaired.
- A device with some unreadable areas: a safe copy is made first and the bad areas are skipped.
- An external SSD on USB: a lost partition or a damaged file system often works. Deleted files usually don't - the SSD erases them itself.
It can't help with
- The device isn't detected at all - no drive letter, not in Disk Management - or it has no power. That's a hardware fault: the device needs a repair before any data can be read.
- "No Media", 0 bytes or the wrong capacity. The device's controller has lost its map of the memory. Only a lab can read the memory chip directly. Never run factory or "mass production" tools on it - they wipe it.
- Physical damage: a snapped connector, a cracked chip, water damage. The board has to be repaired first.
- Deleted files on an internal SSD, or on any SSD with TRIM. The drive erases deleted files by itself, usually within minutes.
- Files that were overwritten, a full format, a secure erase, or Windows reinstalled over them. The old data is no longer there to find.
- BitLocker or other encryption without the recovery key. Without the key nothing on the drive can be read.
- A phone's internal storage. A phone isn't a USB drive - its storage can't be scanned this way.
- A hard drive that clicks or beeps. Stop using it right now. It's a mechanical fault and a lab job - every scan makes it worse.
- A drive larger than 1 TB. This app works with USB sticks, memory cards and drives up to 1 TB.
If the app tells you…
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| This device reports "No Media" or 0 bytes | The device's controller has lost its map of the memory. Only a lab can read the memory chip directly. Never run factory or "mass production" tools on it - they wipe it. |
| Windows doesn't see this device any more | Reconnect it. If it doesn't come back - no drive letter, not in Disk Management - it's a hardware fault and needs a repair before any data can be read. |
| This is an SSD | Deleted files are usually gone: the SSD erases them itself. A lost partition or a damaged file system can still work. |
| This drive is encrypted (BitLocker) | Without the recovery key nothing on it can be read. Unlock it in Windows with the key first, then scan it. |
| This hard drive is struggling | It keeps failing or stalling while it's read. If it clicks or beeps, stop now: it's a mechanical fault and a lab job - every extra read can make it worse. |
| This is the drive Windows runs from | It can't be scanned here: anything Windows writes while it runs could land on the files you want back. Take the drive out and connect it to another PC with a USB adapter. |
| No readable file system | The whole device was searched by file type. Files found this way come back without their names and folders. |
Before you start
Show more
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Stop using the device and unplug it until you're ready. | Copy anything new onto it - not even the recovery program. |
| Have a second drive ready with enough free space for everything you want back. | Click "Format" or "Scan and fix" when Windows offers it. |
| Make a safe copy first if the device is slow, disconnects or shows errors. | Run factory or "mass production" tools on a stick or card - they wipe it. |
| Switch off a hard drive that clicks or beeps. | Keep plugging a clicking drive back in "to try once more". |
How the free recovery works
NoPowerFix Data Recovery is a free Windows app of its own. Everything runs on your PC - nothing is uploaded.
- Pick the device. The app shows every stick, card and drive, and says straight away if it can't help (for example "No Media" or an encrypted drive). The drive Windows runs from can't be picked.
- Safe copy first for sticks and cards that act up: the device is read once, carefully, and unreadable areas are skipped. From then on only the copy is used.
- Scan. Files come back with their names, folders and dates where the file system still has them - including deleted files and folders that lost their place. Then the free space is searched by file type: photos, camera RAW, videos, documents and archives.
- Save to a different drive. Every saved file is checked by its content, not just its name. Damaged photos and videos get a repaired copy next to the original, and a report lists what came back and in what state.
Free. Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11, 64-bit. Reading a device directly needs administrator rights; a safe copy that's already made does not.
Questions people ask
How do I recover deleted photos from an SD card for free?
Stop taking pictures on that card and take it out of the camera or phone. Connect it to a Windows PC with a card reader, open NoPowerFix Data Recovery (free on the Microsoft Store), pick the card and save what it finds to a different drive. Deleted photos usually come back as long as nothing new was saved over them.
What should I do first when I've lost files?
Stop using the device. Don't format it and don't click "Scan and fix". Have a second drive ready with enough free space for everything you want back. If the device clicks, beeps, isn't detected or shows "No Media", don't run any software on it - it needs a repair or a lab.
Can I recover files from a USB stick that says "You need to format the disk"?
Often, yes. Click Cancel - don't format it. The message usually means the file system is damaged while the files are still there. The app reads the stick without changing it and rebuilds the folders it can find. If the stick shows "No Media" or 0 bytes instead, it's a hardware fault and software can't help.
Can data recovery software make things worse?
Yes, when it's used the wrong way. Installing the program or saving recovered files onto the same device can overwrite what you want back. "Scan and fix", chkdsk or a format rewrites the file system. Factory or "mass production" tools wipe a stick completely. And every extra read hurts a failing drive. NoPowerFix only reads the device, makes a safe copy of a failing one first, and refuses to save onto the device it's recovering.
Can deleted files be recovered from an SSD?
Usually not. An SSD erases deleted files by itself (TRIM), often within minutes. A lost partition or a damaged file system on an external SSD can still be recovered. If the files matter, stop using the SSD straight away.
My USB stick shows "No Media" or 0 bytes. Can software fix it?
No. The stick's controller has lost its map of the memory, so no program can see the files. The data may still be on the memory chip, but only a lab can read the chip directly. Never run factory or "mass production" tools on it - they wipe it.
Is NoPowerFix data recovery really free?
Yes - no paid unlock and no ads. It works with USB sticks, memory cards and drives up to 1 TB. It's a free Windows app of its own, NoPowerFix Data Recovery, on the Microsoft Store.
Does it upload my files?
No. Everything runs on your PC, and your files never leave it.
What can it recover?
Deleted files, quick-formatted sticks and cards, lost folders and drives that show as RAW, on FAT, exFAT and NTFS - with their names, folders and dates where the file system still has them. When the names are gone it finds files by their content: photos (JPG, PNG, GIF, HEIC), camera RAW (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, DNG), videos (MP4, MOV, AVI), PDF, Word and Excel (.docx, .xlsx), ZIP and 7z.
Does it work for a Mac, a camera or a phone?
The app runs on Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11, 64-bit. Sticks, cards and drives from a Mac or a camera work when you connect them to that PC, as long as they use FAT, exFAT or NTFS. A phone's internal storage can't be scanned this way.
Still stuck?
If the device isn't detected, shows "No Media", or has physical damage, the data may still be there - but it needs a repair or a lab read, not software. Describe what happens on the NoPowerFix forum, with the device's make and capacity and what it shows in Disk Management.
Free, private, built to keep devices alive
In 15 years at the bench we saw too many good devices go in the bin because nobody found the real fault. Our Hardware Specialist and Senior Repair Technicians built these tools so more devices get fixed instead of thrown away. If they helped you, a review helps the next person find them, and your support pays for the next fix.
> goal: Less e-waste · Greener Earth
We find the real fault before parts are replaced, so fewer working batteries, boards and devices end up as e-waste.