Cannot Access Internal Storage via TWRP: How to Fix

twrp internal storage

Having a custom recovery could prove to be quite a useful addition to the ever-growing collection of tools for tech enthusiasts. From flashing custom ROMs to modules and custom binaries, from taking a Nadroid backup to deleting partition data, and carrying out a slew of advanced tweaks, well, there are a lot of functionalities to look forward to. But what if you cannot even access the internal storage via TWRP?

Well, this definitely one of the most infuriating and troublesome experiences that one could have. In such cases, if you head over to the Install section of TWRP, then it will simply show Internal Storage as 0MB, with no visible files and folders. Even if you connect your device to your PC via USB, then the File Explorer will either not even list your device, or if it does, you won’t again be able to access its storage.

All this results in the inability of the users to flash ZIP files, which defeats their purpose of installing a custom recovery in the first place as their top prerequisite isn’t being checkmarked. Moreover, this issue isn’t just limited to TWRP, we have seen the users having PitchBlack and OrangeFox also being unable to access internal storage. So in this guide, we will be having a look at various methods through which one could rectify this bug. Follow along.

Table of Contents

Fix Cannot Access Internal Storage via TWRP

It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success.

Reboot to Recovery

In some cases, the data partition will only get updated once you reboot your device back to recovery. So go to Reboot > Recovery and check if it rectifies the underlying issue.

reboot recovery twrp

Remount Data Partition

In some instances, the data partition might fail to get mounted. Therefore, you’ll have to manually get this job done, using the steps given below:

From TWRP, go to Mount and uncheck the Data partition.
Then reboot your device to recovery from the Reboot menu.
Once it reboots to TWRP, go to Mount and recheck Data.
Verify if the Internal Storage is accessible via TWRP or not.

Re-Enable MTP

If your phone is not visible on the PC when booted to TWRP, then there might be an issue or two with the Media Transfer Protocol. So you should consider disabling and then re-enabling it, as instructed below:

From TWRP, go to the Mount section and tap Disable MTP.
Then reboot your device to the recovery via the Reboot menu.
Once it boots up, go to Mount and now tap on Enable MTP.

ADB Push

Instead of being reliant on the MTP, one could also opt for the ADB Push function. Infact the ADB Push is a much faster method of transferring files from PC to phone when compared with the normal USB method, the only reason why users don’t opt for it is the fact that it requires an additional step [in the form of executing an ADB Command] when compared to its USB counterpart. With that said, let’s put this tweak to the test and check out the result:

Download and extract Android SDK Platform Tools on the PC.
Then transfer the desired ZIP file to the platform-tools folder.
Now open Command Prompt inside the platform-tools folder.
After that, type in the below command to initiate ADB Push
```
adb push filename.zip /sdcard
```
By default, the file will be transferred to the Internal Storage.
To change its location, change the /sdcard in the command.

Reinstall TWRP Recovery

If none of the aforementioned methods spelled out success, then the last course of action of action should be to reinstall the TWRP Recovery on your device. In this regard, you could refer to our detailed guide on How to Install TWRP Recovery on any Android or check out the below shorter instructions:

Download and extract Android SDK Platform Tools on the PC.
Then transfer the TWRP ZIP/IMG to the platform-tools folder.
Now boot the device to the Fastboot Mode and connect it to PC.
Then if your device does not have a recovery partition, then use:
```
fastboot boot twrp.img
```
Then flash TWRP ZIP or go to Advanced > Flash Current TWRP.
If the device does have a recovery partition, then use the command:
```
fastboot flash recovery
```
Now boot your device to the Recovery via the below command:
```
fastboot reboot recovery
```
The TWRP Recovery has now been re-installed on your device.

That’s it. These were the various methods to fix the issue of being unable to access the internal storage via TWRP. All queries related to. the aforementioned steps are welcomed in the comments section below.