What is it for?

It is quite obvious that you have the LOST.DIR application installed on your device. From time to time the size of this folder may vary in gigabytes. In such situations, you may wonder about its contents and usage, and whether it can be removed to free up certain amounts of memory.

What is the LOST.DIR folder on the flash drive?

So, more details. Lost.dir - system folder. This is where the Android OS puts files that were restored during system boot (i.e. when you turn on the phone). This is similar to the Recycle Bin in Windows. Files that are stored inside this directory are often recovered. In most cases, you won't find anything in this directory when you browse it. All data is encrypted and will be unreadable files or will not appear at all when viewing LOST.DIR. What kind of folder is in Android is clear. But how to understand its contents? In fact, everything is very simple. To understand its functionality and purpose, you need to know the principles of storing data on the device.

What files are stored in LOST.DIR?

What kind of folder is intended for such information? If you were saving any information, and suddenly the phone turned off during the copying process. Or, if you removed the SD card while files were being written to it, Android places copies of those files in the LOST.DIR directory to try to restore them the next time you boot (the next time you start the system). The data is also renamed during the copying process. So, if you find files with unknown names in the folder, do not be surprised as these are just renamed versions of the previous data present on your device.

Reasons for this conservation

Files may be stored in the LOST.DIR folder for the following reasons:

The user abruptly pulled out the SD card from the phone while data was being transferred.
An interruption occurred while downloading files on your Android device.
The Android operating system suddenly froze.
The device was turned off while the read/write process was in progress.

Recovery

What to do? To stop the constant loss of files from the LOST.DIR folder in your phone, you need to quickly recover the missing data before your Android smartphone storage space gets overfilled with some new data. Therefore, it is recommended to use any suitable LOST.DIR Android recovery tool. For example? Applications Yodot Android Data Recover, Recuva are several programs that can help in most cases.

With the help of such services, you can recover all types of files - pictures, APK files, audio, video, and so on from your Android smartphone or tablet. The utility returns missing or deleted data from internal as well as external memory (MicroSD cards). Many applications can even restore system files of famous brands Sony, HTC, Samsung Micromax and so on. When synchronized with a computer, you can work on Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008 operating systems.

How does the recovery process work?

Important point. You know what files are in your LOST.DIR folder. How to recover all lost data? This process can be studied using the Yodot Android utility as an example. All other services work in a similar way.

First of all, you better stop using your Android device as soon as you realize that the files have been deleted. Then follow these steps.

Connect your phone or tablet to your computer. Then, on your PC, check if your device shows up as a drive letter (for example, E:).

If not, remove the memory card from your phone or tablet and then connect it to your computer using a card reader (memory card slot on your PC/laptop or USB reader). In this case, you should see it as removable media. If the memory card is working, try connecting it with the device again. Otherwise, the data recovery program will not work.

The process of recovering LOST.DIR files on Android is as follows. Download Yodot Android software and install it on your Windows PC. Now connect your Android device to this PC operating system using a USB data cable. Launch the utility and then follow the instructions on the main screen.

The software scans and displays all drives associated with the one installed on the computer Windows system. Select the drive that represents your Android smartphone and click the Next button. Then you need to select "Lost File Recovery" to "pull" the missing files from LOST.DIR in Android.

Allow the application to scan the selected drive. In a few minutes, the program provides all the files and folders from LOST.DIR that you can recover.

Select the files you want to return from two view types (for example, Data View and File Type View). Review them to check your choices and then save the extracted data to the desired location. However, remember that you must do this on the same Android device.

Is it possible to delete the contents of LOST.DIR?

A frequently asked question following the above mentioned “what is the LOST.DIR folder displayed on the flash drive?” The answer is “lost data storage.” So, can you remove it? To save memory space, you may well delete its contents since it only acts as a recycle bin. You can also remove it entirely, but it will reappear the next time you start the system. When Android displays the "Preparing external SD card" message, it is actually checking the contents of LOST.DIR. And if this directory cannot be found, it is created again.

How to avoid data loss?

And finally. Once you have an idea of what kind of LOST.DIR folder is being created on your media, you can take preventive measures to eliminate data loss.

Avoid abruptly removing the Android device's memory card when transferring data to/from the system.
Carry out backup images or other files to another device.
Use a reliable antivirus software to protect against virus attacks. You can find such services in the official online store Google Play, including free.

Almost all users of smartphones running on the Android operating system, when they go to the file manager, see that among the ones they created and installed programs there are directories Lost.Dir Many people don’t know what kind of folder this is. At the same time, most do not pay attention to it until it grows and begins to take up several gigabytes in the phone’s memory.

What is Lost.Dir? The Lost.Dir folder is a directory whose presence is provided by the Android operating system. However, when the device is new or recently formatted, it is missing.

What the Lost.Dir folder is responsible for can be guessed by its name. The word Lost is translated from English as “ lost", and Dir, respectively, " directory". That is, lost files are stored in it. But “lost” in what sense?

Lost.Dir contains files (or only parts of them) when the user interrupts the recording process. For example, if in the process of transferring information from a computer to mobile device If you remove the corresponding USB before the copying process is completed, the selected files will not appear in the destination. Instead, they will register in Lost.Dir.

