Fix The Volume Does Not Contain a Recognized File System Error [2025]

Sometimes, when you try to access your flash drive or memory card through Windows File Explorer, you might receive a warning message that says, "The volume does not contain a recognized file system."

This common error usually occurs to external storage devices and can be a real headache, especially if you rely on your external drive for critical files or backups. However, there's no need to worry. In this blog post, we will briefly explain why this error happens and how you can fix it without losing any data. So, keep scrolling!

Reasons behind the volume does not contain a recognized file system issue

You're probably wondering: why am I getting the 'The volume does not contain a recognized file system RAW' error? Before discussing the solutions, let's first take a look at what causes this Windows error. By addressing the reasons, you can easily figure out the best solution. Here are some common reasons why your hard drive's file system gets corrupted:

The file system of your hard drive is corrupted due to improper shutdowns, software crashes, or other issues.

Your drive is formatted with a file system that is not supported by Windows.

The drive is not initialized, partitioned, or formatted correctly.

The file system on your drive is RAW.

Your hard disk is physically damaged or has bad sectors.

Bonus tip: How to recover files from a unreadable hard drive?

In most cases, formatting is the ultimate solution for various disk-related issues, including the 'The volume does not contain a recognized file system' error. As formatting will wipe all data on your drive, the first thing you should do is perform data recovery. With 98.7% success rate, Tenorshare 4DDiG is a powerful and free data recovery tool that excels at retriving files from inaccessible, formatted, or RAW drives. Here are some of its main features:

This recovery app can extract files from USB drives, HDDs, SSDs, and memory cards.

It can recognize more than 1000 types of data, including images, videos, audio files, MS office files, etc.

Two scan modes and fast scanning speed.

The tool's intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone—whether you're tech-savvy or not—to recover lost data with just a few clicks.

It works seamlessly on both Windows and macOS.

The following steps are how to recover files from a unreadable or corrupted hard drive with the aid of 4DDiG:

• Step 1: Ensure that your external hard drive is connected to your computer. Download, install, and launch the 4DDiG Free Data Recovery tool. Choose your disk from the main interface and click on "Scan."
• Step 2: Wait for Tenorshare 4DDiG to finish scanning the selected disk. To locate the desired files quickly, you can either type the exact file name in the search box at the top right or use the built-in file filter.

• Step 3: 4DDiG offers 2GB of free data recovery. To recover more, you'll need to upgrade to the PRO version. However, before committing to a full recovery, 4DDiG allows you to preview recoverable files to check if they are intact. If you're okay with the results, select the files you want and hit the "Recover" button.

4 Methods to fix the volume does not contain a recognized file system error

Fix 1: Run a SFC scan

In some cases, missing system files are one of the main culprits behind recognition issues. To fix the 'The volume does not contain a recognized file system' error, follow the steps below:

• Step 1: Type "Command Prompt" or "CMD" into the Windows search box, right-click on the app and choose "Run as administrator."
• Step 2: Write the "sfc /scannow" command followed by pressing Enter key.
• Step 3: If SFC doesn't work, you can also run the "DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth" command to repair the system image.

Fix 2: Run CHKDSK

All versions of Windows come with a built-in tool called CHKDSK to help users scan and repair disk file system errors. You don't have to worry about compatibility, as it works with various storage devices, including USBs, external hard drives, memory cards, and more. Here's how you use it:

• Step 1: Start by running the Command Prompt app with administrative privileges.
• Step 2: Input "chkdsk #: /f /r /x" and press Enter. Replace #: with the letter of the affected drive.

Fix 3: Update disk driver

Still receiving the error message 'The volume does not contain a recognized file system USB'? Manufacturers like Seagate, SanDisk, and Toshiba often release driver updates that enhance performance, fix bugs, or add new features. However, these updates might take time to appear on Windows Update, or they might not appear at all.

Therefore, it's better to manually update your disk drivers instead of relying solely on Windows Update. To do so:

• Step 1: Right-click on the Start button, and then pick the Device Manager option.
• Step 2: Go to the "Disk drives" section. Look for your disk, right-click on it and "choose Update driver."

Fix 4: Format the volume

The last solution for the 'The volume does not contain a recognizable file system' error is to erase the disk, especially if your hard drive appears as "Not Initialized", "Unallocated" or "RAW" in Disk Management. As already noted, if the drive contains important data, professional recovery tools like 4DDiG can be a lifesavior.

There are multiple ways to format a partition in Windows, including using Command Prompt, File Explorer, or third-party formatting tools. In this section, we are going to do the job via Disk Management:

• Step 1: Press Win + R, type "diskmgmt.msc", and press Enter.
• Step 2: Locate and right-click your affected drive, then pick Format from the menu.
• Step 3: Choose a proper file system (NTFS, exFAT, or FAT32) and check the "Perform a Quick Format" box.
• Step 4: Click "OK," then click "OK" again to confirm.

Bottom line

Dealing with this Windows error can be frustrating because there are many possible causes, and the error message itself does not provide any valuable information.

However, we've outlined four simple methods to help you get rid of the 'The volume does not contain a recognized file system' issue. If they don’t work, professional tools like 4DDiG Data Recovery can help restore important files. To avoid future errors, remember to back up your data regularly and safely eject storage devices.