I have the same issue. Brand new Dell G15. Brand new 32GB flash. Formatted to FAT32. Scanned, and found no errors. Create program does not recognize it in either port. (Windows updates up-to-date).

Thoughts? (other than "Windows is ****"?)

🌐
HP
hp.com › us-en › shop › tech-takes › how-to-fix-usb-device-not-recognized
Fix Unrecognized USB Device? 12 Solutions (2025)
April 23, 2025 - Laptop suddenly can't read your USB drive? Fix "USB device not recognized" errors quickly! Our step-by-step guide offers solutions for when Windows doesn't detect your USB.
People also ask

How do I fix the USB device not recognized error on Windows 11?
To fix the USB device not recognized error on Windows 11, you can use the built-in error checking tool: · Open File Explorer. · Select This PC from the left pane. · Right-click the USB device you want to repair. · Select the Properties option. · Go to the Tools tab and click the Check button. · Select the Scan drive option. · Wait for the scan to finish.
🌐
cleverfiles.com
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to fix usb device not recognized on windows 11/10/8/7
How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized on Windows 11/10 ...
Why can't I see my USB drive in Windows 10?
It’s possible that you can’t see your USB drive in Windows 10 because the USB selective suspend setting, which controls when your drive powers down, is enabled. To disable it: · Open the Settings app and go to System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings. · Click Change plan settings and then select Change advanced power settings. · Expand the USB Settings group. · Expand the USB selective suspend settings group. · Select the drop-down menu and then select disabled.
🌐
cleverfiles.com
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to fix usb device not recognized on windows 11/10/8/7
How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized on Windows 11/10 ...
What to do if my USB device is not showing files?
The first thing you should do if your USB device is not showing file is run a data recovery tool like Disk Drill: · Install Disk Drill on your computer. · Launch it and scan your USB device. · Select all recoverable files. · Click the Recover button. · Recover the files to your main hard drive.
🌐
cleverfiles.com
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to fix usb device not recognized on windows 11/10/8/7
How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized on Windows 11/10 ...
🌐
MiniTool
minitool.com › home › data recovery › usb flash drive not recognized on windows 10/11? fix it now
USB Flash Drive Not Recognized on Windows 10/11? Fix It ...
October 16, 2025 - Here is a full guide on the problem of USB flash drive not recognized, including how to recover unrecognized USB with data recovery software and fix it by updating the driver, assigning a drive letter, running the hardware troubleshooter, and formatting. In our daily computer use, USB flash drives are one of the most commonly used external storage devices. However, when you insert a USB drive and receive the “USB Device Not Recognized” error message, it can be frustrating. The “USB drive not showing up” error appears when Windows encounters a problem detecting a USB device.
🌐
Wondershare Recoverit
recoverit.wondershare.com › flashdrive-recovery › flash-drive-not-recognized.html
Why USB Device Not Recognized in Windows and How to Fix the Error
Step 1. Launch Recoverit USB Flash Drive Recovery program, select the USB drive which detected on the software to get started. Step 2. The USB recovery software will start scanning the device, it will take a while to search the lost data. Step 3. In the end, you can check all recovered data and files. Preview recovered photos, videos, audios, Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files. Select your USB files and click the "Recover" button save them to a safety device path. There are many reasons why Windows may fail to recognize a USB device.
🌐
Clever Files
cleverfiles.com › all articles › how to fix usb device not recognized on windows 11/10/8/7
How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized on Windows 11/10 ...
Disk Drill is designed to scan USB flash drives, external hard drives, and other storage devices for lost files even when Windows 11/10/8/7 can no longer access them using its sophisticated algorithms capable of locating files based on file system information and file signatures. The only caveat is that data recovery software like Disk Drill can recover a USB drive that’s not recognized as long as the drive appears in Disk Management, which confirms the operating system can communicate it.
Published   September 1, 2025
Find elsewhere
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windowshelp › create recovery drive does not recognize usb flash drives
r/WindowsHelp on Reddit: Create Recovery Drive does not recognize USB flash drives
December 31, 2023 -

I am trying to create a recovery drive for a brand new Dell computer running Windows 11 and keep getting this error with different flash drives: "Connect a USB flash drive. The drive must be able to hold at least 32 GB, and everything on the drive will be deleted."
https://pixeldrain.com/u/ieqvdiHE

i've tried formatting the drive exFat, and NTFS, neither work.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Al

