Many users who got the Anycubic Photon have had issues with their printer not reading their USB drives when they want to print. This could be very frustrating especially if you don’t know what to do. This article will give you the details on how to fix the Anycubic Photon when it does not read your USB.
To fix your Anycubic Photon not reading your USB, simply check that the USB is plugged properly into the printer. You can also format the USB or get a new one to print with. Changing the USB extension cable on the motherboard can fix the issue. If you’re not on the latest firmware, try updating it.
While this is just the basic answer, keep reading for more information on how to fix your Anycubic Photon when it’s not reading USB.
How to Fix Anycubic Photon Not Reading USB
Plug in the USB properly
Format the USB
Replace the USB
Update your firmware
Change the USB extension cable
Change file extension
Rename the files
Change your motherboard
1. Plug in the USB Properly
The first step in fixing your Anycubic Photon when it doesn’t read a USB drive is to plug the USB drive properly into the USB slot. If there isn’t proper contact between the USB and the USB slot, the printer may not be able to read the content of the USB drive.
Simply remove the drive and plug it in again. Ensure that it clicks into place and remains stable during the entire print job. This simple and yet effective fix is one of the first steps to take when your printer doesn’t read your USB drive.
2. Replace the USB
After you have tried plugging in the USB and your Anycubic Photon cannot still read the drive, the next step is to try another USB. Sometimes, a particular drive may not be compatible with the Anycubic Photon due to firmware or hardware discrepancies.
Also, there is a possibility that the current USB drive is corrupted and is not fit for use again, hence the printer cannot read it again. Although you can fix this issue, I’ll go more into detail on that in the article. If you have a spare USB, that should solve the problem.
Anycubic also recommends that the storage space of the USB should not be more than 16GB.
You can this JBOS USB Drive from Amazon for your Anycubic Photon.
3. Format the USB
If you do not have another USB drive to try on your Anycubic Photon, you can format the current one. Your current USB drive’s “File System” may not be compatible with the Anycubic Photon.
Also, another reason you may need to format your USB drive is because there may be malware on the drive, and this prevents the printer from reading its content, so you need to format the USB drive.
You can format your USB drive using the following steps below.
Insert the USB Drive into Your PC
Obtain the affected USB drive and insert it into an available USB port on your computer. Once it’s inserted, a notification pops up that the USB drive has been connected.
Locate your USB drive on your PC
Once you have inserted the USB drive into your PC, the next step is to locate the drive on your computer.
For Windows, kindly take the following steps:
To locate the USB drive, simply hold and press “Windows + E” on your keyboard to access your “File Explorer”, on a Windows PC.
Click on “This PC” from the dropdown menu on the left-hand side to access the USB drive. It is usually labeled with a drive letter (e.g., “E:”, “F:”) or a custom name if you’ve assigned one.
For Mac, kindly take the following steps:
If you use a Mac, simply press the keys “Cmd + Space” to use the Spotlight Search.
On your keyboard, simply Type in “Disk Utility,” and press Enter when it appears in the search results. You should have a list of storage devices connected to your Mac on the left-hand side.
Locate and select the USB drive you want to format.
Select and Format the USB Drive
After you have located the USB drive, you can now format the USB drive.
Right-click on the USB drive’s icon and select the “Format” option from the pop-up menu.
On the dialog box that pops up, set the “File System” to FAT32. Keep the “Allocation Unit Size” at its default value.
Choose a name that is descriptive and easy to remember, such as “USB DISK”. Click the “Start” button to initiate the formatting process.
Confirm your decision to proceed.
Once completed, you will receive a notification.
On a Mac PC, you can take the following steps:
With the USB drive selected, click on the “Erase” button in the toolbar at the top of the Disk Utility window.
Now, choose a name for the newly formatted USB drive and set the File System format to “MS-DOS (FAT)” and the scheme to “Master Boot Record”
Click the “Erase” button to start the formatting process.
A confirmation prompt will appear asking you to proceed.
Disk Utility will now format the USB drive according to your chosen settings.
Once the formatting process is complete, Disk Utility will display a confirmation message that your USB drive is now formatted and ready to use.
Check out the video below to see a tutorial.
4. Update Your Firmware
Another way to fix your Anycubic Photon when it doesn’t read your USB stick is to update your firmware. This is because 3D printer manufacturers release software updates to address various issues and improve compatibility with different hardware and peripherals.
Software updates often include bug fixes to address specific issues or errors. If the issue with the Anycubic Photon not reading a USB drive is due to a firmware bug, a software update can resolve that bug, allowing the printer to recognize and access USB drives as intended.
You can update your Anycubic Photon’s firmware either by:
Updating from the Anycubic App
Updating with a USB
Updating from the Anycubic App
If you already have the Anycubic app installed on your mobile device, you can update your printer in no time. You can do this by following the steps below:
Launch the Anycubic App
On the home screen, select “Workbench”
Select your printer’s model
On the top right-hand corner, click on the “three-dot” icon
Select “Firmware Update”
Confirm your selection to proceed
At this point, the printer should begin the update. The printer should restart and the app will display the printer as “temporarily offline”. Once this update sequence is completed, the printer will return to an “Available”, and the update is installed.
