How toHow To Fix USB/Pendrive Empty Problem Even The Drive Is Full
Time to fix out the pendrive issue showing empty even if the drive Is full. This type of problem occurs due to various reasons. However, we are going to share three easy methods that will help you fix Pendrive emtpy problem even when the drive is full. Go through the post to know about it.
Many times Windows users face a problem that shows empty Pendrive while the drive is full. This is a very common problem which occurs due to the corruption of memory storage tables in a storage device. This type of problem occurs when users improperly eject Pendrive or external drive or when it is affected by some viruses and malware. However, this can be fixed easily without using any third party tool on your Windows PC. So have a look at complete guide discussed below to proceed.
Also Read: How To Increase RAM Using USB/Pendrive In Windows 8 & 10
Contents:
- 1 How To Fix Pen Drive Empty Problem Even The Drive Is Full
How To Fix Pen Drive Empty Problem Even The Drive Is Full
The method is straight and simple, and you don’t need any technical knowledge, you just need a simple command entering that will easily fix out the issue of loss of files in Pendrive. Follow the methods discussed below.
Also Read: How to Remove Shortcut Virus from USB Drives & PC
Method 1: New Drive Letter
Sometimes due to some hardware/software issue, our computer fails to recognize the hard drive and even if it does. It might show you some problem like empty USB drive even if the drive is full. So, here Assigning New drive letter might fix your problem and it is an easy task. So, make sure to apply this method first to check whether it’s working or not in your case. If it works, then you don’t need to go through the next methods.
Step 1. First of all, reinsert your USB drive on your computer and then right click on ‘My Computer’ and then click on ‘Manage.’
Step 2. Now you will get to see many options in Computer Management. Here you need to select the option ‘Disk Management.’
Step 3. Now you need to find your USB drive and then right-click on it and select the option ‘Change Drive Letters and Paths’
Step 4. Now you will be asked to choose a drive letter or Path. Simply select your drive letter and click ‘Ok’ button.
That’s it! Now remove your USB drive and reinsert it and check whether files inside your USB drive are showing or not. If it still doesn’t show you the file, go through the other methods.
Method 2: Show Hidden Files In Computer
Step 1. First of all, you need to open My Computer and then click on “Organize.”
Step 2. Now from the drop down, select “Folder and search option.”
Step 3. Now you need to click on “View” tab which is located just behind the “General” tab.
Step 4. Now you need to search for the setting “Hidden Files and Folders” and there select the option “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” and then click on apply.
This method will eventually show your files and folders if it is kept hidden.
Method 3: Using Command Prompt
Step 1. First of all, search for “cmd” in the start menu and then right click on command prompt and then select “Run As Administrator.”
Step 2. Now in command prompt, you have to enter the command given below,
attrib -h -r -s /s /d x:*.*
where you need to replace x with the letter of your drive.
attrib -h -r -s /s /d x:*.*
where you need to replace x with the letter of your drive.
That’s it! The process will take few seconds and you are done, now open your drive in explorer, and you will see all your files present there, that is these are recovered.
Also Read: How To Repair Corrupted Memory Card/USB Hard Drive
Method 4: By Searching (.) in Search Box
First of all, open your drive in explorer. Now you will see there no items to displayed. Just add dot (.) in the search box at the top right corner. You can see all the hidden files and folders there, and you can easily copy that files and then paste anywhere in your computer storage as a recovered file.
Now simply format your Pendrive after recovering all the data and then put data back in it. That’s it now this problem will get permanently fixed in your USB storage.
Also Read: How To Change Boot Screen In Your Windows PC
Method 4: Scan It Via Antivirus Software
Well, we use our USB flash drive on different computers. So, our USB flash drives are more prone to viruses and malware. Sometimes, due to virus attacks, our computer fails to see the files that are actually there inside the USB drive. So, to prevent this issue, we need to scan the USB drive by antivirus and check whether the files are back or not.
Method 5: Use Third Part Services
Well, if every other method failed to fix your USB/Pendrive Empty problem, then you can also use some third-party tools that can fix your USB Drive. Well, there are lots of tools available on the internet which can fix USB flash drive in no-time.
Method 6: Restoring Files From Pendrive
Well, we recommend you to follow this method only if the above-listed methods have failed to fix the USB Empty problem. This method includes restoring files through third-party recovery software. We will be using EaseUS Data Recovery to recover files from Empty pen drive.