Also, files in the Lost.Dir folder may appear when Android, while checking the file system with the tools provided by the operating system, will identify lost file chains.

Another option - abruptly removed battery or device malfunction, in which it shut down/rebooted without following the prescribed shutdown procedure. Since even when the user does not perform any actions on his device, many programs continue to run:

The processor processes instructions;
Sensors receive data about the external environment;
IN RAM information is loaded/uploaded;
Some files, etc. are written to flash memory.

What is the Lost.Dir folder? And if during the operation of the device some programs did not have time to completely write some data into permanent memory, they appear in Lost.Dir, so that later operating system and applications could use them and continue to work normally.

Is it possible to delete the Lost.Dir folder

The Lost.Dir folder, as we found out, is a temporary storage of information. Moreover, as a rule, it contains particles of files that are useless in themselves. In this regard, the Lost.Dir folder can be deleted.

You should definitely be aware of this as this program also takes up GB of memory.

However, it is still recommended to delete not the directory itself, but to clean out everything that is in it. The fact is that after some time the Lost.Dir pack may still appear in memory, and you will have to erase it again. Leaving it in its place, you will have to clean its contents only when necessary, for example, when you start to run out of space on the SD card.

But you can make your task easier and completely forget about the fact that garbage is accumulating in the corresponding directory. On Google Play Market There are many programs that monitor, among other things, the state of the Lost.Dir folder and delete its contents. Such an application is, for example, CCleaner. Click a couple of buttons and Android is no longer cluttered.

Often, owners of smartphones operating on Android, when entering the file manager, can see the Lost.dir directory in the list, but not everyone knows what purpose the folder serves. As a rule, it is not noticed until it takes up more than a couple of Gigabytes in the device’s memory.

What is the Lost.dir folder?

The Android OS has a special program that is similar to Chkdsk in Windows. Its name File System Check. It scans disk content and helps locate and recover data lost during a crash. In the case of an SD card program a folder is createdLost. dir, where damaged files are located.

What does the folder store?

Lost.dir stores lost data. Elements (or parts thereof) whose recording was urgently stopped are sent here. For example, if, when transferring data from a computer to a smartphone, the USB is removed before the copying is completed, the selected items will not end up in the intended location. And they will be written to this directory.

Also, files in the Lost.dir directory may appear when Android, in the process of scanning files, detects damaged and incomplete parts.

Losses also occur when abruptly disconnected battery or smartphone malfunction, in which it turned off or was rebooted without going through the standard procedure. Even if the smartphone is in standby mode, many programs are still functioning, for example:

processedotkainstructionsth processor;
receiving information sensors about the external environment;
record certain files to flash memory.

Is it possible to delete

You can delete a folder, but it is better not the directory itself, but its contents. Due to the fact that after some time it will be created automatically and will need to be erased again. Leaving it in place, you need to clean it only when necessary, for example, when lack of free space on the SD card.

How to delete a folder

First you need enter the directory and make sure that there is no important information, the loss of which is undesirable. After which it is possible to delete or clear the contents of Lost.Dir using file manager Android.

But you can simplify the task and completely forget that there is a directory for storing garbage. Google Market has many utilities that track, incl. and for the state of Lost.Dir and those who delete its contents. For example, CCleaner.

How to recover files from Lost.dir

It is usually impossible to restore the contents of Lost.Dir without special applications. In certain situations, you can specify the final title, sort the information by size, and manually add a specific document extension. For example, sort the data by volume, and you will be able to find photos among them (if there are not many of them). Copy the information, suitable in size with the photo in another directory. Next, you need to rename the elements by adding “.jpg” at the end. As a rule, this leads to the restoration of small pictures.

General information

In this article we will talk about simple ways recover files from lost.dir folder from external SD card on Android with free data recovery software from EaseUS. Download our free program and recover all lost files from lost.dir folder in just a few minutes!

How to recover lost.dir files for free

What is the lost.dir folder, and how recover files for free from this folder?

LOST.DIR on Android devices works like the Recycle Bin in Windows, from which you can retrieve files such as documents and photos. Typically, an Android smartphone or tablet creates a lost.dir directory so that if the device crashes or is turned off, or the memory card is suddenly removed while reading, you can recover the data lost due to an error.

But getting back lost files from the lost.dir folder is not as easy as recovering them from the Recycle Bin in Windows. Why? - You will have a hard time finding the files you need to recover since the files in LOST.DIR are named with random numbers instead of the original names they were given. To solve this problem, you need help.

EaseUS Data Recovery: Best Way to Recover Files from Lost.dir Folder on Android Devices

Among all the file types that can be recovered, recovering files from the lost.dir folder will not be the easiest. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can easily recover all your files and folder structures.

Step-by-step guide to recover files from lost.dir folder:

Just connect the external SD card from your Android device to your computer and download the free one - EaseUS. You can perform SD card data recovery and lost.dir file recovery yourself using our guide below.

