Solving the Problem of USB Flash Drive Not Responding When Inserted

When I plug in the USB, nothing happens.

"My USB flash drive doesn't respond when I plug it into the USB port. It doesn't show up anywhere, and Windows doesn't even pop up an error message. How can I find or access my USB drive in this case?"

The solutions on this page are for the invisible USB device issue, which is different from the problem where your computer fails to detect or recognize a USB flash drive, an issue that usually provides some additional information, as shown below.

• The Windows system tray icon displays "USB device not recognized due to a malfunction"
• In Windows Disk Management, the file system is shown as RAW
• "Unallocated space" is displayed in Windows Disk Management
• The device appears as "Unknown Device" in the Windows Device Manager

Since this issue is different from the above, how do you fix it when you encounter it? On this page, we list some effective solutions. But first, let's introduce the reasons why your computer doesn't recognize a USB when you plug it in.

What is the reason for this?

Human error and hardware issues are considered to be the two main culprits behind a USB not working as it should. Let's look at the reasons in detail.

1. Human error

This is a common user error: the external hard drive was likely removed abruptly without safely ejecting it from the computer last time it was in use, rendering it unrecognizable之后.

2. Hardware Issues

Hardware issues is a pretty broad term. The most common hardware issues include:

• USB drive is damaged or not functioning
• There's an issue with the USB port
• The USB driver has a problem
• The USB drive is not properly formatted

4 Ways to Fix a USB Device Not Recognized Error

Follow our recommendations to resolve the "USB device not recognized" issue. This will save you time and effort by eliminating unrelated factors, pinpointing the root cause, and ultimately making your USB flash drive appear in File Explorer, Disk Management, and Device Manager.

Method 1: Uninstall the Unknown Device

The first method involves using a built-in Windows tool to uninstall the USB device, and then trying again. Here's how:

Step 1: Connect the USB device to your computer, and type devmgmt.msc in the Start/Search on your Windows PC.

Step 2: Under “Universal Serial Bus controllers,” do you see an unknown device? If so, right-click on it and select “Uninstall.” Remove the device from your computer, restart your PC, and try reconnecting.

Step 3: After logging in, plug in the device, and the system should detect the new hardware.

Method 2: Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

You can also try using the Windows Troubleshooter to address this issue. Here's a detailed guide:

Step 1: If you're using Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot, and then select Hardware and Devices.

Step 2: The Troubleshooter will open automatically and start scanning your computer. When it's done, you'll receive a troubleshooting report that lists all the problems found and whether they were fixed.

Step 3: Click “Next” and follow the instructions to fix the problem.

Method 3: Disable Power Management

Most computers have multiple root hubs to share the data bus among several devices. As such, if your USB device isn't working, try troubleshooting the USB root hub.

Step 1: Open Device Manager and expand the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" option.

Step 2: Right-click on the USB Root Hub under the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” category and select Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Power Management tab, and uncheck the box for "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Click OK to save your changes.

Method 4: Restore your system to an earlier state

1. Download the free backup software on your computer in UTF-8 encoding.
2. Choose the backup options you desire. It is highly recommended to perform disk/partition backup and system backup.
3. Save your backup image to a secure and easily accessible location. Above all, ensure the safety of your backup files.
4. Now, go to "Start/Search" and input Control Panel.
5. Click on "System and Security" - > "Backup and Restore" - > "Restore my files" (unless you have enabled the system backup option in Windows).

After a while, this will restore your Windows to an earlier version, where your USB was recognized properly by both your desktop and laptop!

6. Don't forget to recover your data from the backup with Todo Backup.

Extra Tip: Recover Lost Data from a Damaged USB

Aside from the above solutions, you can also try formatting your USB drive via CMD or reinstalling your OS. However, these methods will also lead to data loss. If you haven't backed up your important files, you can give a shot at using a professional Data Recovery Wizard tool to restore your formatted drive and retrieve data lost after system restore/reset/reinstallation.

Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard, select the USB drive where you lost your important files, and click “Scan” to start.

Step 2: Preview and check the data on USB Drive

Once the scan is complete, you can use the filtering options and search function to locate specific file types quickly.

Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and the lost USB drive files are found, click on “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of the USB drive.

Video Tutorial: How to Recover Data from a USB Drive