Step 1. First of all, download & install EaseUS Data Recovery on your computer from this link. Once installed connect your USB drive and open the tool.
Step 2. Now you will see an interface like below. Here you need to select the Pendrive and then click on ‘Scan’ button to scan for the lost files.
Step 3. Wait until EaseUS Data Recovery scans for the files that can be recovered. Once done, it will list out all files. To preview, double click on the files.
Step 4. Next, select the files which you want to recover and then tap on the ‘Recover’. Select the folder where you want to save the new files.
That’s it, you are done! This is how you can use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover files from empty Pendrive. If you are facing any problem, then discuss with us in the comments.
Method 7: Format Your Pendrive
This is the last thing which you should consider. Well, if you choose to format your USB Flash drive, all files will be deleted. You should only choose to format your USB Drive if the above-mentioned methods failed to work. So, formatting our USB drive seems to be the last option.
So above is all about How to Fix Pendrive Empty Problem Even The Drive Is Full. With the above-discussed methods, you can easily recover all the files from the USB drive where you can’t view all your files, but the memory is full there. So use the above-discussed methods and fix out this issue. Hope this solution works for you, keep on sharing our tricks. Leave a comment below if you have any related queries with this.
A USB storage drive such as pen drive or external hard drive may show empty when connected to a Windows PC, even when data exists within. This may happen due to various reasons such as malware or virus infection, hidden files, and drive encryption.
In this post, we discuss a quick 3-step method to fix and recover data from USB pen drives that show empty even when they contain data. Further, we share a few essential tips that you can follow to prevent such data loss scenarios in future.
The 3 Steps to Fix “USB Pen Drive Shows Empty” issue
[Caution]: If you don’t see any data in a pen drive, don’t run any hit-and-trial method in an attempt to access the data. Especially if you aren’t sure of what exactly is the issue. An inappropriate tool or method may cause further data corruption and lead to permanent data loss due to overwriting.
Thus, it’s crucial to immediately stop using the drive to prevent overwriting and destroying data beyond the scope of recovery.
Step 1: View Hidden Files
- Connect the affected USB pen drive to the PC.
- In Windows 10 and previous versions, go to
Control Panel. - In Search bar type File Explorer.
- Click ‘File Explorer Options’ from the result.
- Go to ‘View’ tab and under ‘Hidden Files and Folders’, select ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives’ radio button.
- Then, uncheck ‘Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)’ checkbox.
- Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ to save the changes.
- Now open the File Explorer and access the USB pen drive.
- Check if you can see and access the files. If not, head to the next step immediately.
Step 2: Use Command Prompt
There may be a case wherein the drive and files have got infected with a malware or virus. Malicious programs hide the data stored in a storage drive such as a pen drive, by changing file attributes.
Such files can’t be accessed even if you turn ON the ‘View Hidden File’ option (we did in the previous step). In this case, we must run an ‘attrib’ command on the drive to change the attributes of the files stored on the drive and fix USB pen drive shows empty. To do so,
- Press Windows+S and type cmd.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and choose ‘Run as administrator’.
- Now type (or copy/paste) the command attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:*.* (replace letter X with your USB pen drive letter).
- Press ‘Enter’ and then try accessing the drive. See if the data is visibleand accessible.
In most cases, this step should fix the issue, instantaneously. However, in rare cases wherein this method doesn’t work, head to the final step to recover the data ASAP.
Step 3: Use a Data Recovery Software
If the previous steps fail to fix ‘USB pen drive shows empty’ issue, download and install a professional pen drive recovery software. The software can help recover invisible and hidden files from a USB pen drive, even if the drive is severely corrupt or formatted.
Just follow the steps given below to get back your data from a pen drive that shows empty even when the data exists:
1. Connect the USB pen drive to the system and launch Stellar Data Recovery Professional software.
2. Select the files you want to recover. Choose either particular file type or click ‘All Data’ and then the ‘Next’ button.
3. Choose the pen drive volume under ‘Connected Drives’ and click ‘Scan’.
4. The software quickly scans the drive for recoverable data and displays the scan results in a few minutes (depending on the storage capacity and R/W speeds).
