Warning! USB Flash Drive not Detected/Recognized – How to Fix?

Page Content:

• 1. Recover Files from RAW USB Drive
• 2. Update Unallocated USB Driver
• 3. Change USB Drive Letter
• 4. Check USB Ports and Change Connections

Overview of the "USB Drive Not Recognized/Detected" Error

"When I insert my SanDisk USB flash drive into the laptop, it doesn't get recognized. Is there any way to fix it and recover the data? Because all my assignments are stored on it. If you know of any solutions, please help, thanks!"

Many users have encountered the issue where their USB drive is not recognized or detected. The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. Why isn't my USB showing up on computer? There are numerous reasons behind this problem, including:

• USB connection issues
• Drive letter assignment problems
• USB driver errors
• Hardware damage
• File system errors that can cause a USB drive to become RAW

To determine the exact error and the current state of the drive, you need to use the Disk Management tool in Windows. This utility can inspect the flash drive and provide more detailed information on the required solution.

Troubleshoot why a USB flash drive is not detected

After connecting the USB flash drive to your PC, you can use the Disk Management tool to check its status. Here's how:

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Manage."

Step 2: Open “Disk Management.”

Step 3: Your USB drive should now be in one of the following states:

• USB drive shows as RAW format
• Drive displays as unallocated space
• Drive doesn't show drive letter
• USB drive not showing in Disk Management tool

After identifying the specific state of your drive, you can now apply the corresponding solution to fix the problem.

How to Fix an Undetected USB Flash Drive

Here are some methods you can try to fix a USB flash drive that isn't being recognized by your computer. Even if your drive doesn't show one of the above statuses, these tricks might be able to get your data back. Before the step-by-step guide, you can watch a video on how to fix an “Undetected USB” error.

< li > 1:14 Check your USB device in Disk Management < /li > < li > 1:40 Solution 1. Create a new volume < /li > < li > 2:04 Solution 2. Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter and update USB driver < /li > < li > 3:03 Solution 3. Change drive letter with Disk Management < /li > < li > 3:33 Solution 4. Recover data and then format RAW USB drive < /li >

How to Fix Pen Drive/USB Drive Not Detected or Recognized Issue - 4 Simple Ways

 

Fix 1: Recover Files from RAW USB Drive Before Formatting

Applies to: Fix USB becomes RAW issue.

A file system error can cause your USB drive to become RAW, meaning that your computer is unable to read it. In this situation, you need to recover files from the drive first and then convert RAW to NTFS or FAT32 format so that you can use it again.

To recover data from an inaccessible device, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard tool. It perfectly supports deleted file recovery, formatted data recovery, RAW partition recovery, and other data loss scenarios.

Recover data from RAW USB drive:

Step 1: Run the USB Data Recovery software

Connect your USB drive or pen drive to the computer, and launch the Tools USB Data Recovery software on the PC. Select the drive labeled “External Drive,” and click “Scan” to start looking for lost files.

Step 2. Scan and search for lost files on the USB drive

The Data Recovery Wizard utility will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive/pen drive and locate all lost data. After the scanning is completed, use the filter options to locate the files you need.

Step 3. Recover all lost files from USB

Double-click a file to preview it. Select the target files you want to recover, then click “Recover” to save them to a secure location on your computer or another external storage device.

If you're not good at DIY USB data recovery or USB repair, you can seek help from the tool's technical support team. They provide one-on-one data recovery services to fix HDD/SSD/USB/SD card issues, recover partitions, erase data, and more.

Hard Drive Repair & Data Recovery Services

Click here to chat with our experts for a free assessment

Consult with our Tools data recovery specialists for personalized manual recovery services. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following benefits:

• Repair HDD, SSD, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and recover data from all RAID levels
• Restore lost partitions that cannot be recovered by data recovery software
• Fix disks with bad sectors that are unreadable or inaccessible
• Repair disks converted to GPT protected partitions
• Erase data, unformat hard drives, install/uninstall software or drivers, etc.

After retrieving all files, you can format the USB flash drive and assign it a new file system to make it usable again.

Fix 2: Update the Unassigned USB driver and create a new partition

Applies to: Fix the issue where a USB drive shows as unallocated space.

If your USB drive shows up as unallocated space in the Disk Management tool, it could be due to outdated or corrupted drivers. To fix this, you'll need to install new drivers.

Step 1: Connect the USB flash drive to your computer

Step 2. Go to Control Panel → System → Device Manager → Disk Drives.

