[Fixed] Pen Drive Not Showing/Detected in My Computer in Windows

"When I tried to insert My friend's pen drive into my Windows 10 desktop, it was detected but did not show up on my computer. Are there any fixes? It is a Cruzer micro SanDisk pen drive."

Quick Navigation: Fixes for Pen Drive Not Showing or Detected in Computer

Overview of pen drive or USB flash drive not showing in computer 

USB pen drives, SD cards, or external hard drives can be both a blessing and a curse, offering easy data backup and transfer, but also causing issues like pen drives not showing files, not opening in the computer, or not being recognized. To help you find a missing pen drive in Windows 10/8/7, this tutorial will guide you on how to fix the "USB not showing up" issue, which also applies to external hard drives or other external USB devices.

When your pen drive doesn't show up in Windows File Explorer, you need to identify the specific situation first, as different situations imply different causes. To do this, go to "This PC" > "Manage" > "Disk Management" and see if your pen drive is visible. Depending on what you see, choose the correct fixes to apply.

How to fix USB pen drive/flash drive not showing in my computer

If your pen drive is not showing up on your computer, you'll need to troubleshoot the issue based on your specific situation. If the drive is not detected at all, try using a different USB port, checking for loose connections, and ensuring the drive is properly formatted.

Situation 1. Pen drive not showing in File Explorer but in Disk Management

If the USB drive is still detectable by the computer but not showing up under File Explorer, it's likely due to a file system issue or a driver problem. In this case, the USB drive can be seen in Disk Management but not in File Explorer. This is a less serious problem, and the USB drive can still be accessed and used.

• Be marked as unallocated space
• Or be shown as a volume without a drive letter

The phenomenon is likely caused by either USB driver issues or drive letter conflicts.

If your pen drive shows up as unallocated space, try the first two methods. If it appears without a drive letter, try method 3 instead.

Method 1. Update the USB pen drive or flash drive drivers

The "pen drive detected but not showing in my computer" error is often caused by a faulty USB driver, which is a common issue with USB flash drive devices. To troubleshoot this, try updating your USB drivers, which may resolve the issue and make your missing pen drive visible. This solution applies to Windows 10 and other operating systems.

Step 1. Connect your pen drive to the PC, right-click on "This PC" (in Windows 10) and choose "Properties".

Step 2. Click "Device Manager" then expand "Disk drives". Find and right-click the problematic USB drive and select "Update driver"

Step 3. Click "automatically search for driver software online".

Step 4. Wait for the driver to be updated, then reboot your computer, and try reconnecting your USB drive to PC to see if it shows up.

Method 2. Recover data and create a new volume on the pen drive

If the pen drive is still not showing in your computer after trying all the above steps, you may need to recover your data and create a new volume to make your device usable again. You can use a reliable hard drive recovery software, such as Deep Data Recovery, to retrieve data from an inaccessible device.

Deep Data Recovery can easily retrieve important data from a pen drive or other external USB device, even if it's inaccessible, since it can still be detected by Windows. It can also perform deleted file recovery, formatted data recovery, RAW drive recovery, and more, making it a versatile tool for recovering data from various situations.

In Deep Data Recovery, the unallocated space will typically appear as a lost partition. To recover data from this space, select the correct partition and initiate the scanning process.

Step 1. Select file types and click "Next" to start

Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Step 2. Choose the USB drive to scan

Connect your USB drive to your computer and open the software. Choose the drive where you lost your files. Click "Scan" to begin the recovery process.

Step 3. Check and preview USB drive data

When the scanning process is complete, you can quickly find a specific type of file using the Filter feature and the Search option, making it easier to locate what you need.

Step 4. Restore flash drive data

After finding the lost files on the USB drive, click "Recover" to restore them. Save the recovered files to a safe location on your PC, not back to the USB drive.

Once you've restored all your files, you can create a new volume on your pen drive to prepare it for storing data.

Step 1. Go to "This PC" > "Manage" > "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click on the unallocated space and choose "New simple volume...".

Step 3. Follow the wizard to finish the remaining process.

Method 3. Change the drive letter of your pen drive

If your pen drive's drive letter matches one of your computer's existing partitions, it won't appear in Windows and will show up with no drive letter in Disk Management. To fix this, simply change the drive letter of your device.

Step 1. Go to "This PC", right-click it and choose "Manage" > "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click the volume on your USB device and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

Step 3. In the new window, click "Change".

Step 4. Assign a new drive letter to your pen drive and click "OK".

If you've experienced data loss on your pen drive after changing the drive letter, don't hesitate to perform a USB data recovery using Deep Data Recovery.

Situation 2. Pen drive is not showing in File Explorer and Disk Management

If your pen drive is not detected by your computer, you can try to fix the issue by checking the connection, updating USB drivers, and checking for physical damage to the drive. If the problem persists, you may need to run a system file checker, reset USB ports, or use a different USB port to troubleshoot the issue. If none of these steps resolve the problem, it may be necessary to reinstall the USB driver or replace the pen drive if it is damaged.

Method 1. Check USB connection

If your pen drive is not being detected, try switching the USB port or computer to see if the issue persists. This simple troubleshooting step may resolve the problem.

Method 2. Update/reinstall driver

To troubleshoot the issue of a pen drive not showing up in Windows File Explorer or Disk Management, you can try updating or reinstalling the device driver, which can be done by following the steps outlined in method 1 of situation 1. This can help resolve the problem and ensure the pen drive is visible in the operating system.

Step 1. Connect your pen drive to your computer, right-click "This PC", and choose "Properties" > "Devices Manager".

Step 2. Click on "Disk drives", right-click on your USB drive that is not showing and choose "Uninstall device".

Step 3. In the prompt asking you to confirm the removal, click "OK".

Step 4. After uninstalling, restart your computer, then reconnect the USB flash drive or external hard drive. The driver will be automatically reinstalled once the computer restarts.

Method 3. Send for manual repair

If your device is damaged or dead, it won't show up on your computer, and you won't be able to recover data using software. In this case, you'll need manual data recovery services to rescue your data.

The bottom line

If your pen drive is not showing or detected by your computer, there are several workable solutions to try. If you're not sure what's causing the issue, you can try each of these fixes one by one. Hopefully, one of them will solve the problem for you. Alternatively, you can also check out a video that demonstrates four ways to fix a drive not recognized or detected issue, which may provide additional help.

Related Articles

• Restore Deleted/Lost ASUS Data with ASUS Data Recovery Software
• Zoom Meeting Disappeared for No Reason? Fix It and Recover Zoom Meetings Now
• [Solved] USB Pen Drive Not Showing Data, Files, and Folders
• Windows 10 Won't Update with/Without Sending Errors - (20+) Tips

Is this information helpful?   Yes   No

This information is not relevant.

This information is not easy to understand.

This information is not deep enough.

What can we do to improve this information? (Optional)

Refresh Please enter the verification code!