Unfortunately, you may or may not be able to recover data from a flash drive that's gone bad, which is why it's so critically important to (say it with us!) always have multiple backups of important data. A faulty component inside the USB flash drive could cause it to generate excess heat as it executes its functions. The internal components of flash drives are extremely reliable, but they're not foolproof and they do fail sometimes. An internal component of the flash drive may have failed. However, if heat is a big concern for your flash drives, talk to us to learn how to help mitigate it.Ģ. These differences in heat generation are normal, and just because a flash drive generates a little more heat doesn't mean it's in any way unsafe to use. Thus, USB 3.0 flash drives sometimes get warmer during use than USB 2.0 drives.

Speed: USB drives with faster read and write speeds generate more heat.Size: Smaller flash drives often tend to get hotter because they concentrate more heat into a smaller surface area.This is simply because metal absorbs heat much more easily than materials like plastic or wood do. Material: Metal flash drives tend to get warmer while in use than other types of USB flash drives.A combination of the following helps determine which ones are the most prone to retaining heat: Put these factors together and flash drives can get surprisingly hot during heavy use. But even solid-state drives do still generate heat, and computers also generate heat that they transfer to flash drives. Today's solid-state USB flash drives generate a lot less heat during their operation than the old HDD external storage devices did. Some USB drives get warmer than others when used heavily. In most cases, it's nothing to worry about if a flash drive gets a little warm while you're using it.īut what's going on inside when a USB flash drive heats up? And when should you actually be concerned about your USB flash drive overheating? Here's the lowdown on what could be happening when your USB flash drive overheats, and some tips on what to do if you're concerned.ġ. It can be a shock to reach for the custom flash drive you've been using and discover that it's warm or even hot to the touch! Before you reach for the fire extinguisher, though, take a deep breath.

Usb 2 vs usb 3 port on computer