5. In case you don’t find the desired file, click ‘Click Here’ link at the bottom to run ‘Deep Scan’.
Deep Scan thoroughly scans each sector on the drive for the recoverable data traces. It uses the file signature based scan approach, which lets you recover data from a formatted and corrupt storage media.
6. After Deep Scan, click on a file to see its preview and use the search bar to locate the critical files for recovery quickly.
7. Select the files you want to restore and then click ‘Recover’.
8. Click ‘Browse’ to choose a save location. Make sure the selected location has enough storage space to accumulate selected recovered files.
9. Click ‘Start Saving‘.
In a few minutes, the inaccessible and invisible data will be saved at the user-specified location.
To prevent such a situation in future, follow these tips while using a pen drive or any external storage media:
Conclusion
A USB pen drive is commonly used to store and share important documents such as business presentations, spreadsheets and other such files. However, a pen drive can get corrupt due to malware or virus infections and unsafe drive ejection.
In this post, we discussed 3 effective steps to fix ‘USB pen drive shows empty’ issue, even when the data exists within the pen drive. Further, we shared a few best practices to prevent data loss while using a pen drive.
If you need more help, please comment down below or reach us via our support channel.
Pen drive detected but not showing data, how to fix?
'When I insert my 64GB SanDisk USB pen drive in any computer, it is detected and shows the occupying space. But when I trying to access my data, it not showing files and folders. I have no idea about why the pen drive show empty even when data exists. I have very important data in that. Please help me to recover that data.'
Why is USB pen drive not showing data but space used
Pen drive not showing data but using space is one of the main reasons for data loss disaster. It usually prevents you from seeing your data while checking the used space and unused space is showing correctly. And the most possible for this issue is a virus attack. Some unknown virus can not only infect your files but also makes them hidden. It creates an empty shortcut of your files and folders which lead to nowhere.
Pen Drive Shows Empty Even When Data Exists In Excel
If you are annoyed by pen drive not showing data problem and trying to find a USB data recovery solution, congratulations, you come the right place! Here, we show you how to recover hidden files from virus infected pen drive to fix USB drive files or folders not showing but space used in two simple ways. By the way, the tutorials also work with the flash drive, external hard drive, SD card or other external USB devices.
When you meet the same problem on a Mac computer, follow this page and resolve flash drive not showing up on Mac issue and restore all lost files.
How to fix pen drive not showing data and retrieve files
Follow the two methods below to fix the error and restore data:
Method 1. Unhide files using CMD while pen drive not showing data
1. Connect the USB pen drive or flash drive to PC. Open Windows Explorer > Go to Tools > Folder Options > Go to View Tab > Check 'Show Hidden Files'. This will make sure that the files and folders are not in hidden mode.
2. Next, click on Start Menu -->Run --> Type cmd and press Enter. To make the pen drive data showing, type the commands: attrib -h -r -s /s /d k:*.* and press Enter. Here, you need to replace 'K' with your pen drive letter.
Now all your files will start showing in your USB flash drive or pen drive. If you see a folder without a name, rename it to recover its data.
Method 2. Recover files with EaseUS recovery software when pen drive not showing data
If the above steps failed to help, then try to retrieve your data with EaseUS disk data recovery, a popular third-party data recovery software. It performs well to recover shortcut files or hidden files from USB pen drive or flash drive. Here, if pen drive data not showing due to the virus, you should first scan your USB device for viruses to removes the virus.
Step 1: Run Pen Drive Recovery Software
- First, please connect your pen drive to your computer.
- Then you can run EaseUS pen drive recovery software - Data Recovery Wizard on your PC.
- On the main interface, choose your pen drive under External Devices, and click Scan to start the pen drive recovery process.
Step 2: Scan the Pen Drive
Let the program run to scan and find all your lost files.
All your files will be listed here:
All your files will be listed here:
- Delete Files: It lists your deleted files.
- Drive: It loads all your lost files there.
- Lost Partition Files: Check it first if it's for formatted recovery.
- Extra Files: Finds files that lost names or paths.
- Filter: A quick way to your wanted files.
- Search: e.g. File name/file extension.
Step 3: Recover Pen Drive Files
- Check those three tabs - Deleted Files, Lost Partition Files or Extra Files to find your files, and you can double-click to preview them.
- Finally, click 'Recover' to save them to a secure location on your PC or another external storage device.