Step 3: Select your USB device, right-click on it, and choose “Uninstall.” Next, select “Scan for hardware changes” to refresh the driver.

Step 4: Restart your computer.

If reinstalling the USB driver doesn't help, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard tool to recover data from the unallocated space. After securing your data, you can create a new volume on the drive to prepare it for data storage. (The unallocated space will appear as “Lost Partition” in the Data Recovery Wizard tool. Select the correct partition for scanning and then recover your data.)

Create new volume on the drive showing unallocated space:

Step 1: Right-click "This PC," and then choose "Manage" > "Disk Management."

Step 2: Right-click on the unallocated space, and select "New Simple Volume."

Step 3: Follow the wizard to complete the operation.

Solution 3: Change the USB drive letter to make it detectable

Applies to: USB drive shows no drive letter assigned.

Another reason for the USB drive not detected issue is that another disk might have already occupied the drive letter assigned to the USB drive on your computer (or the letter has gone missing from the USB). To solve this, you just need to assign an unused drive letter to the USB drive with a free partition manager. This should fix the issue and allow you to quickly recover the inaccessible data.

You can also use the Disk Management tool in Windows to assign a drive letter to the USB drive.

Step 1: Keep the USB plugged in. Right-click on "My Computer" and select "Manage" then "Disk Management."

Step 2. Right-click on the volume of your USB flash drive and select "Change drive letter and paths."

Step 3: In the new window, click "Change."

Step 4: Assign your USB drive a new drive letter and click "OK."

Solution 4: Check the USB port and change the connection to make the USB recognizable

Applies to: Resolving the issue where USB is not displayed in Disk Management

If the Disk Management utility doesn't detect your USB flash drive at all, it could be because:

• The USB drive is not connected properly
• There is an issue with the driver
• Your USB device is physically damaged

To resolve issues where your pen drive is not detected, try the following:

• Try a different USB port/cable.
• Plug your external hard drive or other storage device into another computer to see if the issue persists.
• Connect your USB drive to a port on the back of your desktop. These usually provide more stable power than front ports.

As a last resort, try re-installing the driver (as outlined above in Update the unallocated USB driver). If none of these suggestions work, you should consider taking your USB flash drive to a repair shop.

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I'll promptly translate it into Chinese for you.

 

Solved: USB Flash Drive Not Showing Up on Mac

If you're also encountering issues with your Mac not recognizing the USB drive, here are some effective fixes to address the problem of a USB flash drive not showing up on your Mac. Read More >>

Bottom line

As you can see, there are multiple reasons why a USB drive might become unreadable. Hopefully, by following this guide, you've managed to recover your files. However, we also recommend backing up your data regularly and making sure to eject the drive properly after each use.

Common Issues with Undetected or Unrecognized USB Drives

Apart from fixing the USB flash drive not recognized error and retrieving lost files, some users may also be interested in knowing why the USB flash drive is not showing up and how to fix the USB drive, etc. If you're one of them, keep reading, and you'll find satisfactory answers below:

Why isn't my USB flash drive showing up?

If your drivers are missing, outdated, or corrupted, your computer won't be able to load the USB drive. Issues with USB drivers, letter assignment conflicts, file system errors, and the like can cause a USB flash drive to not show up on a Windows PC.

You can update USB drivers, reinstall disk drivers, recover data from the USB, change the USB drive letter, and format the USB to reset its file system. For detailed guides, refer to the article on how to fix USB not showing up in Windows 10/8/7 for assistance.

2. How do I fix my USB flash drive?

A USB flash drive can become damaged or corrupted for any number of reasons. Thankfully, you can fix a USB flash drive for free.

The Windows CHKDSK and the Windows Disk Error Checking utility can fix disk errors from the command line. After that, you can recover data from a failed flash drive without losing files by using data recovery software.

For a detailed guide, you can refer to the USB Flash Pen Drive Repair Tool for assistance.

3. How do I recover an unrecognized USB flash drive?

As suggested on this page, you can try the following steps to resolve the issue where your USB flash drive, pen drive, or external hard disk is not recognized:

Step 1. Check the USB status in Disk Management:

• USB appears as RAW format
• USB shows as unallocated space
• USB has no drive letter assigned
• USB is not showing in Disk Management

Step 2: Fix errors on the USB drive and make it recognizable:

1. Recover files and format the RAW USB. 2. Update the unallocated USB drive and create a new volume. 3. Change the USB drive letter. 4. Check the USB port and switch USB connections. 5. If all else fails, take the USB to a local repair center for manual fixing.