[Solved] USB Pen Drive Not Displaying Data, Files, or Folders

The table below aids in swiftly learning how to resolve issues where a USB Pen Drive doesn't display data, files, or folders:

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Why Isn't USB Showing Files?

A pen drive not showing data but using space is one of the primary reasons for data loss. In this scenario, you're unable to access your data, even though the used and unused space appears correct upon inspection. The most probable cause of this issue is a virus attack. Certain unknown viruses can not only infect your files but also conceal them. They create empty shortcuts of your files and folders, which lead to nowhere, similar to a shortcut virus. Apart from virus infection, there are other factors that might result in a USB not displaying files:

• Files and folders on your pen drive are hidden
• Data is accidentally deleted
• The file system is not recognized by the OS of your computer

If you're troubled by the pen drive not showing data issues and looking for a USB data recovery solution, you've come to the right place. Here, we'll guide you on how to recover files from pen drives to fix USB drive files or folders not showing but space used issues effortlessly. Rest assured that this tutorial also applies to flash drives, external hard drives, SD cards, or other external USB devices.

If you encounter the same problem on a Mac computer, refer to this page to fix the issue of USB not showing up on Mac and recover all lost files.

How to Fix a USB Pen Drive Not Displaying Data

The solution to the "USB not showing files" issue depends on its cause. If you haven't pinpointed the exact reason yet, you can try the general methods below to address your problem. We provide five effective solutions to recover missing files and fix the USB not displaying data issues.

1. Unhide Files in Pen Drive Using Windows Explorer 2. Recover Hidden Files with USB Recovery Software Tools 3. Unhide Files in Pen Drive via Windows Command Prompt 4. Show Hidden Files using CleanGenius Tools 5. Format a Pen Drive with Missing Data Files 6. Check and Repair USB Drive Errors

Fix 1: Unhide Files in Pen Drive Using Windows Explorer

If the data on your USB has accidentally been hidden or made invisible by a virus, you can try to unhide your files using CMD. There are other ways available to show hidden files on a USB drive too, check them out if you want.

Step 1. Plug the USB pen drive or flash drive into your PC.

Step 2. Open Windows "File Explorer" > Go to "Tools" > "Folder" Options > Go to the "View" Tab > Check "Show hidden files, folders, and drives". Finally, click "Apply". This will ensure that the files and folders are not in hidden mode.

Solution 2: Free Download USB Recovery Software to Recover Hidden Files from a Pen Drive

If the methods above don't work for you, try retrieving your data with Data Recovery Wizard, a popular third-party data recovery software. This approach can recover your files and folders under all the circumstances mentioned above.

Whether your pen drive is not showing data due to a virus attack, hiding files, accidental deletion, or file system errors, you can directly recover your data using this reliable tool, you can even recover corrupted files from USB hard drive. This tool does a decent job to recover shortcut files, hidden files, deleted files, and RAW files from a USB pen drive or flash drive. When your USB is not showing files, this is the most effective way to retrieve your data.

Step 1. Run USB Data Recovery Software

Connect the USB drive or pen drive to your computer and launch the USB Data Recovery tool on your PC. Select the drive that is labeled as an External Drive, and click "Scan" to start searching for lost files.

Step 2. Scan and Search Lost Files on a USB Drive

tools Data Recovery Wizard will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive/pen drive and find all your lost data on it. When the scan process completes, use the Filter feature to locate wanted files.

Step 3. Restore All Lost Files from USB

A double-click lets you preview the files. Select the target files to restore and hit "Recover" to save them to a secure location on your PC or other external storage devices.

If you cannot find lost files, you also can let the data recovery services help.

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Fix 3: Show Hidden Files in Windows Command Prompt

Windows Command Prompt is an ideal tool for professionals to address numerous computer storage issues. It's a sophisticated tool that necessitates administrator privileges.

Step 1. Click on the "Start" Menu > "Run" > Type cmd and press "Enter".

Step 2. Type in the following command to make the USB pen drive data visible: attrib -h -r -s K:\*.* /s /d and press "Enter." (Replace "K" with the drive letter of your pen drive.)

