Fixed! USB Drive Not Showing Files and Folders on Windows 10/11

If you prefer using a USB drive to save your important data, you may encounter such a common situation: The USB drive is not showing files and folders on Windows 10/11.

Usually, there are two scenarios about this problem:

• USB drive files not showing but space used.
• USB drive files are missing, deleted, and lost.

In this article, we will talk about two topics that you may be concerned about:

• What causes the pen drive data not showing problem on Windows?
• How to fix the USB drive not showing data?

First, keep reading to get more detailed information about common reasons for this vexing issue.

Part 1. Why Is Your USB Drive Not Showing Files and Folders

If your pen drive data is not showing on Windows, it may be caused by the following reasons:

• Incorrect connection
• Hidden files
• Accidental deletion
• Virus infection
• Hardware issues
• Compatibility issues
• File system errors
• Outdated or corrupted drivers

After identifying the causes of the USB drive showing as empty, consider the following solutions.

Part 2. How to Fix USB Drive Files Not Showing Up

As mentioned above, to fix the issue, try connecting the USB properly, unhiding the files and folders, checking for file system errors, or updating the disk driver.

If your data is not restored after using these solutions one by one, we also provide a professional data recovery tool to rescue your USB data.

If you prefer a quick video guide, this video demonstrates how to fix a USB drive not showing files and folders:

Now, proceed to the detailed instructions for the effective methods.

Fix 1. Reconnect the USB Drive

To identify whether the issue is with your computer or the USB drive, the first step is to reconnect your USB to the PC.

If the USB still doesn’t show data on Windows, try connecting the flash drive to a different PC.

This will help you figure out if the problem is due to a defective USB port, system configurations, or the drive itself.

Fix 2. Check for Hidden Files

Hidden files occupy storage capacity, but they aren’t shown on the disk due to incorrect settings.

Therefore, try making the hidden files visible to resolve the “USB drive not showing files and folders” problem.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Press Win + E to launch File Explorer.

Step 2. Navigate to the View tab and check the Hidden items option.

If this method fails to make files appear, read on to learn how to run the Attrib command to unhide files on Windows.

Fix 3. Run the Attrib Command

If the USB files are hidden due to hard drive corruption or malware infections, modifying the hidden file settings might not be effective.

In such situations, consider using the Attrib command to make them visible again.

Here’s how to execute the Attrib command to unhide files:

Step 1. Press Win + S to open the Windows search bar, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and then select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:\*.* (Replace “drive letter” with the letter of your USB) and press Enter.

After the command finishes, go to your USB folder to check whether your files and folders are visible.

If you don’t find your files or folders in your USB, proceed to the next solution.

Fix 4. Update/Reinstall the USB Disk Driver

An outdated or corrupted USB disk driver can lead to recognition issues. In some situations, the USB drive may be detected, but its files still fail to show up properly.

To fix this issue, opt for updating or reinstalling the disk driver.

>> Update the USB driver:

Step 1. Press Win + X to open the Power User menu and choose Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand the Disk drives section.

Step 3. Right-click on your USB drive and click Update driver.

Step 4. Choose Search automatically for drivers.

>> Reinstall the USB driver:

Step 1. Open Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand the Disk drives section.

Step 3. Right-click on your USB drive and select Uninstall device.

Step 4. Click the Uninstall button to confirm the action.

Restart your computer, and Windows will reinstall the driver. Then, go to your USB folder to check whether the issue is fixed.

Fix 5. Repair File System Errors

When facing technical or logical file system issues that impact the USB performance or bad sectors on the USB, using the CHKDSK utility is the advised solution.

To utilize CHKDSK to resolve the “USB data not showing” problem, follow these instructions:

Step 1. Press Win + S to launch the Windows search bar, type cmd, and then right-click on Command Prompt to choose Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the command line window, type chkdsk [drive letter]: /f /r and press Enter (Substitute “[drive letter]” with your USB’s letter).

For instance, if the drive letter for the USB is H, you should type chkdsk H: /f /r.

• H represents the drive letter of the disk you wish to check.
• /f corrects errors in the file index or a damaged directory structure.
• /r includes all the capabilities of /f while additionally scanning for bad sectors and attempting to recover any readable data.

Fix 6. Check for Virus

To resolve the issue of “pen drive data not showing,” it is advisable to perform a virus scan using Windows Defender.

