3 Ways to Fix USB Drive Not Showing Files and Folders on Windows 11

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Try These Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Run the Check Disk Utility

CHKDSK (short for Check Disk)is a handy utility on Windows that can automatically detect and fix issues with your storage drives. You can run this tool to resolve any issues with your drive and recover missing files and folders.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer and navigate toThis PC.

Step 2:Right-click on yourUSB driveand selectProperties.

Step 3:Switch to theToolstab and click on theCheckbutton.

Step 4:ClickScan driveto initiate the scan.

Fix 2: Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Your Windows 11 PC includes a Hardware and Devices troubleshooter that can resolve common issues with all your external devices, including USB storage drives. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog. Typemsdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnosticin the box and pressEnter.

Step 2:In the Hardware and Devices window, click onAdvanced.

Step 3:Select theApply repairs automaticallycheckbox and hitNext.

After running the troubleshooter, check if your USB drive shows missing files and folders.

Fix 3: Update or Reinstall USB Drivers

At times, outdated or faulty USB drivers on your PC can interfere with Windows’ ability to show the contents of your USB drive. You can try updating the problematic driver using Device Manager to see if that solves the problem.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectDevice Managerfrom the list.

Step 2:Double-click on theUniversal Serial Bus controllersto expand it.

Step 3:Right-click on the relevantUSB driveand selectUpdate driver.

Follow the on-screen prompts to finish updating the driver.

If your hard drive or pen drive is not showing data even after updating the drivers, it’s likely that thosedrivers are corrupt. In that case, your best option is to uninstall the problematic driver via Device Manager and then restart your PC.

Windows will reinstall the drivers automatically during boot. Following this, your USB drive should display all files and folders.

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Last updated on 30 April, 2024

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