Select the USB ports and enable them all.

Inside BIOS, go to the hardware or configuration (or similar) tab.

Restart your system and access the BIOS by tapping the F2 or Escape key.

USB ports can be disabled and enabled from inside Windows 10 however, if they’ve been disabled from the BIOS, you won’t be able to enable them, and your drive won’t show up. If it is but you cannot access it in File Explorer after trying everything listed here, it is possible the content or the nature of the drive is preventing it from showing in Windows 10. Switch over to it and run the command ‘ list disk‘.

A new Command Prompt window will open.

Normally, a USB drive that has an OS burned on it, or a boot tool can still be accessed from inside Windows 10 but there going to be exceptions. USB disks are now the go-to method for installing operating systems and using boot tools.

Restart the system and connect the drive to access it.

Right-click each device, and select Enable from the context menu.

Expand the Universal Serial Bus Controllers group of devices.

All you have to do is enable them and everything will start working. If during the hardware check the USB worked on other systems but isn’t detected on your system, it is possible that you’ve disabled USB ports on it.

Assign a letter to the drive and click OK.

In the window that opens, select Change.

Right-click the drive and select Change drive letter and path.

Tap Win+R to open the run box and enter ‘ diskmgmt.msc‘.

It’s possible the drive hasn’t been assigned a letter which is why it isn’t accessible. If the USB disk is not formatted on the correct system, you can change it but you will lose your files in the process.

Go to the General tab, and look for File System.

Right-click the disk in the Disk Management and select Properties.

In the run box, enter ‘ diskmgmt.msc‘ and tap Enter.

On Windows 10, a USB drive has to either be formatted on the NTFS or the exFAT system to be accessible. If the USB drive is detected on other systems, run through the solutions below to access it.

Connect the USB drive to a different system.

Connect a different USB device or drive to your system.

If you’re using a USB hub, remove it and try connecting the USB directly to your system.

Change the port that you connect the USB to.

Hardware checkįirst and foremost, run a hardware check. If your USB is not detected, there are a few things you can try. Depending on your settings, the drive might open automatically in File Explorer and you can go through your files, or add some to it.Ī USB device, regardless if it’s a storage device or a mic, will work with no trouble. You will hear an audio alert telling you it’s been detected and you can access it from File Explorer.

Usb access denied windows 10