How to Fix USB Drives Not Showing Up in Windows 10

Sue Wayne

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions

One common problem users of USB drives experience is a USB drives not showing error. If your device is not able to detect your drive it will be impossible for you to access the data it contains. In this article, you will learn how to fix a not showing error using simple tricks that work.

Overview of the USB Drives Not Showing Up Error

USB not showing error may occur as a result of several hardware and software problems. Some of these problems may include：

• USB drive not detected: This is a common problem faced by many users. With the solutions we will provide you, the problem can be fixed.
• USB drive not showing: Some people may notice that their USB flash drive is not showing even after connecting it to their PC.
• External drives not recognized by Windows 10: This is a problem that may befall both your flash drive and your external drive. The solution we will recommend can work for both.
• Windows USB is not working: Your PC may detect the USB drive but it may not work no matter what you do. The fault may lie in your drivers which has to be updated to resolve the problem.
• USB Port not functioning: Another problem has to do with a faulty USB port. This also can be resolved with the information provided by this article.

How to Fix USB Not Showing Up in Windows 10

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Step 1 – Diagnose the Problem

To identify where the fault lies you will have to perform a complete diagnosis using the Disk Management system.

• Tap the Windows key and the X key at the same time. Pick Disk Management.

• Search for your USB drive listed as a Removable disk. If you can locate it, proceed to the next step.

• If you can't find the drive try the following.

Change to a different port in case the port you are using is not working.

Avoid using USB Hubs because hubs may present a problem of their own. It's better to connect the drive directly.

You may also want to consider trying a different computer. If you still can't find the drive it may be that the drive is dead.

Check to see if your USB drive has a power button. If it does, make sure the power is on.

Step 2: Fix the Problem

the accurate description for the particular issue you want to address. If Windows is asking you to format a partition once you insert your USB drive it will display a notification like this one below.

Don't rush to perform a partition just yet as this action may wipe off all your data. You may be seeing such notification because the drive was formatted before and the file system has isn't supported by Windows. However, if the files in the drive are not important you can format it.

If your computer cannot see the drive but other computers can then it means that the USB driver on your computer is faulty. To fix the problem, follow these steps.

• Press Windows key with the X button at the same time.

• Expand Disk Drivers category and the Universal Serial Bus Controllers to check if any device is marked with a yellow exclamation.

( If you see other marks like a question mark an error notification or a down arrow mark or maybe an error code, make sure you type the code into the search bar to get solutions.)

• If you find any driver with a yellow exclamation mark, double click the mark to view the Properties window.

• Navigate to the Drivers tab and pick the update driver option provided.
• Wait for Microsoft to locate an appropriate driver and hope that it will bring back your flash drive.

These two methods have proven to be very effective in fixing a USB Drives not showing up in Windows 10 problem but in a few cases, they may prove ineffective. If it doesn't work for you seek alternative solutions or discard the USB drive if other solutions fail.

How to Recover Data After Fixing the USB Drive Not Showing Up Issue

Suppose you formatted your drive in process of fixing the "USB Drive not Showing up" error, you might later realize that you need the lost data. It's easy to lose data. And if you're wondering if there is a way to recover data lost from a USB drive, the answer is yes.

Losing important data is quite a scary scenario.

However, with the right tool, it is possible to recover nearly all the lost data—depending on the situation of the data loss.

And out there, is a world of data recovery options. The only problem is that not all deliver data recovery solution in the right way. But let's only focus on one of the prominent software that has proven to deliver. results for Windows 10—Recoverit.

Why Recoverit Data Recovery is suggested?

Step-by-step Guide to Recover Data Lost in a USB drive with Recoverit

After launching the app and connecting your USB drive to the system, proceed with the following steps to recover data lost in a flash drive.

Step 1. Select a location

Choose the USB drive you want to recover by selecting its location. Then, click on the 'Start' button to let the program begin the recovery process.

Step 2. Scan the location

Hit the 'Start' button to begin the scanning of the storage media. The scanning duration will depend on the number of files the system needs to scan. You have the leisure of stopping the scan process and resuming it at your convenience.

Step 3. Preview and Recover

After the scan, hit the 'Preview' button to have a look at the data you wish to recover. Then select the data you wish to recover and hit the Recover button to retrieve your files back.

You mustn't save the recovered file in the save USB dive they were before. Choose a different safer storage device to prevent data overwriting.