Immediately after losing files from the SD card, stop using the device immediately, otherwise there is a risk of data overwriting, which in turn will reduce the chance of successfully recovering your files.

Step 1: Connect the SD card to PC

Insert the SD card into the card reader and connect the card reader with the SD card to a healthy computer.

Step 2: Run SD Card Recovery Software and Scan

Launch the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your PC and select the SD card in the External Devices section.
Then click the Scan button to start searching for lost data on the SD card.

Step 3: Check the found SD card data

After the scanning process, you will be able to view and find your lost SD card files in the below tabs:

Deleted files: list of deleted files.
Disk X: all lost files.
Lost partition files: files recovered after formatting.
Additional files: files that have lost their names or paths.

Also use filter and search to quickly find your files.

Step 4: Recover SD Card Data

Open a preview by double-clicking each file.
Click the Recover button to save the found SD card files in a safe place on your computer or external device.

Latest articles - Also in the EaseUS program

Easy to use. This LOST.DIR recovery tool is capable of getting back lost files from your Android device with just one click, so even beginners can understand it in a few seconds.
LOST.DIR recovery in various situations. No matter your files are lost due to operation error, system freeze or crash, virus attack, sudden crash or formatting, it can easily recover them.
Support various types data and formats. It works for everything, video, audio, documents, email and other file formats such as JPG, ICO, PNG, BMP, GIF, PSD, TIFF, RAW, MP4, MP3, WAV, AVI, DOC, ZIP, etc.
Loss-free recovery. WITH best app to recover LOST.DIR you can recover lost files in original quality and format.
Selective recovery. After scanning, you can view all your lost files organized by categories and formats and decide to recover all of them or specific files.
Faster and easier. This LOST.DIR recovery tool is lightweight and can recover lost files quickly and safely.
Additionally, data recovery is available for 10/8.1/8/Vista/XP and file systems such as NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, EXT, etc.

In short, this best option when you want to recover files from LOST.DIR folder.

How to recover files from the LOST.DIR folder

Step 1: Scan the entire SD card to find lost files

Download and install latest version Data Recovery to your PC and also connect the external SD card of your Android phone to your computer.

After launching the best LOST.DIR recovery software, you will see two parts in the main window: data type and. Firstly, go to the data type part and check the boxes of your desired data types like Image, Audio, Video, etc. Then go to the location part and select your SD card under Removable devices." Click the "Scan" button to start the LOST.DIR recovery process.

Step 2: Preview files before recovering LOST.DIR

When you go to the results window after a standard scan, you can see which files can be recovered by type and format. For example, go to the "Audio" tab in the left sidebar, several folders will appear there with the names of audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, WMA and others. You can then navigate to each folder and view your files. If you want to quickly find a specific file, enter a keyword in the field at the top of the window and click the Filter button. Don't get anything related to the file you want to return? The deep scan feature on the top right corner will check the SD card thoroughly and recover more data.

Moreover, it also allows you to get back your deleted lost files on your computer easily.

Step 3: Perform LOST.DIR recovery in one click

If you're ready, select all the files you want by checking the appropriate boxes, or you can select entire folders. The best LOST.DIR recovery tool will recover your lost files from LOST.DIR folder to another location as soon as you click the "Recover" button. Finally, click the "Open Folder" button in the "Recovery Complete" window to open the destination folder. Now you can access your files and transfer them to your Android phone as usual.

Part 4. Frequently asked questions about the LOST.DIR file

1. Is it safe to delete LOST.DIR?

The LOST.DIR folder stores temporary files for your Android phone and plays an important role in recovering lost data. If you are sure that there are no important files in the folder, you can safely delete LOST.DIR to free up more space.

2. How to prevent Android from creating Android and Lost.DIR?

The creation of LOST.DIR starts when your phone gets stuck due to a sudden crash or damage. To prevent LOST.DIR from being created, you just need to prevent the SD card from being damaged, how to safely remove it, never delete while changing files on your phone, etc.

3. How to remove the LOST.DIR virus?

First, let's make it clear that LOST.DIR is not a virus, but a folder created by the Android system to collect lost files. You can remove the LOST.DIR folder by deleting it, but it will still appear on the next system boot.

4. What happens if we delete the LOST.DIR folder from the SD card?

It will free up more space for your Android phone after deleting the LOST.DIR folder, but the data stored in the LOST.DIR folder will last forever even if you use data recovery software. After deleting the LOST.DIR folder, a new LOST.DIR folder will be created on your phone to store the new data.

Conclusion

Based on the introduction above, you can understand what DIR is missing. This is a Recycle Bin replacement for Android devices. But it is not used to store deleted data manually, but saves lost data when there are sudden interruptions. In other words, LOST.DIR Android gives you hope that they will get back your lost data when Android hangs, powers off, crashes, etc.

To help you recover files from LOST.DIR folder, we have also shared a professional LOST.DIR recovery application, Apeaksoft Data Recovery. It supports a wider range of data types and formats. Moreover, this digital data recovery tool simplifies the LOST.DIR recovery process. Now you can stop worrying about data loss and can use it freely Android phone. If you have other questions about LOST.DIR, please leave a message below this post.

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