USB Drive Detected but Not Accessible – Windows 11/10

  

Written By Amit Patra

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Modified On January 27th, 2026

Reading Time 7 Min Read

Quick Summary: When you are dealing with a USB Drive Detected but Not Accessible issue it simply means Windows can see your device but cannot read its file system in a correct manner. This guide explains why this happens, what you should never do first and how to fix the problem step by step based on my real troubleshooting experience on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems.

USB Drive Detected but Not Accessible – Why This Feels So Serious?

If you are reading this chances are your USB Drive Detected but Not Accessible so the situation just happened suddenly. One moment your USB or pen drive was working fine and the next moment you find Windows shows it and you are not able to open it. You may see messages like “You need to format the disk before you can use it” or the drive simply refuses to respond when double clicked.

In my recent testing across multiple Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines this issue often appeared right due to 3 reasons:

• One just after copying large files
• Removing the USB drive without safely ejecting it
• Or after a system crash

The biggest fear users have at this point is not about the device itself but it’s whether the important data inside is still safe. The good news is that your data is most likely still there so the most important thing now is to know what to do and what not to do.

Users typically report one of these following scenarios:

• USB drive shows up in This PC but won’t open
• USB drive is visible in Disk Management but inaccessible
• Windows detects the device but keeps asking to format it
• The same USB works on another computer but not yours

From hands on troubleshooting experience on the issue “pen drive detected but not accessible” I can say confidently that this problem is more logical but not physical. This distinction is important because logical problems can often be fixed and the data can be recovered.

Reasons Why USB Drive Becomes Inaccessible

A USB drive has been detected but is not accessible. The problem happens when Windows in your system cannot properly read the drives file system. Based on actual findings I have found the following most common causes:

• File system corruption due to unsafe removal
• Sudden power loss while the drive was in use
• Changes to the file system structure by malware
• Drive letter conflict
• Logical bad sectors
• USB driver conflict after Windows update

In many Windows cases mostly if I am talking about a USB drive being detected but not accessible in Windows 10 and a USB drive being detected but not accessible in Windows 11 well this problem starts immediately after the interruption not because your drive is faulty.

First Things to Check

Before you plan any advanced methods or thinking to directly start with the CMD methods you must start with low risk fixes first. You just need to follow the steps below as they won’t modify or overwrite your data.

1. Try using different USB port

You should avoid using a USB hub and if possible plug directly into a rear motherboard port.

2. Try a different computer

If your USB drive works on another computer the problem is with your system not the drive.

3. Now Restart Windows

Restarting Windows will refresh the USB services and the drivers.

The USB Drive is Detected but not Accessible in Disk Management

Simply open Disk Management by pressing (Windows + X → Disk Management) and locate the USB drive.

Immediately afterward you might see the following:

• A drive without a letter is present
• The drive appears as RAW
• The drive is marked as healthy but is not accessible

If you see your drive here it is a strong indication that the controller is working and your data is still present. This is where many cases of external hard drives being detected but not accessible are properly diagnosed.

Use Device Manager to Fix The Issue

There is one such common problem and that is USB drivers can silently become corrupted after Windows update. Using a device manager can resolve your situations as where your multiple USB devices are detected but not working. You just need to follow the simple steps below to fix your issues using device manager.

• Just Open Device Manager
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
• And right click on the USB Mass Storage Device & Uninstall
• Now restart your PC

Windows will automatically reinstall the driver as it did in my recent testing successfully fixing my problem of multiple USB drives being detected but not accessible in Windows 11 without affecting my data.

Fix Using Disk Management

If the USB drive is visible but not accessible it is possible that it doesn’t have a drive letter assigned to it.

1. You need to right click the USB drive
2. Can choose change drive letter and paths
3. Now assign a new letter

Well this is surprisingly effective for problems caused by drive letter conflicts and where the USB drive is recognized but cannot be accessed.

Fix Using CMD

This is the most popular method as users always want to use and fix using CMD but at the same time you need to understand that using Command Prompt can only repair minor corruption that too in specific conditions find those specific condition below

• The drive is NOT RAW
• A drive letter exists
• Disk Management shows “Healthy”

Follow the Command – chkdsk X: /f (Replace X with your USB drive letter)

When Manual Methods Not Work

The issue is probably a serious file system corruption error if none of the aforementioned actions restore the access so in the following situations this is typical.

• External hard drive detected but not accessible
• Drives showing RAW/unallocated

At this stage if you keep trying manual fixes well it will overwrite your file structures. From a professional standpoint data recovery should now be the priority.

Automated Ways to Recover Your Data Safely

This is one of the best and recommended approaches you can follow to fully automate the process and when a USB Drive Detected but Not Accessible condition persists using Reliable Pen Drive Recovery Software offered by SysTools can help you restore your all files safely as this is most reliable and trusted name in Software industry. Check below some power features of our recovery tool:

• Read RAW file systems
• Extract files without formatting
• Work even when Windows can’t open the drive

This is typical Safe Process as It

1. Scan the affected USB drive
2. Preview recoverable files
3. Save data to another drive
4. Format the USB only after data is secured

Important Warnings & Best Practices

Do not avoid these following warnings and always keep the best practice

• Never format before recovery
• Avoid repeated plug/unplug cycles
• Don’t run CHKDSK on RAW drives
• Never save recovered data to the same USB

Best Practices

• Always use Safely Remove Hardware
• Avoid sudden power interruptions
• Scan removable drives for malware
• Keep backups of your important files

Final Verdict

A USB drive being detected but not accessible is a very stressful problem but in most cases it can be fixed or the data can be recovered. So if you are facing issues like your USB drive being detected but not accessible in Windows 10 and Windows 11 or your pen drive suddenly stopping working don’t panic there is a solution. To avoid making things worse you need to carefully diagnose the problem and prioritize recovering your data before attempting any repairs.