Here’s how to conduct a virus scan in Windows Defender:

Step 1. Connect your USB. Press Win + I to access Settings.

Step 2. Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security.

Step 3. Select the Virus & threat protection tab, then click the Quick scan option.

Moreover, your antivirus software might sometimes incorrectly identify your USB files as threats, leading to their quarantine.

To retrieve the USB files that Windows Defender has quarantined, follow these steps:

Step 1. Go to Windows Settings, then click on Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history.

Step 2. From the Filters drop-down menu, choose the Quarantined Items option.

Step 3. Select the item you wish to restore and click the Restore option.

If you are unable to locate your missing files under the Quarantined Items category, consider trying the following method.

Fix 7. Use MiniTool Power Data Recovery

If the above solutions fail to rescue your USB files, your files and folders may be lost. In this situation, you need to use data recovery software to recover them.

For USB data loss, here are some common scenarios:

• Accidental USB file deletion.
• File loss due to forced unplugging of the USB device during data transfer.
• Files may disappear due to the wrong disk format.
• System or disk errors can lead to USB file access issues.

If you don’t know which data recovery tool to choose, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is the most recommended tool for USB data recovery.

Here is an overview of its primary features and benefits:

• It can recover files from USB drives, SD cards, hard drives, SSDs, and other types of storage media.
• It is compatible with a range of file formats, including photos, videos, documents, archives, and more.
• It is particularly useful for scenarios involving accidental deletions, disk formatting, file system errors, and more.
• It offers the ability to preview various file types, such as photos and videos, before recovery.
• It supports the recovery of files up to 1 GB at no charge.
• It provides an easy-to-use and intuitive interface for secure data recovery.

Now, download this free data recovery tool and follow the steps below to scan your USB, preview the files, and recover them.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

For an intuitive guide, watch this quick video:

Here is a step-by-step guide to recover USB files using MiniTool Power Data Recovery:

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get its main window.

On this page, focus on the Logical Drives section, select your USB partition marked with a USB icon, and click Scan.

Step 2. Once the scan is complete, you can expand the folders and browse through the files listed under the Path tab.

Alternatively, you can change to the Type tab to see files organized by their types or formats.

Moreover, this tool offers two additional features for filtering files:

• Click Filter to set filtering criteria such as file type, modification date, file size, or file category.
• Type a file name or keyword in the search box and press Enter to locate specific files.

To make sure the files are correct, double-click each of them to preview their content before recovery.

Step 3. Make sure all the desired files are checked, and then click the Save button.

In the pop-up window, choose a different location to save the recovered files and click OK.

Once the recovery is completed, you can view and use the recovered files in your USB.

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Part 3. Bonus Tip: How to Format the USB on Windows 10/11

Sometimes, your file system on your USB may be corrupted, and you will receive the error message saying “This drive has a problem and needs to be formatted.”

In this situation, it is impossible to access your USB on Windows, and you need to format it to fix the problem.

Here, we provide two options to format the USB on Windows 10/11.

Option 1. Use File Explorer

This method of USB formatting is widely used due to its ease of use. The procedure is as follows:

Step 1. Insert the USB drive into your computer and launch Windows File Explorer by pressing Win + E.

Step 2. Click on This PC in the navigation sidebar, right-click on the USB drive, and choose Format.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, select an appropriate file system and allocation unit size. Set the volume label if needed.

Step 4. Check the Quick Format option.

Step 5. Click Start to begin formatting the USB drive.

Option 2. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

MiniTool Partition Wizard is an excellent USB formatter that supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and other file systems.

With its straightforward interface and accurate functionality, formatting a USB can be completed easily within just a few clicks.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Open the partition formatter and select the USB drive partition, then click Format Partition in the left panel.

Step 2. In the pop-up, set the partition label and file system, then click OK.

Step 3. It will return to the main interface. Click Apply to finalize the changes.

Go to File Explorer to see if your USB flash drive works or not.

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Part 4. Conclusion

In conclusion, this article focuses on the matter of “USB drive not showing files and folders,” offering you several effective methods to unhide or recover them.

Try the mentioned methods one by one if your files are not really missing on your USB flash drive. If they are lost, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a trusty tool to recover them.

After recovering data, you may need to format it to use your pen drive normally. Consider using the two options above to format the drive safely.

If you need some help with MiniTool tools, feel free to contact [email protected].