🌐
Secure Data Recovery
securedatarecovery.com › home › blog › what to do if your usb drive is not showing up
How To Fix USB Drive Not Showing Up on Windows and Mac
December 31, 2024 - The USB root hub is what monitors the insertion and removal of devices. You can use Device Manager to disable and then re-enable the USB hub, which may enable the controllers to recover the USB port from its unresponsive condition.
🌐
7 Data Recovery
blog.7datarecovery.com › home › flash drive recovery › how to quickly fix a usb flash drive that is not recognized
How to Fix a USB Flash Drive That Is Not Recognized on PC
April 16, 2025 - Windows comes with lots of powerful troubleshooters that are designed to target specific problems. The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter can scan your computer for issues pertaining to your USB and fix them so you can access a USB drive that is not recognized. Microsoft will be removing these troubleshooters with the next update of Windows 11.
🌐
MyRecover
myrecover.com › windows data recovery › fix 'usb device not recognized' error in windows 11 | solutions
Fix "USB Device Not Recognized" Error in Windows 11 | Solutions
Recover deleted & lost data from any disasters in Windows. ... Struggling with a usb device not recognized windows 11 error? Our article details multiple working methods to fix usb device not recognized windows 11, including registry edits, driver rollbacks, and using Windows' built-in hardware troubleshooters.
🌐
Eleven Forum
elevenforum.com › windows support forums › devices and drivers
USB Drive not Recognized windows 11 Help! | Windows 11 Forum
April 7, 2022 - Go to Settings>System>Recovery and choose “Go Back.” You’ll be asked if you want to check first for updates to Windows 11; decline that and follow the wizard to return to Windows 10.
🌐
EaseUS
easeus.com › partition master › how to fix usb flash drive not showing up in windows 11🔥
Full Guide to Fix USB Flash Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 11
3 weeks ago - Connect the USB drive, check if it appears in File Explorer, open Disk Management, assign a drive letter, and perform initial checks for physical damage. ... Cedric Grantham is a senior editor and data recovery specialist of EaseUS.
🌐
How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › windows › how to fix your usb drive not showing up on windows 11 or windows 10
How to Fix Your USB Drive Not Showing Up on Windows 10 or Windows 11
September 27, 2025 - If you connected a USB drive and Windows doesn't show up in the file manager, you should first check the Disk Management window. To open Disk Management on Windows 11 (or Windows 10), right-click the Start button and select "Disk Management."
🌐
ibeesoft
ibeesoft.com › computer-tips › fix-usb-drives-not-showing-up-windows-10.html
[Fixed] USB Not Showing Up in Windows 11/10
December 16, 2020 - Expand "Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR" in turn · Double-click the "Start" item on the right side of the page and change the number to "3." File system errors can also cause the flash drive not showing up on Windows 11, 10, and 7. If this is the case, the device will show up as a RAW drive, which will not be accessible. To repair it, you must format the drive to assign a new file system. However, to protect your essential data, you can use the following steps to recover data from USB stick.
🌐
LinkedIn
linkedin.com › pulse › usb-flash-drive-detected-heres-how-fix-quickly-7-data-recovery-hsjae
USB Flash Drive Not Detected? Here’s How to Fix It Quickly
August 7, 2024 - Follow these steps to recover data from a USB flash drive not recognized with Disk Drill: 1. Visit the Disk Drill website and download the software version compatible with your operating system. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install the Disk Drill. 2. Plug the unrecognized USB drive into your computer. Confirm it connects securely. 3. Open Disk Drill. The main window will display all storage devices connected to your computer.
🌐
iBoysoft
handyrecovery.com › recover-data-from-usb-flash-drive-not-recognized
How to Recover Data From USB Drive That's Not Recognized
September 5, 2024 - I’m going to present you with two options: recover the data yourself with DIY data recovery software, or send the USB drive away for recovery by an expert. This option is for those with a USB drive that’s visible in Disk Management or Disk Utility but not File Explorer or Finder. Even though Windows doesn’t see the USB drive, data recovery software can bypass the file system and access the drive directly.
🌐
Microsoft Community Hub
techcommunity.microsoft.com › microsoft community hub › communities › products › windows › windows 11
USB drive not visible in file explorer | Microsoft Community Hub
This usually means the drive has no partition or file system on it when the USB drive is not visible in Windows file explorer. Here is a quick fix: https://www.techgizz.com/usb-drive-not-showing-in-file-explorer
🌐
Pureinfotech
pureinfotech.com › home › how to fix usb drive not working on windows 11
How to fix USB drive not working on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech
January 9, 2025 - To fix USB drive problems on Windows 11, open PowerShell (admin), run the “Get-Disk 7 | Clear-Disk -RemoveData” command to clear and repair the drive, and then run the command to create a new partition and set a drive letter.
🌐
EaseUS
easeus.com › usb data recovery › how to recover files from not recognized usb flash drive
How to Recover Files from Not Recognized USB Flash Drive | Full Guide
December 12, 2025 - Step 5. After that, restart Windows 11 or 10. After rebooting, the USB controllers will be automatically downloaded and reinstalled, establishing a fresh connection with the connected devices. Windows incorporates various troubleshooters tailored to address specific issues. The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter, in particular, is excellent at scanning your computer for and rectifying USB-related problems, thereby enabling access to an unrecognized USB drive.