Circuit Playground powers up, but CIRCUITPY drive doesn't show on computer
Make sure you're using a data-capable USB cable. A surprising number of USB cables are designed to only handle power and not data.
Where can I download the demo code that came with my board?
To return your Circuit Playground Express to its original state:
- Download this uf2 file
- Put your board into boot mode by double-clicking the RESET button
- Copy the uf2 file onto the CPLAYBOOT drive
CPLAYBOOT drive not showing up on your computer
If you’ve already installed CircuitPython, boot mode can be accessed by double-clicking the reset button.
If CircuitPython has not been installed and pressing the reset button once does not cause CPLAYBOOT to appear, try using a different USB cable or USB port on your computer.
I have a Windows 7 or 8 computer and the board does not show up when plugged in via a known good data cable over USB
For Windows 7 and 8, you need a Windows Driver for the operating system to see the Circuit Playground Express. See the Install Drivers (Windows) page on how to do that. NOTE: Windows 10 does not need these drivers (it's built into Windows 10) so do not install the driver package as it most likely will interfere with the built-in drivers and make the board not show up.
I accidentally installed the driver on my Windows 10 machine, now it does not recognize the board
You will need to uninstall the driver package to have Windows 10 use the built-in drivers.
I have Windows XP, can I use it with a Circuit Playground Express?
No, Windows XP reached end of life long ago. Please use a newer version of Windows. Adafruit suggests Windows 10, if possible, but Windows 7 and 8 work with an installed driver. Windows 10 has that driver built-in so no additional software is required.