If your USB drive is not showing up in Windows Explorer or is displaying errors, it may be corrupted. Fortunately, you can often fix a corrupted USB drive using the built-in tools in Windows Explorer. Here’s how to do it:
Plug in the USB Drive and Open Windows Explorer
Start by plugging the USB drive into your computer and opening Windows Explorer. You can do this by clicking the File Explorer icon on your taskbar or pressing the Windows key E on your keyboard.
Check the Drive Properties
Once Windows Explorer is open, locate the USB drive in the left-hand pane and right-click on it. Select “Properties” from the menu that appears.
In the drive properties window, click on the “Tools” tab. Here, you’ll see an option to “Check” the drive for errors.
Repair the USB Drive
Click the “Check” button to start the drive repair process. Windows will scan the drive for any errors or corrupted files and attempt to fix them automatically.
Depending on the size of the drive and the extent of the corruption, this process may take several minutes to complete. Be patient and let it run its course.
Verify the Repair
Once the repair process is finished, Windows will let you know if any errors were found and fixed. You can then try accessing the USB drive again to see if the issue has been resolved.
If the drive is still not showing up or you’re still encountering errors, you may need to try additional troubleshooting steps, such as updating the USB driver or formatting the drive.