Pen Drive Not Opening in Windows – Fix USB Not Detected Errors

Written By Amit Patra

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Modified On January 21st, 2026

Reading Time 7 Min Read

Quick Summary

If you find that your pen drive is not opening in Windows it simply means a driver issue or file system corruption, power failure, unsafe removal, or it can be any logical damage but the most important thing is in 97% of the cases I witness that the data is still presented but it is inaccessible. So from this guide you will learn why the problem occurs, how you can fix it step by step, and when to recover your data safely based on my recent testing and user scenarios.

Most of the users are searching when their pen drive suddenly stops responding after working perfectly fine earlier. Now the problem starts when you insert your USB drive and notices that nothing opens automatically or Windows shows the drive but refuses to access it.

Recently I have tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems as many users are reporting the same issue right after copying large files and unplugging the pen drive without safe removal or experiencing an unexpected system shutdown.

The biggest concern at this stage is not the device itself but whether your important data stored inside the pen drive is still safe or it is lost forever. This uncertainty definitely forces you to look for reliable and secure solutions instead of using random fixes.

Table of Contents Hide

Common Reasons Why Pen Drive Not Open in Windows

One of the most common reasons your pen drive fails to open is when Windows cannot correctly read its file system or when communicating with the device controller. Well let me tell you that this does not necessarily mean your pen drive is physically damaged but based on practical troubleshooting experience I can list the most common reasons you can check below:

Corrupted file system
USB driver conflict
Power surge during usage
Some logical bad sectors
Malware infection
Pen drive showing RAW format
Drive letter conflict

In recent cases where 80% users reported their pen drive not opening in Windows 10 or pen drive not opening in my laptop Windows 11 so here the issue was logical not physical.

Pen Drive Not Showing or Detected in Windows

Many users are struggling and asking why the pen drive is not showing in Windows 11 or why my pen drive is not detected in Windows 10? So to address this you just need to check

Check Disk Management

Just press (Windows + X) and go to Disk Management
Now look for the pen drive

Here are some possible scenarios you can check

Drive shows without letter
Drive shows as RAW
Drive shows as Unallocated

If your drive is visible here, we can say that the data usually still exists.

Initial Checks Before Applying Any Advanced Fixes

This is a very important and basic checklist that you should review carefully before taking any advanced troubleshooting steps as these steps are low risk and help you eliminate temporary system or port related issues.

Try Another USB Port: You can use another USB port as sometimes the USB port itself is faulty or underpowered.
Use Another Computer: As this will help you confirm whether your issue is with the pen drive or with the system.
Restart Windows: Sometimes a simple restart often reloads your USB drivers correctly.

Alert: If Windows prompts you to format your pen drive during all of these checks you need to stop immediately as Formatting at this stage can erase your important and recoverable data.

Fix USB Driver Issues Using Device Manager

USB driver issues are a common reason why your pen drives fail to open especially after you update your Windows so when drivers are outdated or corrupted Windows may detect the device but be unable to access it. So following the below mentioned steps will help you resolve your several cases of pen drive not working in Windows 11.

Just Perform These Working Steps Carefully

Press (Windows + X) goto Device Manager
Now expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
Next right click USB Mass Storage Device
And click Uninstall device
Now you need to restart your PC

And after this Windows will reinstall drivers automatically.

Fix Using Disk Management Without Formatting

You can fix using this method as this is also one of my favorite methods so If your pen drive appears but not able to open:

Assign a Drive Letter

Open Disk Management
Just right click your pen drive
Select Change Drive Letter and Paths
And assign a new letter

Let me tell you this fix is particularly useful when your pen drive is not reading in Windows and the issue is caused by letter conflicts.

Repair Pen Drive Errors Using CMD – Use With Caution

This is one of the most popular methods among all as most of you love to repair using Command Prompt as it can quickly repair minor file system errors but you should use it carefully. CMD is effective only when your file system is partially readable and the pen drive is not in RAW format.

During my recent testing CMD successfully fixed pen drives that had minor corruption caused by improper ejection but on the other hand when the drive was RAW I noticed CMD either failed or returned error messages. So repeated CMD attempts in such cases reduced recovery success.

The user often comes up with asking for my pen drive not detected in Windows 10 cmd but it does not work for RAW drives.

Repair Pen Drive Errors Using CMD

Check how you can perform CMD steps

Open Command Prompt and run as Administrator
Run:

chkdsk X: /f and just (Replace X with drive letter)

Important Warning: If you see anything like “CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives” you just need to stop immediately as continuing may reduce Recovery chances.

What to Do When Manual Troubleshooting Does Not Work

This is less likely to happen but if all these manual methods don’t work then the issue is likely beyond basic repair. This commonly happens when your file system is severely damaged or the pen drive has any logical bad sectors.

Now at this stage continuing manual attempts can overwrite your file structures and reduce recovery chances. So this is the point where you need a reliable pen recovery software that should take priority over repair. Recovering your files first will ensure that even if your pen drive needs formatting later the data remains safe.

Download Now Purchase Now

Note:- From my point of view I have noticed that in several cases of pen drive not working in Windows using manual attempts actually worsened data accessibility if you do not do it in a correct manner.

Recover Safely Using Software Solution

From professional experience using the automated software method is the safest approach as you should Recover your important things (data) first and rest fix the pen drive later.

So using Systools as a reliable recovery tool can capable of:

Extracting files from RAW pen drives
Safely recover your files from corrupted file systems
Work even when Windows cannot open the drive

So how can you Recovery using automated way find the steps below:

Install software
Now select the affected pen drive
You need to scan deeply
Preview your files before extracting
Now save your data to another drive

Important Warnings & Best Practices

Do not format without recovery
You should avoid repeated CMD attempts
You should never save recovered data to the same pen drive

Safe Solutions

Always use Safely Remove Hardware
Avoid power interruptions
Scan pen drives for malware
Keep backups of critical files

Final Verdict

The issue of Pen Drive Not Opening in Windows is far more common than users realize and in many recent cases your data is still recoverable as I explained with example and certain conditions.

Whether you are facing this problem on Windows 10/Windows 11 or older systems the key is to

Understand the cause
Try safe fixes first
And recover your data before forcing repairs

So if you handle everything correctly even your pen drive that refuses to open can be restored without permanent loss.