"USB Flash Drive shows empty but has data. Fix it Now! - Tool"

how to

Though the pen drive has data, it appears empty.

"I have a problem with my USB flash drive. I often use it to listen to music or watch movies at an Internet cafe, and all the songs and films are stored on the USB drive. Yesterday, when I plugged it into my laptop, I found the USB flash drive shows up as empty, even though there are still files on it. The files and folders on the USB are not showing, but the space is being used! Can anyone help me?"

Also known as memory sticks, USB drives, or flash drives, a USB pen drive is a tiny, portable, and potentially high-capacity data storage device used to move and store data between computers. Because of its small size, we usually carry it around in our pockets or handbags and use it on various computer devices. On the one hand, a USB pen drive facilitates our digital life. On the other hand, it can ruin us with an impending failure. It may run into issues like corruption, malfunction, data loss, and the like. Among these, one common issue is that a USB pen drive shows empty but files and folders actually exist.

Do you know why a USB flash drive shows empty when it contains files? We've gathered the main reasons to help you recall your last actions with the drive.

Virus infection
Unknown hidden files/folders
Corrupted file system
Bad sectors on the flash drive

If you have done anything inappropriate to your USB that makes it blank, now you can try the following solutions to fix the issue – USB pen drive not showing data on computer.

Solution 1: External Hard Drive Shows Empty When Hidden Files Are Shown

There are two ways to unhide USB files:

Method 1: Display Hidden USB Drive Files Using Windows Explorer

Step 1: Connect your USB flash drive or thumb drive to your computer.

Step 2: Open Windows Explorer, choose Tools > Folder Options > switch to the View tab > and select Show hidden files.

This will ensure that files and folders are not hidden.

Method 2: Show Hidden USB Files Using cmd

Step 1: Click on "Start" - "Run" - type "cmd" and hit Enter.

Step 2: Type the command attrib -h -r -s /s /d k:\*.* to reveal the hidden files, and press Enter. Replace “K” with the letter assigned to your flash drive.

Solution 2: Recover files with USB Flash Drive Recovery Software

If you're troubled by the issue of USB flash drive not showing files but they actually exist, you've come to the right place! Retrieve your data from the pen drive with a data recovery software. It excels in recovering shortcut files or unearthing hidden files from USB pen drives or flash drives. Whenever you experience data loss on a pen drive due to virus deletion, hiding, or any other reason, the first step should be to scan the USB device to restore lost files and folders. The entire data recovery process only takes three simple steps.

Step 1: Run the USB Data Recovery software.

Connect your USB drive or pen drive to the computer, and then launch the USB Data Recovery tool on the PC. Select the drive labeled “External Drive,” and then click “Scan” to start looking for lost files.

Select the USB/Flash drive to scan for lost files

Step 2: Scan and search for lost files on the USB drive

The Data Recovery Wizard will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive/pen drive and find all lost data on it. After the scanning is completed, use the Filter feature to locate the files you need.

Scan USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive to Find Lost Files

Step 3. Recover all lost files from the USB

Double-click a file to preview it. Select the files you want to recover, then click “Recover” to save them to a secure location on your computer or another external storage device.

Solution 3: Format when USB Flash Drive Shows Empty

Possibly, your Pen drive file system is corrupted and converted to an unrecognized RAW file system, which doesn't allow Windows to access the drive data normally. Under such circumstances, you need to perform a quick format and restore full capacity of the Pendrive. Meanwhile, formatting the disk can also delete viruses that cause abnormal functioning of the Pen drive.

To format a corrupted USB drive, you can download the tool called Free Partition Manager, and then follow the instructions provided.

Step 1: Select the USB drive you want to format.

Plug in your USB drive or flash drive to your computer. Download and launch a partitioning tool. Right-click the USB drive you want to format, then select “Format.”

Step 2: Assign a drive letter to the USB and choose a file system.

Assign a new label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT) and cluster size to the selected partition and click “OK”.

Step 3. Click “Yes” to confirm the formatting of your USB flash drive.

If you see any warning windows, click “Yes.” Backup important data on your hard drive beforehand, just in case.

Step 4: Apply the changes.

First, click “Run 1 Task,” and then click “Apply” to format the USB drive.

Solution 4: Fix Bad Sectors on the Flash Drive When It Shows Up as Empty

Every digital storage device has a limited lifespan, and the lifetime of a flash drive is usually shorter than that of a larger hard disk. After some time of use – especially for those who don't use them properly – they can become faulty. A failing drive will typically have an abnormally high number of bad sectors. You might notice this when your files and folders appear to occupy no space at all.

To remove bad sectors from a USB flash drive, advanced users can employ the cmd method, but there are also simple repair tools available:

If you're not comfortable using the Command Prompt, you can use a tool like CleanGenius, which has a graphical interface for running the disk check. It's as simple as clicking a button to fix file system errors on your hard drive.

Step 1: Download CleanGenius for free on your computer.

Step 2: Run the software. Click “Optimize” on the left, and then choose “File Display.”

Select the file with the encoding options you want to apply

Step 3. Go to "Select Drive" and choose the drive with the file system error. Check the option "Check and fix file system errors" and click "Perform".

Step 4: Wait for CleanGenius to finish the repair process. When it's done, click “Here” to view the results.

Additional Tips to Prevent Data Loss from USB Flash Drive

Back up critical data or files to another device
Avoid using the same USB device across multiple systems to minimize the risk of damage
Always safely eject the USB drive to prevent virus attacks
Store flash media properly, and avoid exposing your flash drive to extreme temperatures, humidity, or pressure to prolong its lifespan