Use a USB drive on an LG TV: formats, power, hubs, Eject and Format (2023–2025 webOS)

Plug the drive into the TV, formatted FAT32, exFAT or NTFS

A 2023–2025 LG webOS TV plays photos, videos and music from a USB stick or USB hard drive plugged into its USB port. The drive must use the FAT32, exFAT or NTFS file system. Open its files with Home → Media Player, remove it with Eject in Home Hub, and if the TV shows a format message, the file system isn’t supported.

Power is the other condition. LG recommends hard drives rated at 5 V and 500 mA or less. A drive that needs more may not work for lack of current, so LG recommends a USB hub or USB drive with its own power supply.

LG’s documents pull in two directions on hubs: the 2023–2025 user guides recommend “a USB hub or USB storage device with a power supply”, while the 2025 C5 owner’s manual warns that some USB hubs may not work and says to connect the drive directly if it isn’t detected through one. Start with the drive plugged straight into the TV; the table below sorts out when a hub helps. For 2014 LB-series TVs, see LG TV doesn’t detect a USB drive (2014 LB-series).

Before you start

• Back up anything important. LG warns that data on a USB drive can be damaged and that it takes no responsibility for it. Formatting on the TV erases everything.
• Check the file system on a PC. LG asks for drives formatted with the FAT32, exFAT or NTFS file system provided by Windows.
• Avoid drives with their own software. A drive with a built-in auto-run programme or its own driver may not be recognised.
• Mind the size (2023 and 2024 guides). These guides recommend a USB stick of 32 GB and a hard drive of 2 TB or less. The 2025 guide doesn’t repeat this.
• Plug straight into the port if you can. LG says a USB extension cable can stop the drive being recognised or working properly. The 2025 C5 owner’s manual adds that USB plugs should be under 10 mm thick and 18 mm wide; if a stick doesn’t fit, use an extension cable that supports USB 2.0.

Connect the drive and open your files

1. Plug the drive into a USB port on the TV. If it’s a hard drive with a power adapter, connect that too.
2. Press the Home button and open the Media Player app.
3. Select the USB drive in the device list.
4. Choose the photo, video or song to play.

The drive also appears in Home Hub, where you eject or format it (below). LG notes that the TV may create a file or folder on the drive, for example to store thumbnail images.

Hubs and power: when each applies

LG’s statements about hubs depend on what the drive is for:

Use	What LG says
Playing files (photos, videos, music)	Recommends “a USB hub or USB storage device with a power supply”, right after saying a drive that needs more than 5 V / 500 mA may not work for lack of current. We read that as a hub with its own power supply, or a drive with its own power supply. The 2025 owner’s manual adds that some hubs may not work: if the drive isn’t detected through a hub, connect it directly.
Recording TV programmes (where available)	A drive used for recording doesn’t work through a USB hub. Connect it directly, without an extension cable.
USB cameras	LG’s camera section warns that a USB hub or extension cable may stop the device working properly.

So for playback: start with the drive plugged straight into the TV. Add a powered hub, or the drive’s own power supply, only if the drive needs more power than the port supplies, and go back to a direct connection if the TV doesn’t detect it through the hub.

Eject the drive before you unplug it

LG says pulling a drive out without Eject can cause an error on the TV or the drive. How you reach Home Hub depends on your TV’s user guide:

• 2025 guide: press the Home Hub button (a house with a circle inside). If your remote doesn’t have one, press and hold the Input button. Select the USB drive, then select Eject.
• 2023 and 2024 guides: press the Input button to open Home Hub (on a Magic Remote you can also press and hold it). Move the focus to the USB drive; Eject appears at the top. Select it.

Unplug the drive once it has been ejected.

If the TV asks to format the drive

When you connect a drive whose file system the TV doesn’t support, a format message appears. LG says you have to format it before you can use it on the TV. Formatting deletes everything on the drive, so copy your files to a computer first. The TV formats it as FAT32, exFAT or NTFS.

To format from the menu instead:

• 2025 guide: press the Home Hub button (or hold Input), select the USB drive and select Format.
• 2023 and 2024 guides: press the Input button to open Home Hub, select the USB drive and select Format.

LG’s guides don’t say whether you can skip the message. If you’d rather format on a computer (our suggestion, not an LG step), copy the files off first, format the drive as exFAT, FAT32 or NTFS, then copy the files back.

If the drive isn’t detected or the files don’t show

Work through these in order:

1. Remove any extension cable and plug the drive directly into the TV.
2. If it’s on a hub, take it off the hub. The 2025 owner’s manual says some hubs don’t work.
3. Give a hard drive its own power. If it needs more than 5 V / 500 mA, connect its power adapter, or use a hub with a power supply. If a hard drive has a power-saving function and stops working, LG says to turn the drive off and on again; see the drive’s own manual.
4. Check the file system and software. The drive must be FAT32, exFAT or NTFS, and drives with their own auto-run software or driver may not be recognised. LG also says some USB drives just aren’t supported.
5. Drive found, file missing in Media Player: check that a computer can read the files, that the file type is supported, and set the Media Player filter to All.

If none of this works, try a different drive. LG’s guides don’t give a list of compatible drives.

Common questions

Can I record TV programmes to the USB drive?

On models and in regions that support recording, yes, but not through a hub: plug the drive directly into the TV’s USB port. LG’s 2023–2025 guides recommend recording to a USB hard drive, ideally one powered by its own AC adapter. The 2025 guide’s troubleshooting answer asks for a drive with at least 4 GB of total space; the recording notes add that a USB hard drive partition needs at least 1 GB available and a USB stick partition at least 4 GB. Only digital programmes received through the TV’s antenna input can be recorded, and LG notes that some models may not support recording.