How to Fix Flash Drive Not Showing Up – 9 Easy Solutions

Flash drive not showing up in Windows or macOS? We have 9 solutions for you, which include checking out USB ports, updating drivers, assigning drive letters, repairing file errors, and more.

How to Fix Flash Drive Not Showing Up

If you’re experiencing that your flash drive isn’t showing up on your computer, you aren’t alone. This is a very common issue that may have many causes. Whether you are on Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS, we have many solutions that will get that flash drive to show up.

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1. Check the USB Port and Connection

When you have an issue with your flash drive not showing up, try first to check out the USB port you are using. Sometimes, what may be at fault is the USB port and not the device itself. Pull out the flash drive and put it in a different USB port on your computer.

If the flash drive isn’t recognized, try putting it in another computer. If that works, your issue is with this computer’s system. If the flash drive doesn’t work in other computers, the problem may be with the flash drive itself.

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2. Restart Your Computer

A Simple restart may resolve the issue of the flash drive not showing up. Computer systems, Sometimes, do not respond to external storage, which causes the flash drive to not show up. Try to reboot into your system again and reattach the flash drive. We see in many cases that the issue of the flash drive not showing up goes away after a full reboot.

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3. Update or Reinstall USB Drivers

Out-of-date or damaged drivers are a cause for flash drive not showing up issues. In Windows, go to Device Manager and look at the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section. If you see a warning sign, there right click and update the driver.

If the update doesn’t resolve the issue of the flash drive not showing, go ahead and remove the USB device, which will, in turn, cause a restart of your computer. What the system does is it will reinstall the proper drivers. This method we have found to be very effective in resolving the issue.

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4. Assign a Drive Letter

Another common reason for a flash drive not to show up is a missing drive letter. We see this mostly in Windows. Go to Disk Management and check that the flash drive is present in the list.

If you see the flash drive listed but it doesn’t have a drive letter, right-click on it and choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths”. Assign a new letter. Once that is done, the issue of the flash drive not showing up should be resolved, and the drive will appear in File Explorer.

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5. Repair File System Errors

File damage also causes flash drive failure. If your computer recognizes the flash drive but you still can’t access it, you may have to repair it.

On Windows: right-click on the flash drive, go to Properties, then Tools, and hit “Check” at that screen.

In macOS: open Disk Utility and repair the drive. Repairing file system errors at this point may also resolve the issue of the flash drive not showing up, and you will not see your data go missing.

6. Initialize or Format the Flash Drive

If your flash drive isn’t showing up because it is unallocated or not initialized, you may have to set it up manually. In Disk Management, if you see your flash drive marked as unallocated, create a new simple volume. Do bear in mind that formatting may delete your data. If the flash drive, which isn’t showing up, has important files on it, try using data recovery software before formatting.

7. Disable Antivirus Temporarily

Sometimes, security software may prevent external devices from working, including flash drives, which may not show up. Turn off your antivirus temporarily and reattach the flash drive. If that solves the issue of the flash drive not showing up, go in and change your antivirus settings to include USB devices.

8. Avoid USB Hubs

Using some USB hubs may cause your flash drive not to show up, which is a result of an insufficient power supply. Try connecting the flash drive directly to your computer instead of the hub. This easy step will immediately fix the issue.

9. Check for Physical Damage

If still having no luck with the above solutions for your missing flash drive issue, it may be that the device is physically damaged. We see which components may be broken out of which the unit has heated, has visible cracks, or which have loose connections, signs of hardware failure. In which case, professional data recovery services may be required.

Conclusion

The issue of a flash drive not showing up is due to port issues, driver errors, missing drive letters, file corruption, antivirus interference, or hardware damage. We go over the steps above on how to fix flash drive issues, which in most cases will resolve the problem. As you go through the troubleshooting steps one by one, you will most likely get your files accessible again without professional help.