Updating with a USB
Copy the link “https://www.anycubic.com/pages/firmware-software” and paste it into your browser.
Scroll Down and select “Anycubic Photon Series” from the navigation bar on the left.
Select your printer’s model.
Click on the printer’s firmware available for installation.
Download the files. It should contain some installation files and a “Read Me.txt” file. Ensure you go through the “Read Me.txt” file first before you begin installing the firmware, as this would inform you of the order in which you are to install the files.
Copy the installation files to your USB.
Insert the USB into your printer.
Select an installation file and click on print, then repeat this process for the other installation files, in the order stated by the “Read Me.txt” file.
Once this process is completed, the printer will automatically reboot.
One user who recently got his Anycubic Photon said that after a couple of test prints, the printer suddenly couldn’t read any USB stick. He said he formatted the two USB drives he had and even checked the USB extension cable on the motherboard and it was working fine. He went on to update his machine’s firmware to the latest version and the printer worked fine.
You can check out this video from Yasmeen Yarkspiri for a step-by-step process of how to update your Anycubic photon’s firmware.
https://youtu.be/8o8oS0_j6bE
5. Change the USB Extension Cable
Another way to fix your Anycubic Photon when it’s not reading your USB drive is to change the USB extension cable. The USB port on the Anycubic Photon is connected to its motherboard via an extension cable. Once this cable develops a fault, your printer will not be able to read your USB drive.
To confirm if this cable is faulty, you need to first gain access to the printer’s motherboard by loosening the screws on the plate shielding it.
Then disconnect the extension cable from the motherboard and plug in your USB directly into the motherboard. If the Anycubic Photon is able to read the USB, then the extension cable is faulty.
One user said that his Anycubic photon SE didn’t read the USB drive. The USB drive would only turn on but no files would appear. He said firmware updates bricked the mainboard and even after three 3 replacements from Anycubic, it didn’t still work.
He later found out that the USB extension cable from the mainboard to the frame was bad. The cable only supplied power but not “COM” signals.
Another user shared their experience with their Anycubic photon printer. He said it wasn’t reading files from their USB stick. He changed the drives and formatted them, but still, it didn’t work.
He ended up opening his printer and plugging the USB drive directly into his motherboard and it worked perfectly. He contacted Anycubic and they sent him a replacement USB extension cable.
Check out this video from The Leprechaun Fantasy Workshop on how to change the USB extension cable on your Anycubic Photon printer.
6. Change File Extension
Another reason why the Anycubic Photon cannot read your USB drive is that the files are saved in the wrong format. While most Anycubic printers can print the .photon file extension, some others may not be able to print it.
You can check out the table in this link from Anycubic to view the appropriate file format for your specific Anycubic photon printer.
Once you confirm the right file format, simply load your 3D model file into your slicer software. Slice the model and file.
Choose the correct “file format”, for example, .photon or .pws. Then save the file to your USB drive.
One user stated that his USB drive came with a .pws test file, but his printer came with an old firmware that didn’t recognize this format. He ended up converting the file to a .photons format and updated his firmware and it worked perfectly afterwards.
7. Rename the Files
Renaming the files on your USB drive is another solution you can try if your Anycubic Photon is not reading USB drives. You’d want to make sure that the file names only contain alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers) and no special characters or spaces.
Also, you’d want to ensure that your 3D model has a shorter and simpler name, usually not more than 30 characters (including the file extension type).
One user recommended using short descriptions to name your files. This is because he had an issue where some files were visible, and others weren’t. He said plugged the flash drive into an older epax machine and it was able to read it fine.
However, he inserted the same flash into the Anycubic Photon, and the files didn’t show up.
Apparently, the Lychee software he uses appends a long date string to the end of his file names when rendering. He said you should keep your file names under 30 characters including the suffix and you should be good.
Another user wanted to print the first set of files for his car models, but the print file wouldn’t show up on the printer. He tried different USB drives and other things but nothing worked. He then researched what could be the problem and he found out that the problem was the file name. He just renamed the print file and it works now.
8. Change the Motherboard
Changing your motherboard is another solution to fixing your Anycubic Photon when it can’t read your USB. This should only be done after you troubleshoot all other hardware aspects of the Anycubic photon.
To get a new motherboard, you can purchase the exact type that fits your printer from Anycubic’s website.
One user stated that his USB drives brought up memory errors and some of them didn’t get recognized as having files on them.
He got in contact with Anycubic and they told him to try some of the fixes they suggested, like trying a test print of a small cube, but they failed with an error on different USB drives.
However, they promised to send a replacement motherboard for him.
Michael Dwamena is the founder of 3D Printerly, a platform dedicated to simplifying 3D printing for hobbyists and professionals alike. Owns over 20 3D printers (filament and resin) and has plenty experience 3D printing. Michael has authored over 900 articles, helping millions navigate the exciting world of 3D printing.
Reading Time: 10 minutes 
