Identify the drive format
CleanWarden's deleted-file scan is designed for FAT32 and exFAT USB drives or SD cards. APFS, NTFS, encrypted volumes, failed hardware, and forensic image recovery are outside this local workflow.
Do not write to the source
Do not download, copy, reformat, or save recovered files back to the affected drive. CleanWarden scans the source read-only and requires exported copies to go somewhere else.
Understand the candidate check
The scan reads deleted directory entries and offers a candidate only when its required clusters still appear unallocated and form a continuous run. That is a conservative signal, not a guarantee that every byte is intact.
Export and inspect the copy
Recover to another disk, then open the exported file. A plausible filename and size do not prove that media or document content was not already partly overwritten.
Know when to stop
If a drive is clicking, disconnecting, unreadable, or physically failing, stop using it. A specialist recovery service or a controlled disk image is safer than repeated scans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a deleted USB file always be recovered?No. Recovery depends on whether its data blocks have been reused, whether the file was fragmented, and whether the file system still exposes a usable deleted entry.
Does CleanWarden change the USB drive?No. It reads the selected source and exports any recovered copy to a different location.
Why are some candidates marked low confidence?The directory entry can survive while data clusters are incomplete or no longer safe to read as one continuous file.