What should I do if my USB drive is not recognized by my computer?
Unrecognized USB drives may be due to port issues, outdated drivers, or file system errors.
If your USB drive is not recognized, it’s often due to port or driver issues, or possibly a corrupted file system. Start by testing the USB drive in a different port or on another computer; if it works elsewhere, the issue may be with the initial USB port. If not, open the Disk Management utility (on Windows) or Disk Utility (on Mac) to see if the drive appears. If it shows up without a drive letter, assigning one can help it appear in the file system. Corrupted drivers can also cause recognition problems; try updating or uninstalling and reinstalling the USB drivers in Device Manager. Another potential cause is a corrupted file system, which can be fixed by running error-checking tools such as 'chkdsk' on Windows. In cases of severe corruption, data recovery software may be necessary to retrieve files before formatting the drive.