Fix 4: Use CleanGenius to Show Hidden Files on a USB Drive

Manual execution of the command line is suitable for computer professionals, since incorrect commands can do more harm than good. Therefore, for security and usability, we strongly recommend you try an automatic command line alternative – tools CleanGenius. It is a practical tool that enables you to check and fix file system errors, enable/disable write protection and update your system with one-click instead of typing intricate command lines.

Follow the simple steps below to show hidden files with this 1-click-fix software.

Step 1. DOWNLOAD CleanGenius for Free.

Step 2. Start CleanGenius, and click "Optimization" from the left pane. Next, click "File Showing" from the right pane.

Step 3. Select the hard drive and click "Execute".

Step 4. After the operation is complete, click the here link to view the hidden files.

Now you'll see all your files start appearing on your USB flash drive or pen drive. If you see an unnamed folder, rename it to recover its contents.

Fix 5. Format the USB Pen Drive That Is Not Showing Files

When your USB pen drive data is not showing, you'll see some error messages appear on your screen. This indicates that something has gone wrong with your USB file system, which includes the drive being corrupted, damaged, inaccessible, or showing up as RAW and asking you to format it. The common errors are usually as follows.

• You need to format the disk before you can use it (in Windows 10/8/7)
• The disk is not formatted (in Windows XP)
• The volume does not contain a recognized file system

To resolve this kind of USB issue that causes data not showing, you need to format the drive to a file system that Windows recognizes. Since formatting wipes data entirely, do not proceed to format the disk before retrieving your data.

Step 1. Download the tool Data Recovery Wizard and perform data recovery.

Step 2. Open Windows Explorer, right-click on your USB drive, and select "Format."

Step 3. Select a Windows-compatible file system such as FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT for your USB drive, then click "Start".

修复6：检查和修复USB闪存驱动器错误

Aside from the five methods mentioned above, you can also attempt to fix the USB not showing files issue with CHKDSK. The CHKDSK command is utilized to examine and rectify disk errors on your pen drive that isn't displaying data correctly. Running the CHKDSK utility is more convenient compared to executing the CHKDSK command in CMD.

Step 1. Open "This PC", right-click your pen drive, and select "Properties".

Step 2. Go to the "Tools" tab.

Step 3. Click "Check" to scan and fix any errors found on your USB drive.

If the hidden files option fails to restore your data, there might be something wrong with your USB drive. In such a case, it's recommended to recover your data first and then format the flash drive to消除错误. Using a data recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard will help you retrieve all your data as long as it hasn't been overwritten. Give it a try, and you'll regain access to your files and folders instantly.

FAQs About USB Pen Drive Not Showing Files

Aside from providing solutions to fix the USB pen drive not showing files problem, some users may also want to know the cause of this issue and how to view the files. To address your concerns, we have compiled 4 frequently asked questions that you might find interesting.

Here are those questions and answers:

1. How can I recover data from my pen drive?

You may lose data from pen drive due to deletion, formatting, or any other human errors. First, check and restore files from the Recycling Bin.

To prevent total data loss, you can retrieve deleted or formatted files from the pen drive using the trustworthy data recovery software - tools Data Recovery Wizard. Aside from this, you can also utilize CMD to recover data from a pen drive if the files are hidden. For further information, you may refer to How to Recover Deleted Files from Pen Drive for assistance.

2. How do I view files on my USB?

Files can become hidden on a USB drive for various reasons. You can use the Control Panel, CMD, and data recovery tools to display or recover hidden files on virus-infected USB flash drives, hard disks, memory cards, and pen drives.

By doing so, you can make all your files viewable again on your USB drive. For detailed instructions, please refer to Show Hidden Files on USB Drive.

3. Why do files disappear from USB?

Many users report that the files they copied to their USB drive have suddenly vanished.

You might wonder, how can files on a USB flash drive go missing mysteriously? Here are some common reasons why that happens:

1). Virus infection on USB drive 2). File Explorer settings hide files on USB 3). Unfinished file transferring or failed file copying on USB