8 Excellent Ways to Fix USB Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 10/11 (UTF-8)

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"USB flash drive not showing up"

"Hello, I can access the USB through Device Manager and format it. I have tried updating the driver and troubleshooting the device and hardware issues with no luck. I formatted the drive to FAT32, but it still doesn't show up in File Explorer. I have 10 of the same brand and capacity USB drives, and maybe I accidentally inserted a bootable drive while my system was running (thinking it was another USB). Other USBs read on my File Explorer, just not these 64GB thumb drives." - From Reddit.com

⚡ Preliminary Check for USB Drive Issues

Many users have encountered the issue of a USB device not showing up. Usually, “flash drive not showing” means that the drive is missing from File Explorer. However, it may still be visible in the Disk Management tool.

To verify, go to This PC > Manage > Disk Management and see if your USB drive is showing up there. Depending on whether or not it does, use the appropriate section below to fix the issue.

Here, we provide several solutions, as there can be two possible scenarios for your PC not detecting the USB. These methods should help you resolve the issue without losing any data. If you encounter this problem on a Mac, check out our “Flash Drive Not Showing Up on Mac” guide to address the issue.

# Recover Data from a USB Flash Drive with Recovery Software

Recovering data from USB flash drive is essential when the drive becomes inaccessible or unrecognized, indicating some physical issues or the need for formatting. With professional data recovery software like the Data Recovery Wizard tool, you can easily retrieve lost data from your USB device.

No need to be an experienced data recovery expert – this reliable recovery tool allows you to easily perform automatic USB data recovery with ease. It caters to your needs whether you use a Windows PC or a macOS laptop!

Now, insert the USB drive again and launch the recovery tool on your computer. Then, use this USB recovery tool tutorial to retrieve your data following the instructions provided.

Step 1: On the interface of the program, select "SD Card Recovery" and then find your external USB device to scan.

Step 2: This tool can recover deleted files from USB drive, including photos, documents, videos, and unsaved files. Select the type and find the file you want to recover.

Step 3: You can click “Preview” to view the files. After previewing, click “Recover” to save these files to a new location.

We hope that the software was able to help you recover your important files from the USB drive, and you can recommend this tool to more users!

Fixing Issues with USB Devices Not Showing Up in Windows

If your USB drive shows up in Disk Management, it means that Windows can still detect your drive. However, it often happens that the USB drive doesn't show up in Windows 10 File Explorer due to various reasons, such as USB driver issues, drive letter conflict, and the volume does not contain a recognized file system, etc.

The solution will vary depending on the cause, but you should find them all below. Try these steps in order, and your issue should be fixed.

• Method 1: Seek USB Flash Drive Repair Services (Recommended)
• Method 2: Update USB Drive Drivers
• Method 3: Reinstall Disk Drivers
• Method 4: Create a New Partition
• Method 5: Assign a New Drive Letter to the USB
• Method 6: Fix File System Errors
• Method 7: Update the Windows Operating System
• Method 8: Restore the Windows Operating System

You can watch this video tutorial to learn how to fix issues with USB devices not showing up on your Windows computer.

00:00 - USB Drive Not Showing Up 00:41 - Update USB Driver 01:22 - Reinstall USB Driver 01:56 - Create New Partition 02:41 - Assign New Drive Letter 03:43 - Fix File System Errors 05:17 - Drive Not Displayed in Disk Management

Fixing the issue of USB not showing up on Windows

 

Method 1: Get USB Flash Drive Repair Services (Recommended)

The computer fails to read or recognize the USB flash drive. The most reliable solution to this error is to seek assistance from experts. We offer you an effective data recovery service tool. With just a few clicks, you can fix the errors on your flash drive. Contact the experts promptly and get the help you need.

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Data Recovery Services

Click here to contact our experts for a free assessment

Get one-on-one manual recovery service with our data recovery specialists. After a free diagnosis, we can offer the following services:

• Repair USB drives, HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, and flash drives.
• Fix disks that are unreadable or inaccessible due to bad sectors.
• Repair disks that have become GPT protected partitions.
• Recover corrupted RAW drives (also supports BitLocker encrypted drives) needing formatting.
• Erase data, reformat hard drives, install/uninstall software or drivers, etc.

Method 2: Update the USB drivers

This method works when your USB drive doesn't show up in File Explorer but appears as unallocated space in Disk Management. Follow the detailed steps below to make your USB drive function normally by updating USB drivers in Windows 11/10.

Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer, right-click on "This PC," and select "Properties."

Step 2. Select Device Manager, then expand Disk Drives. Right-click on the problematic USB flash drive and choose Update Driver.

Step 3: On the next screen, click Search automatically for updated driver software.

Step 4: Wait for the driver to update, then restart your computer. After that, try reconnecting your USB drive to see if the issue is resolved.

Method 3: Reinstall the disk driver

This can also help resolve issues related to the disk, such as “The system cannot find the file specified.”

Step 1. Right-click This PC, and then select Properties > Device Manager.

2. Click on “Disk Drives,” right-click the USB drive that isn't showing up in File Explorer, and select “Uninstall device.”

Step 3. Click OK when prompted to confirm the deletion. (Wait for the process to finish. If it takes too long, you can safely remove the USB drive from your computer.)

