By default, Windows hides all empty drives in File Explorer. In this article, you'll see how to display all your devices, regardless of whether they're empty or not.
Empty drives (or if you prefer, empty disks) are mainly devices with removable media, such as card readers (if the card reader is permanently connected to your computer), which may have a card inserted or may be empty. Windows assigns these drives to permanent drive letters, but by default hides them from File Explorer if they are empty and only shows them if you insert a card.
If you use these removable media frequently and insert cards all the time, it can be a little annoying to have drives appear and disappear all the time. A quick change to File Explorer's settings allows you to see all your drives, empty and not.
Open File Manager and, from the “File” menu, select “Change folder and search options.” Note that in versions of Windows prior to Windows 8, the option is called “file and folder options.”.
In the “Folder Options” window, go to the “View” tab.
In the “Advanced Settings” section, disable the “Hide empty drives” option, then click “OK.”.
After this change, all drives should appear in the File Explorer window, regardless of whether they contain a card or not.
