Flash Drive Not Showing Up: Technical Resolution At Its Best

A USB flash drive has the facility to store all the data in its memory which is similar to the hard drive. As you plug in the flash drive, the Operating System fetches this data as per the requirement.

Unfortunately, there can be various issues that may turn your USB flash drive data inaccessible.

One such annoying issue is the flash drive not showing up on your system. However, there are many possible reasons for the issue.

So, if you are currently facing this, then follow this article till the end. Here, you will get to know the methods to fix this issue.

Also, we will discuss the causes that can lead to the issue to occur. Therefore, proceed to the next section.

General Causes for the Flash Drive not Showing Up on your System

Irrespective of which Operating System you use, know the possible causes of this issue. The points are listed here:

1. In case the Flash Drive is somehow damaged, then the issue can occur.
2. If the USB ports are not working, the issue can occur.
3. Also, if the files and folders are deleted, then the flash drive won’t show up.
4. Any virus or malware attack can also lead to the issue.
5. If the file and folders are hidden, then also the issue can crop up.

Ways to Resolve the Flash Drive is not Showing Up Issue

Now, follow the methods in order to fix the problem as soon as possible. For effective resolution, you have to carry out all the given steps given in each method.

For your convenience, we have divided the solutions into two parts. One part is for the Mac Operating System and the other one is for Windows.

Hence, without any further delay, proceed with the following section of the article.

Part 1: Methods to fix Flash Drive is not Showing Up on Mac

If you are a Mac user, then this part of the solution is for you. Hence, you can directly proceed to the following section.

Method 1: Connect the USB Flash Drive Manually

Try to connect your Flash Drive directly to the port without using any Hub. Now, follow these steps:

• Connect your USB Flash Drive and go to the Applications option. Then, click on the Utility option.
• After that, select the “Ask me what to do” option from the Devices pop-up box.
• In the next step, navigate to the Devices option and then click on the External Devices.
• Finally, check if the Flash Drive shows up or not.

Method 2: The PRAM Fix

In order to perform this fix, you have to return the Mac to the PRAM. Hence, to do so, proceed with the steps given below:

• First of all, shut down your Mac.
• As the Mac completely turns off, press the Power button and then hold the Command + Option keys.
• After that, hold the P + R keys at the same time while the system starts.
• As the system boots, release all the keys.
• After that, connect the Flash Drive like the previous method to check if it shows up or not.

If still the Flash Drive does not show up then perform other methods.

Method 3: Format the Flash Drive

In case the files and folders are not necessary to you, then you can go ahead with this method. Here, you have to format the Flash Drive. Take the help of the steps that are as follows:

• In the first step, press Command and Spacebar at the same time. Now, connect your Flash Drive.
• Next, open the Application section and then click on the Disk Utility option.
• Her,e you have to select the connected Flash Drive on the left pane.
• Now, click on the Erase button in order to start the formatting.
• Once the process completes, check if the issue is resolved or not.

Part 2: Methods to fix Flash Drive is not Showing Up on Windows 10

Now, for the Windows Users, you can follow this part of the article to resolve the issue. Just go ahead with the following section:

Method 1: Scan the Flash Drive for Issues

Every Windows system has an inbuilt scanning tool. Hence, you can take the help of this tool in order to fix the issue. Therefore, carry out the steps given below:

• At first, plug in the USB drive and then proceed to the This PC window.
• As the This PC window opens, locate and right-click on the inserted Flash Drive.
• Now, from the list of options, click on Properties.
• After that, open the Tool tab and click on the Check Now button.
• Wait for the process to finish and then check if there are issues with the Flash Drive.

In case you find some issues with the Flash Drive, then troubleshoot it.

Method 2: Try to Reformat the Flash Drive

So, to perform the method, follow the steps that are provided below:

• Again, plug in your Flash Drive into your system and then open the This PC window.
• Now, right-click on the Flash Drive name and then choose the Format option.
• Next, the Format window will open. After that, go to the File system tab.
• Now, toggle between NTFS and FAT32 and then click on the Start button.
• As the formatting process completes, check if the Flash Drive shows up again or not.

Method 3: Update the Flash Drive Driver

Updating the Flash Drive Driver on your system helps to fix issues with it. Hence, you can straightaway move to the steps to perform the method:

• Use the Windows logo key and the R key at the same time. This will open the Run Box.
• Inside the Run box, type devmgmt.msc and then click on the OK button.
• As the Device Manager window opens, search for the Universal Serial Bus Controller entry.
• On finding the entry, expand it and then select the generic USB Hub option from the list.
• Now, right-click on it and then click on Update Driver Software.
• Click on the Update Driver button and then wait for the process to complete.
• Once done, check if the Flash Drive problem still occurs or not.

Method 4: Disable the Fast Startup Feature

Sometimes, due to this Fast Startup feature, the Flash Drive may not show up. Fortunately, here are the steps that you can use to disable the Fasy Startup feature:

• Open the Start menu and then type Control Panel in the search bar.
• Now, from the list of results, click on the Control Panel option.
• As the Control Panel window opens, go to the Hardware and Sound section.
• After that, click on the Power Options link.
• In the next window, click on the Choose what the power button does option.
• In the next step, choose the Change Settings that are currently unavailable option.
• Now, find the Fast Startup option and then Disable it.
• After that, click on the Save Changes button in order to save the changes.
• Finally, close all the active windows and then check if the Flash Drive shows up or not.

Conclusion

To conclude, we have tried to explain the methods to fix the Flash Drive not showing up on your system. Here, we have discussed the issue for both the Windows and Mac users.

Therefore, this is will help you to resolve the issue in one go. Moreover, after performing the steps, we expect that you will easily fix the issue.

In case the issue still persists, then you can get back to us through the comment section below. Also, you can get the best technical help from the experts if needed.