Step 4. Restart your computer and reconnect the USB flash drive/external hard drive. The driver should install automatically once your computer restarts.

Method 4: Create a New Partition

If your USB shows as unallocated space in Disk Management after updating or reinstalling the driver, it is recommended to create a new partition to prepare for data storage.

Create a new partition on the USB drive:

Step 1. Right-click on This PC, and select Manage > Disk Management.

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

Step 3: Follow the wizard through its remaining steps.

Your USB drive should now appear in “My Computer” as it normally would. You can copy the recovered files to it if you like. Don't forget to share this page on social media!

Method 5: Assign a new drive letter to the USB device

If your USB drive has the same letter as one of your computer's hard drive partitions, you won't see it in File Explorer. You'll need to assign it a new drive letter.

Step 1. Right-click on This PC, and select Manage > Disk Management.

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

Step 3. Click on Change in the window that opens.

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

Method 6: Fix file system errors

When your USB flash drive has a file system error, it will show as RAW and become inaccessible. A file system error here refers to an unsupported or corrupted file system caused by incorrect operations or formatting. To fix the file system error, you need to format the drive to convert RAW to NTFS.

After securely storing your data, you'll need to format the USB drive and convert its file system back to NTFS or another Windows-compatible file system.

Step 1: Open the Start menu, search for “Computer Management,” and click on “Computer Management” in the search results.

2. Click “Disk Management” in the left sidebar, and then find your device in the Drive Viewer.

Step 3. Right-click on your USB flash drive and select Format to format the drive and make it usable.

Method 7: Update your Windows operating system

An outdated operating system can cause external devices like USB drives to become unrecognized in Windows. You can update Windows by following this tutorial:

Step 1: Open the Windows 11 search box and type in Check for updates. Press Enter, and the Update window will open automatically.

Step 2: Available updates will be displayed, and you can click "Install Now" to upgrade to the latest version.

Method 8: Restore Windows

Restoring your computer to an earlier date also helps in resolving the USB drive not detected issue. You can easily make use of the System Restore option to restore Windows.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel window and click on “Recovery”.

Step 2: Click on the "System Restore" option.

Step 3: Click "System Restore" and follow the on-screen instructions.

In short, System Restore is the last resort for Windows to fix USB flash drive issues. Now you can share all the methods!

You can also refer to this more detailed guide to fix the issue on your Mac:

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Solved: USB Flash Drive Not Showing Up on Mac

Is your Mac not recognizing the USB drive? Does the USB flash drive not show up when you plug it into the USB port? Read More >>

If your hard drive is experiencing similar issues, try the following repair methods.

Solving the Issue of a Hard Drive Not Showing Up in File Explorer/Disk Management

If your hard drive is not showing up in Windows File Explorer or Disk Management, the causes could be:

• USB driver issues
• Incorrect USB port/cable
• Physical damage to USB

Follow these simple suggestions to address your issue.

Method 1: Fix Driver Issues

If your USB drive doesn't show up in Disk Management, you can fix the problem by updating or reinstalling the USB driver or hard drive.

Method 2: Change the USB Connection

When your hard drive is not detected, a failed connection can be one of the reasons. This is a hardware issue that can be identified by checking the USB connection. Typically, you have multiple USB ports on your computer. Try connecting it to another USB port on the same computer – switch from front panel USB ports to rear panel USB ports – or connect the USB drive to another computer to see if the problem persists. Similarly, if you are using an external hard drive, you can try changing the USB cable.

⭐Method 3: Repairing Physical Damage

If none of the above solutions fix your issue with USB drive or hard disk not showing up in Windows, your USB flash drive or external hard disk might be physically damaged or corrupted. This is a tricky problem to solve, and your best bet would be to send your USB drive for repair.

Bottom line

When a USB flash drive doesn't show up on a Windows PC, it means the computer can't read the USB drive. So, to get the USB drive to appear, you'll need to make it readable again.

There are several ways you can make an unrecognized USB drive show up on your computer: by updating the USB flash driver, changing the drive letter, or using the built-in Disk Management tool in Windows. Hopefully, one of these methods will resolve your USB drive issue.

"Frequently Asked Questions: USB Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 10"

If you continue to have problems, read the USB device troubleshooting article for further help.

**1. Why isn't my USB showing up on my computer?**

Reasons why USB Flash Drive is not showing up on Windows 11/10/8/7:

• The drive is not powered on
• The drive is not seated properly in the port
• The USB port on your computer is damaged
• The USB drive itself is corrupted
• The file system of the USB is incompatible with your device

2. How can I force my computer to recognize my USB device?

Solutions to the problem of an unrecognized USB drive:

1. Open Device Manager, and then disconnect the USB device from your computer. 2. Wait a moment, and then reconnect the device. 3. Connect the USB device to a different USB port on your computer. 4. Try connecting the USB device to another computer. 5. Update the driver for your USB device.

How do I get my USB drive to show up?

Plug the flash drive into an available USB port on your computer. You should find a USB port on the front, back, or side of your computer. Depending on your computer's settings, a dialog box may appear. If you see one, select “Open folder to view files.”

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