Having issues getting your USB drive recognized by your computer? There are a few quick troubleshooting steps you can try to get your USB drive working again.
Check the USB Port
First, check to make sure the USB port itself is working properly. Try plugging in another USB device like a mouse, keyboard, or different USB drive into the same port. If the other device is recognized, then the port is likely functioning correctly.
If the USB port is not recognizing any devices, try using a different USB port on your computer. Certain ports may have failed or be disabled in your BIOS settings. Test other available ports to see if your USB drive is detected.
Inspect the USB port for any apparent damage or broken pins. If the USB port is visibly damaged, you may need to replace the internal USB hub or motherboard to repair the port.
Check USB Cable
If trying a different port doesn’t work, inspect the physical USB cable that connects your drive to the computer. Use the cable that came with your USB drive if possible.
Check for any bent pins, frayed wires, or loose connections. A defective or low-quality USB cable can prevent your drive from being properly detected. Swap in a high-quality cable designed for data transfer.
Also try plugging your USB drive directly into the computer rather than through a USB hub. Hubs can sometimes interfere with a drive being recognized.
Update Drivers
Outdated, buggy, or misconfigured drivers may also prevent your USB drive from showing up. Update your USB drivers to the latest available versions.
On Windows, open Device Manager, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section, right-click on any USB device and select Update driver. This will search and install any available driver updates.
On Mac, open System Information and check your USB tree for any devices labeled with a yellow exclamation mark, indicating a driver issue. Reinstall the latest drivers for that device.
You can also try uninstalling your USB controller drivers entirely, forcing a fresh install of the latest drivers when you reconnect your USB device.
Reset USB Controller
If you’ve tried different ports, cables and updated drivers, a reset of the USB controller may be needed. This will reinitialize your USB subsystem without needing to reboot the whole system.
On Windows 10 and newer, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
| Remove-Item -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR” |
| Remove-Item -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB” |
| Reset-Computer |
On Linux, enter the following terminal commands:
| echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/rescan |
| echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb1/authorized |
| echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb2/authorized |
This will force your USB controllers to re-enumerate any connected devices and may lead to your USB drive being detected properly.
Check File System
If your USB drive shows up in Device Manager but not Explorer or Finder, there may be file system corruption preventing access.
On Windows, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run chkdsk:
| chkdsk E: /f |
Replace E: with your USB drive letter. This will scan for errors and repair any file system problems.
On Mac, open Terminal and run a file system check and repair:
| diskutil list |
| diskutil verifyVolume diskXsY |
| diskutil repairVolume diskXsY |
Replace diskXsY with your USB drive identifier. This will verify and attempt to repair any filesystem issues.
Format USB Drive
If no errors are found but your drive still won’t show up, reformatting the USB drive may resolve the issue.
Warning: This will erase all data on the USB drive, so backup any important files first.
On Windows, open Disk Management, right-click your USB drive’s partition and select Format. Set the file system to NTFS or exFAT.
On Mac, open Disk Utility, select your USB drive, click Erase and set the scheme to GUID Partition Map and format to APFS or exFAT.
Reformatting will wipe the drive clean and may allow your computer to access it again as if it were new.
Disable USB Power Saving
Some computers try to save power by disabling USB ports when not in use. This power saving feature may inadvertently cause connected USB drives to disappear.
Check your BIOS or UEFI settings for any USB power saving options and disable them. This will ensure your USB ports always stay powered on.
You can also open Device Manager, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section, right click on each host controller and select Properties. Go to the Power Management tab and uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
Test on Another Computer
To confirm whether the issue is with your USB drive or computer, test connecting the USB drive to another computer.
If the drive works on a second computer, then the issue is likely with your original computer’s USB ports, drivers or settings. Continue troubleshooting on that device.
However, if the USB drive fails to show up on other computers as well, then the drive itself may be faulty and need replaced.
USB Drive Not Showing Up In Disk Management
If your USB drive is not showing up in Windows Disk Management or Mac Disk Utility at all, the drive itself may have failed or be dead.
Check if the drive makes any sounds when plugged in or shows up in the BIOS. If the drive is dead silent and invisible even to the BIOS, it likely has a hardware issue and needs professional data recovery to repair and access the data.
Some troubleshooting steps for drives not appearing in Disk Management:
- Try different USB ports and cables
- Plug into a USB power source for extra power
- Update USB and motherboard drivers
- Use a USB-SATA adapter to plug the bare drive directly into the computer
- Check if the USB drive shows up in Computer Management > Storage > Disk Management instead
If the drive fails on multiple computers, different ports and isn’t detected by the computer at all, physical failure is likely the cause. You may need professional data recovery performed on the disk or replacement if still under warranty.
USB Drive Not Recognized During Boot
USB drives not showing up at boot may be related to motherboard settings or drive format limitations. Some things to check:
- Make sure USB ports are enabled in the BIOS/UEFI. Older systems may have USB ports disabled by default.
- If trying to boot from the USB drive, check that boot from USB is enabled in BIOS settings.
- For Windows installation, the USB drive must be formatted as NTFS or FAT32 to be bootable.
- For Linux, the USB needs a GUID partition table (GPT) and must be formatted ext2, ext3 or ext4.
- SecureBoot may interfere with booting from USB on some PCs, try disabling SecureBoot.
If the drive boots on one computer but not another, look for differences in BIOS/UEFI settings concerning USB ports, boot order and SecureBoot.
External Hard Disk Not Showing Up
For external USB hard drives not showing up, try these basic troubleshooting steps:
- Connect drive directly to the computer rather than through a hub
- Try a different USB cable and check condition
- Swap USB ports and see if drive is detected in another slot
- Plug the external drive into a wall outlet for extra power
- Check for USB power saving settings and disable if found
If the drive shows up in Disk Management but not Explorer:
- Initialize the disk and assign a drive letter
- Create a new simple volume on the drive
- Format the drive to NTFS or exFAT
If the external drive is making clicking sounds or not spinning up, physical damage may be preventing access. Try professional data recovery or contact the manufacturer for potential internal hardware failure.
Bootable USB Not Showing Up In Boot Menu
When trying to boot from a USB drive, if the drive isn’t showing up in your computer’s boot menu, try the following:
- Reformat the USB drive and create a new bootable installer
- Try different USB ports on your computer
- Adjust your computer’s boot priority order in BIOS
- For Windows, the drive must be NTFS formatted and use an MBR partition table
- For Linux, the drive needs GPT partitioning and a ext2/3/4 file system
- Make sure Secure Boot is disabled in your BIOS/UEFI
- Check for a UEFI/legacy boot mismatch issue between your drive and computer’s firmware
If the USB boots successfully on one computer but not another, your computer’s BIOS/UEFI firmware settings are likely blocking booting from the drive. Refer to your motherboard manual for information on configuring boot options.
Conclusion
USB drives not showing up can stem from software misconfigurations, driver issues, hardware faults or unsupported boot methods. Following consistent troubleshooting methods like checking different computers, cables, ports and BIOS settings can help narrow down the cause.
Updating USB drivers, tweaking boot priority order and reformatting your USB device to common popular file systems like NTFS and FAT32 can solve many detection issues. Hardware failures however will likely require replacing the USB drive after attempting data recovery.
With some guided USB troubleshooting steps, you should be able to get your missing USB drive visible again on your computer. Pay special attention to USB controller settings, boot protocols and disk formats required by different operating systems to match your situation. Getting your USB drive back up and accessible again is usually within reach with a few simple technical checks.
