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iPad not recognising USB anymore.

My IPad Air no longer recognises my USB stick that I’ve had and used since November. I have tried forcing restart, updating my iPad, trying the USB on another device (MacBook- also didn’t show up there) and cleaning the port the USB goes in, all were unsuccessful. I’d assume the USB is corrupted, but it contains important work that I would really like to have back, does anyone know of any way I can retrieve this and prevent something similar happening again in the future? I’ve already had this happen to another USB I had. Thanks :)

iPad Air, iPadOS 17

Posted on Jul 9, 2024 1:14 PM

3 replies

Jul 9, 2024 4:50 PM in response to Fairylights13

Never disconnect your USB stick unless you are certain that the device is not being actively written to. If disconnected during a write cycle, the device may be irretrievably corrupted.

If the USB Storage device has been corrupted, you will not be able to retrieve files from it using your iPad. However, you may still be able to recover some files using commercial/proprietary file recovery software that must be installed on either a Windows PC or Mac computer.

You might try using Recuva or Sandisk Rescue Pro. A Google search should find them.

Jul 9, 2024 5:30 PM in response to LotusPilot

i see!

when you say “written to”, what would that mean in practical terms, as in during an up/download of pictures or videos??

is there a certain way i should be “logging off?” so to speak before removing the usb? thank you for your input and help!

Jul 10, 2024 11:42 AM in response to Fairylights13

Write

Saving a file to USB storage; never disconnect during a write cycle as corruption can occur.

Read

Reading a saved file from USB storage.

Many USB sticks have a light that indicates when the device is being accessed for read or write. Don't disconnect the USB stick until all activity has stopped - and the light has been extinguished for several seconds.

iPad not recognising USB anymore.